As it is well known, shortly after his accession to the see of Rome, Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) wanted to organize a new crusade expedition to liberate the Holy Land and Jerusalem. The expedition was known in history as the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204). The crusaders were to leave on this armed enterprise embarked on vessels provided by the Republic of Venice in exchange for a large sum of money. Venetians took advantage of the financial problems of the crusaders and deviated them from their original target, first towards Zara and then towards Constantinople. Under siege, on 1204 April 13th, Constantinople, the magnificent city of Constantine the Great, fell into the Latins hands (French and Venetians). For three days the westerner knights savagely devastated Constantinople.
Keywords: crusade, siege, Constantinople, plunder, Venice, western, Byzantine Empire