Lord knows - Arnaud Amalric and Simon IV de Montfort

During the crusade on Christian heretics (Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade) in the early 13th century, Pope Innocent III led the nobility of northern France.

When they reached the city of Beziers, in the south of France near the Mediterranean coast, they surrounded it.

A question among the crusaders arised: how to distinguish true Christians from heretics who follow the so-called Cathar learning?

Cistercian monk Arnaud Amalric and French nobleman Simon IV de Montfort suggested unusual solution to the pope:

"Kill them all. For the Lord knows them that are His (Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius )."

Unfortunately, the pope and crusaders did as suggested. The entire population of twenty thousand Cathars and Catholics that lived in Beziers were slaughtered.

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Fourth Crusade - Twilight of Byzantium (Part five: The Consequences of The Fall of Constantinople.)

After the conquest of Constantinople, the Crusaders will share the lands of Byzantium with Venetians and establish short-lived Latin Empire, which will disappear after just a few decades. Although restored with its return to Constantinople in 1261 the Roman Empire will never be the same. Until the fall by the hand of Turks, Constantinople will just be a shadow of its shadow. And the emperor and autocrat of Romans will remain just in name only. Constantinople, in reality,  will no longer play a leading political role, even in the Balkans, but the Byzantine civilization will once again, like a dying star, shine at the time of "Renaissance Palaeologus" in the 14th century, and then fold like a dark dwarf - Empire reduced to the area of a city. Like being in agony, Constantinople will provide a last, desperate, heroic resistance to Turkish attacker in 1453, and then immerse in the eternal silence from which will emerge Turkish Istanbul.

Equally serious consequences the fall of Constantinople had on relations between the two Christian churches - Orthodox and Catholic. Although for more than a century the official division of the Christian Church dominated ("Schism" from 1054), only the wanton violence of Catholic Christians against the Orthodox Constantinople finally deepened the gap between the two churches, which has not yet been overcome. To this is certainly contributed and the conduct of Pope Innocent III, who, after the conquest of Constantinople, confirmed the election of a new, "Latin", or the Catholic Patriarch, and thus become subsequent complicit in the foray on Constantinople, something to which he previously opposed. Pope’s pressure on the eastern "schismatic" did not, however, have any results. Pope John Paul II, eight hundred years later, during his visit to Athens, in May 2001, asked on behalf of the Catholic Church for forgiveness - for everything the Latins committed eight centuries earlier in Constantinople.

In addition to material damages, the conquest of Constantinople had and other consequences on international and regional relations of that period. Instead of one empire, in its place it was created a larger number of countries, whether Latin, or Greek, "empires", "Despotates", "Kingdoms" and "principalities"... and finally, in the Balkans and Asia Minor many Latin and Greek states waged war for the succession of Byzantium.

To read Part one: Angels of Vanity, click HERE.

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Fourth Crusade - Twilight of Byzantium (Part four: A Tragedy Had Several Acts.)

The first act began on 17 July 1203 when the Crusader and Venetian army, led by the blind Doge, managed to penetrate through walls, burn one part of the city and instead of Alexius III give the throne to the blind Isaac II and his airy son who will be crowned as Emperor Alexius IV. The Crusaders and the Venetians weren’t satisfied with mere change on the throne, and they remained outside the city in anticipation of a rich reward from the new Emperor - and that reward was supposed to be so big that even the entire Byzantine Empire was not able to satisfy them.

Interact of the tragedy occurred on 25 January, 1204, when the administrator of the castle, Alexios Murzuflos, with the support of the people, who were bitter with crusaders presence, took the throne under the name of Alexius V. Previous rulers, father and son, were strangled, and the new Emperor tried, helter-skelter, to strengthen the walls in order to defend against Crusaders expected attack.

The last act of the drama occurred on April 9, 1204, or 6712, when Venetian-Crusader army, for the second time in a year, won the walls, and finally occupied Constantinople. For the first time in eight centuries since its founding, the city that has withstood countless sieges and attacks – from the Goths, Slavs, Arabs, Russians, Normans – has fallen. Capturing of Constantinople was the introduction of perhaps the greatest robbery that was remembered throughout the history of Europe. For three days lasted robberies, murders, assaults, burning of the city...The destruction was such that it petrified the very Pope Innocent III who threw anathema on the Venetians.

