Western European and Byzantine sources of the Middle Ages about the relations between Western and Eastern Christians and the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204

Abstract

Historical  sources  and  evidence  of  the  eyewitnesses  of  the 4 th crusade  in  many  respects  reflect  the  complexity  and  sharpness  of  the contradictions between the Western and Eastern Christendom at the turn of the 12 th– 13 Th centuries. The evidence and narrations proceed from the most direct participants in the military events, broke out on the shore of the Bosporus in  1203–1204.  The  authors  of  those  materials  belonged  to  the  two  opposing camps,  and  therefore  the  analysis  of  those  sources  represents  a  sufficiently complete and detailed picture of the occurred tragedy. A thorough analysis of the sources makes it possible to at least partially see and comprehend the causes of  the  military  confrontation  between  the  Western  and  Eastern  Christians, who represented – just a while ago, in the first half of the 11 th century – the united Ecumenical Church. The sources vividly reflect the mood that prevailed in the crusaders’ encampment in April, 1204, hesitation and doubt of the bulk of  the  Cross  Warriors  who  were  not  sure  of  the  rightness  of  their  actions  in the  preparation  for  the  assault  of  Constantinople.  Many  of  them  understood that  they  would  have  to  raise  the  sword  against  their  fellow  believers –  the Christians of the East. But the most tragic outcome of the 1202–1204 Crusade was  the  crushing  defeat  of  Constantinople  by  the  Cross  Warriors.  For  the Romans  (Byzantines)  that  became  the  reason  for  the  disintegration  of  the Roman Empire. For all Eastern Christians it indicated the demise of the capital of the Orthodox Christendom.