The Consequences of the Fourth Crusade

The Consequences 

There are numerous consequences of the 4th crusade but the most obvious must be the break down in relations between the east and the west after the sack of 1204. The stealing and looting by soldiers of earlier crusades while they advanced through the empire had created a popular Byzantine hatred towards the west, which became permanent. The population of Western Europe was, in their eyes, barbaric. A citizen of Constantinople, Nicetas Chroniates wrote, " Between us and the Latin’s (Catholic church) is set the widest gulf. We are poles apart. We have not a thought in common. They are stiff necked with a proud affection of an upright carriage, and love to sneer at the smoothness and modesty of our manners." The western crusaders actions during the three-day sack of Constantinople partly proved their reputation for barbarity because of the uncivilized-like way the crusaders tore through the city.

Artworks and monuments

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Amongst the works of classical art, which vanished after the devastation of 1204, were statues of Helen of Troy, a large statue of Juno from Constantine's Forum and a Heracles from the fourth century BC. With the burning of the city, many scrolls and codices of the works of ancient authors were destroyed.

The affect of the fourth crusade

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The affect the Fourth Crusade had was that, contrary to the hopes of Innocent III and the claims of Alexius, the schism in the church was made a reality. Far from bringing the Orthodox church under the universal Church, the Fourth crusade, with its desecration of churches and destruction of relics, tore the church apart. Far from being praised for its pious efforts to restore the Holy Land, the expedition dishonored the crusading belief forever. The 4th crusade had a massive impact on the Catholic Church in a bad way because it separated the eastern orthodox and the western Church permanently. If the fourth crusade did not happen, the east and the western churches may have been able to reunite.