Coeval of events, Nikita Choniates, writes how conquerors were "breaking the sacred images and throwing holy relics of the martyrs to places that I am ashamed to mention, scattering everywhere the flesh and blood of the Savior. These messengers of Antichrist drew the church vessels and plucked jewelry and ornaments in order to use them as containers for drinking... In the Great Church they destroyed the holy altar, a work of art the whole world admired, and split between them its own parts... and they brought horses and mules into the Church to help them take the screed parts of wealth... Prostitute was placed on the throne of the Patriarch, screaming slanders, awkwardly singing and dancing... On the streets, in homes and churches you could only hear screams and cries."

The Fourth Crusade was one of the darkest moments of Christianity. Never, since the days of the barbarian invasions centuries ago, Europe has seen such an orgy of brutality and vandalism, never in the whole history so many beautiful, so many magnificent works of art were destroyed in such a short time. It is believed that with the burning of Constantinople in 1204 it was forever lost more written works of classical Greek and Roman culture than what happened during the robbery of Rome in the fifth century, or when fire engulfed the Library of Alexandria in the seventh century. What we have now left is only a small part of the vast collection of classical Greek philosophy and literature that is irretrievably lost in the fires of Constantinople.

What wasn’t destroyed was stretched throughout Western Europe - from artistic works, such as horses on St. Mark's Cathedral and many other valuables that can be seen today in Venice and elsewhere - to the countless holy relics, such as those which are located in the Holy Chapel (Ste Chapelle) in Paris, built only for this occasion. Just one collector of holy relics, Robert de Claria, brought home forty relics including: pieces of the Holy Cross, several thorns from Christ’s crown, a part of the Virgin clothes, pot and sponge used during the crucifixion, the hand of St. Mark, St. Helena finger, a piece of clothing Christ wore on the crucifixion… On the other hand, a large number of ancient works made of bronze and copper were easily melted down for the treasury of the Latin masters of Constantinople. The Byzantine chronicler Nikita Choniates from memory has made a list of destroyed ancient works on which is listed Lysippos’es Heracles statue, a magnificent statue of Juno taken from the temple of Samos, incomparable statue of beautiful Helen and many others.

To read Part one: Angels of Vanity, click HERE.

To read Part five: The Consequences of The Fall of Constantinople, click HERE.

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Fourth Crusade - Twilight of Byzantium (Part three: Crusader Galleys Under Constantinople)

In July of a 1203, or  a year of 6711 of the Byzantine era, the guards on the towers of the city of Constantinople saw hundreds of Venetian galleys approaching the other coast of Golden Horn bay, the merchant suburb called Galata. Galleys were carrying army of crusader knights, mostly French and Fleming, who, while not clearly understood themselves how, instead of the walls of Jerusalem, the holy city, found themselves in front of Christian Constantinople. The first Crusader attack was directed on the Tower of Galata. In this tower was end of a huge chain of Constantinople walls, over the whole bay, which was preventing the entrance of ships into the Golden Horn, and thus the attacks on the city from the sea.

Byzantine tower defense lasted only one day. Already the next morning, the chain has fallen and the entire Venetian fleet with the crusade army found itself under the walls of Constantinople. The last act of the tragedy of the Byzantine Empire could begin.

The Fourth Crusade was launched five years before by Pope Innocent III as soon as he was elected (1198). It took a long time for the crusaders from the north of Europe to gather together and go with hired Venetian galleys in the campaign to the Holy Land. But neither the pope nor did crusader leaders counted on a feature that will turn an entire campaign to achieve a completely other intentions. Venetian Doge Enrico Dandolo was already very old and almost completely blind. Cunning leader and a skilled politician will use the inability of the Crusaders, to pay transport to the Holy Land, and will make them, for the account of Venice, to conquest Hungarian Zadar, and then Constantinople. Excuse for the arrival of the Crusaders under the walls of Constantinople was their alleged intention to return to the throne, the young Tsarevich Alexis and his father, the blind Isaac II, who was languishing in jail in which he was thrown by his brother Alexius III. Of course, doge Dandolo’s real goal was winning the Byzantine Empire so that Venice could freely trade in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.


