Istanbul under Latin invasionIstanbul met with Crusaders in 1096 for the first time. In theory, the land conquered from Muslims would be given to Byzantines, and the Byzantine Empire would support Crusaders. But, Crusaders did not abide by this deal, and built Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
In that period, there was a dispute over throne in Byzantine. Crusaders, who took advantage of this, marched to Golden Horn with the help of Venetians. The attack began in April 9 and the city was taken over on April 13, 1204. Istanbul was plundered for three days with an unprecedented barbarity and people were assasined. All monumental landmarks, including St. Sophia were destroyed, hundreds- of- years- old handwritten books were burned. Many precious Byzantine remains were moved to Europe. At the end of these three days, the plunder was made regular and Byzantine was shared among the Crusaders and Venetians and a Latin Empire was built.
After this period, Istanbul began to wane and was left destitute. The noble and wealthy people of the city began to migrate to Ýznik. When it was the turn of year 1254, Latin Empire was sieged in every direction. |
