The Fourth Crusade: How Venice Broke Constantinople

In 1204, the armies of the Fourth Crusade did not sail to reclaim Jerusalem. Instead, they turned on Constantinople, the greatest Christian city in the world. This episode follows the tangled politics that led to that betrayal: the young prince Alexios Angelos, who promised the crusaders wealth he could not deliver; the blind doge Enrico Dandolo, who masterfully diverted the fleet to Venice's advantage; and the brutal sack that scattered relics and treasures across Europe. We explore how the crusaders crowned a Latin emperor, divided the empire among themselves, and why Byzantium never truly recovered—even after its restoration in 1261. The episode examines the fire that destroyed vast sections of the city, the desecration of Hagia Sophia, and the long memory of resentment that still colors Greek-Western relations.

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