To read Part one: Angels of Vanity, click HERE.

To read Part four: A Tragedy Had Several Acts, click HERE.

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Fourth Crusade - Twilight of Byzantium (Part two: The Beginning of The End)

The first ruler from Angel family, Isaac Angel, became Emperor in the year of 1185 almost by accident, by rescuing his bare life in the city rebellion against the Emperor Andronicus I Comnenus. After coming on the throne he lived in the magnificent castle that was built on one of the islands in the Marmora Sea. He was surrounded with mistresses and buffoons who he received at the same time as the royal princess. Diseases of old Byzantine state, which were hidden in the era of the former Comnenus dynasty, emerged on the surface. Selling of positions, bribery and blackmail from tax collectors have become an everyday occurrence. For Emperor Isaac II was said that he is selling clerical positions like a vegetables in the market. However, Isaac II showed at least some effort to improve the position of Byzantium in foreign affairs, and has led several war campaigns against the Bulgarians and Serbs. Although in 1190, in the fierce battle, he defeated the army of the Great Zupan Stefan Nemanja, in the end he returned to Stefan most of the conquered land that he possessed earlier. As a special proof of his peaceful intentions, the Emperor married his niece Evdokia with Nemanja’s middle son Stefan (the Crowned).

During one of the following campaigns, in 1195 against the Bulgarians, the Emperor was, while he was hunting, victim of a conspiracy behind which was standing his older brother, Alexius (Evdokia’s father). Isaac was captured and blinded, and thrown into prison along with his young son, Alexis.

But during the eight years of ruling of Alexius III, the situation in the Kingdom worsened, and its fall was more visible. Alexius III was a typical product of this declining era. Utter love for power was merged inside of him with cowardly weakness. This ruthless man is remembered, among other things, for blinding two Emperors – his rivals - one of which was his brother and the other his son-in-law. Alexius spent his days amused only with his satisfactions on which he extravagantly spent the money from the state treasury.

The enemies of the Empire weren’t at rest. Alexius III was particularly harassed by his imperial opponent from the west, the German Emperor Henry VI (son of Frederick Barbarossa) who, as the husband of Norman Princess, demanded possessions in the Balkans between Durazzo and Salonica. In May 1197, Henry married his brother Philip of Swabia with daughter of the overthrown Emperor Isaac II, Irene, which acquired him the right to fight for the throne in Constantinople by presenting himself as sponsor and avenger of Isaac’s family against the usurper Alexius III.

Scared Alexius agreed to pay huge tribute to German emperor. A special “Alemanic tax” was imposed, but a huge sum could not be collected. That is why Alexius III, in desperation, ordered that even the jewelry from the imperial tombs in the church of the Holy Apostles is collected in order to appease his superior opponent. The Emperor found unexpected support in the Roman Pope Innocent III, who opposed the attack on the Byzantine Empire, fearing the excessive strengthening of his rival - the German Emperor. But before the attacks occurred, fate has helped Alexius: in September 1197 the Emperor Henry VI suddenly died during his campaign in Sicily and the western empire soon collapsed. Emperor Alexius III was then at peace. But, not for long.

Evident weakness of the Byzantine Empire around 1200 aroused thoughts of its conquering. Not only one leader of the Crusade was tempted with thought of immeasurable riches that were hidden behind the walls of Constantinople. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Serbian Zupan Stefan Nemanja, during the Third Crusade, in Nis, in 1189, have already forged plans for an attack on Byzantium. It took several decades of bad government in Constantinople, several incompetent leaders, a group of brave crusader leaders and a high style insolent plotter (Venetian Doge Dandolo) that inevitably occur. A decisive strike against the Byzantine Empire was in preparation.


To read Part one: Angels of Vanity, click HERE.

To read Part three: Crusader Galleys Under Constantinople, click HERE.

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