Podcast Host (5:28)

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Aaron Mahnke (6:05)

The Crusades have undergone a bit of a PR crisis in recent years. Whereas they used to be looked upon as a series of heroic quests undertaken by brave knights, in the modern day they are seen as violent wars over a religion that preaches peace. There were eight Crusades in total, and most of them were less than successful. But of all of them, the Fourth Crusade was by far the biggest disaster. It began in the year 1198 when Pope Innocent III called for a new Crusade on Jerusalem. The previous Crusade, which was the most famous one with Richard the Lionheart, had ended with many Christian territorial conquests, including Cyprus and much of the Israeli coast. But the Muslims still control the all important city of Jerusalem, where Christians believe Jesus died and was resurrected. Enter Enrico Dandolo, the ruler of Venice. Paintings of Enrico show him with an angry expression on his face, a sharp beak like nose and a strange pointed red hat. The guy looked just like a villain and he was prepared to act like one as well. As Crusaders gathered and prepared for the journey to the Holy Land, he offered to finance their journey with a fleet of warships. But they had to do something for him first. He wanted them to sail across the Adriatic Sea to the city of Zara, which was directly east from Venice in modern day Croatia. The city had recently allied itself with Hungary and Enrico wanted the Crusaders to conquer it and bring it under Venetian rule. Pope Innocent was completely against this, as this was a Christian city. He threatened to excommunicate Venice and the Crusaders if they went through with this plan. Some of the Crusaders abandoned their mission, but enough were willing to go through with the attack. Enrico's money and ships were just too tempting to pass up. When they arrived, they sacked the city and Venice was excommunicated. But the Pope eventually forgave the Crusaders because, you know, he needed to keep them crusading. They traveled around Greece and headed for Jerusalem. But once again, Enrico proved to have ulterior motives. Years before, he had been ousted from an advisory position in the Byzantine court at Constantinople. This was a massive, well fortified city that today we call Istanbul. It's strategically important too, as it serves as a gateway between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Enrico wanted the Crusaders to attack Constantinople and place a new emperor on its throne, giving him control of the Byzantine Empire. The Empire spanned all of Greece And Turkey. And this time he claimed that it was for religious reasons, maybe with giant air quotes there. The Byzantines had split from the Catholic Church years prior, forming their own Eastern Orthodox Church in an event known as the Great Schism. Enrico's argument was that they could bring the Byzantines back into the Catholic fold and save them from heresy. And the plan started out okay for him. When the Crusaders first surrounded the city, they were able to force the surrender of the current emperor and put Enrico's puppet on the throne. But as you can imagine, this didn't go over very well with the locals. In their mind, an army from a foreign land two peninsulas over had arrived and forced a new leader and a new church on them. And they were not having it. And so the people rebelled under the leadership and quickly executed Enrico's puppet emperor. But the Crusaders simply couldn't admit their mistakes and head for Jerusalem. One of the major issues with any crusade was that it was difficult to keep such a large army well supplied in a foreign land. The Crusaders were now almost out of food and their ships needed repairs before sailing again. And so they made the most unchristian decision possible. They decided to attack. On the morning of April 9th in the year 1204, tens of thousands of Crusaders climbed over the walls and battered down the gates of Constantinople. Once inside, they murdered and assaulted the citizens they stole from businesses and churches alike. It was a crusade that had led to Christians killing Christians. But of course, Enrico now had what he wanted. Venice controlled trade from Italy to Turkey, and a new emperor was installed on the throne. And the Crusaders split up the lands amongst themselves. However, the fractured nature of this arrangement meant that the Byzantines were still able to regroup and retake Constantinople a few decades later in 1261. Not that Enrico lived to see it, mind you. He died just a year after the crusade in 1205. It's a tale as old as time. A rich guy with a bit of power, one who only cares about himself, mind you, puts on the costume of religion as a tool to fool the masses and then steals whatever he wants. And ultimately, like so many other dictators throughout history, all of Enrico's works were eventually undone. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities Podcast. The show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series and television show. And you can learn all about it over@theworldoflore.com and until next time, stay curious. This show is sponsored by American Public University. Success starts with your drive, and American Public University is here to fuel it. With affordable tuition and over 200 flexible online programs, APU helps you gain the skills and confidence to move forward. Whether you're changing careers, starting fresh, or pursuing a lifelong passion, APU's programs are designed for people who never stop. You bring the fire. Apu will fuel the journey. Learn more at apu.apus.edu this is an iHeart podcast.

Podcast Host (12:11)

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