The Crusade was over. The Crusaders had won. They had pushed Humpty Dumpty off the wall, and now they were the kings of all the broken pieces. If this had been their plan all along, then whoever was responsible for working out what came next had been asleep at the wheel. Once the celebrations of Easter Week 1204 brought an end to the initial rush of looting and vandalism, all semblance of this being a united force with a common goal vanished into the springtime air like dandelion seeds in the breeze.

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We're joined by two very special guests this week to discuss what the Fourth Crusade looks like from the perspective of Constantinople. Marco Cappelli from Storia d'Italia podcast and Robin Pierson from the History of Byzantium podcast share their fascinating and well researched perspectives.

You can find Marco's show at: https://italiastoria.com/

You can find Robin's show at: https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/

Both are highly recommended by much more discerning sources than us, and are well worth your time and support.

You know where to find us, of course. 

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

April 1204. Constantinople. The story of this ridiculous crusade finally reaches its climax. You probably know how it ends, but for the participants the peril is off the scale as both sides fight for their survival.

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

The Crusaders’ stunning victory in July 1203 had resolved nothing. They had won, perhaps by default, but it can hardly have been a surprise that the people of Constantinople had never welcomed them. After a few months of phoney peace, by December the war was back on again. As the Crusaders overwintered in Galata, a new, more aggressive opponent emerged in Constantinople. Will the man known as Big Eyebrows save the Empire?

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

There’s no more room left on the knife-edge that’s balancing everyone’s fortunes on the night of 17th July 1203. Daybreak will bring unexpected clarity, and a victory for one side or the other. But when you find yourself gratefully jumping out of the frying pan, where do you land? Nowhere good, that’s for sure. For all its apparent success, this Crusade has the reverse-Midas touch, rapidly transforming gold into dusty death. And it’s only getting worse. As one war ends, another one soon begins.

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

The “crusade” has finally reached Constantinople. This ragged coalition has agreed to stick together, at least for now. The proponents of this preposterous diversion have one shot at persuading the people of Constantinople to accept their puppet Emperor. With the shambolic history of this Crusade so far, it’s a plan that should stand almost no chance of success. Stand by for adrenaline-fuelled action as the Venetian navy and a ragtag band of French chivalric misfits attempt the impossible.

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

The crusading army has successfully captured a Christian town that was under the protection of a Christian King. The Pope is furious. But it’s only going to get worse from here. Because on New Year’s Day 1203, messengers arrive in the camp with a spectacular offer that will rid them of all their money troubles. The only catch is that it involves going to completely the wrong target. The diversion to Constantinople is on, and there’s every chance that it’s going to tear this crusade apart.

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We got a bit sidetracked with all the work that we put into the Intelligent Speech conference last week, so this is a bonus episode telling the story of a Venetian legend, to give us a bit of breathing space to get back into the main research on the Fourth Crusade narrative, which will return next week. The story of the three saints and the gold ring is a curious tale which tells us something about how the medieval Venetians liked to view themselves. We hope you enjoy it.

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is from Vivaldi’s Gloria, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

It’s four years since the Crusade was originally called, and the under-sized army is still stuck in Venice, hopelessly unable to pay their hosts for the magnificent navy that has been prepared for them. A very questionable deal has been agreed that the Holy Army will take a short diversion, to help Venice to recapture the nearby Dalmatian port of Zara. But with the Pope very definitely opposed to the plan, can this fractious and unstable coalition stay together long enough to avoid the entire venture collapsing into a chaos of bitter recriminations?

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

The contract of 1201 was simple. Venice will build a fleet for 33,500 men, and the crusaders will pay for it, spreading the cost across four instalments. Well, Venice has now built that fleet, and the accounts are overdue. But where are the crusaders, and where is their money? 

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org