Why it Failed[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Papacy[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Considerable responsibility

Innocent III was young and ambitious

Seeks to create a new crusade to establish a papal monarchy based on papacy not kings

Saw the failure of the second crusade and limited success of the third crusade as consequences of secular powers controlling crusades

1148 Siege of Damascus failed because of kings

Jerusalem wasn’t secured because of kings

Crusade Concentrated on Papacy[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Recruitment[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Plenary indulgence to those who funds

Reduce vow by a year

Don’t have to ask wife

Finance[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

1/30 tax on bishops

1/40 tax on church

Saladin tithe

Chests in churches

Crusade is to be free from lay financial control

Leadership[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Focus not on kings but on papal office of the business of the cross

Puts in place key papal preachers with a papal mandate such as Fulk

Accused of embezzlement

Puts in place palal legates such as Peter of Capuano and Soffredo

Failed to persuade kings to join

Leaders caused the crusade to divert to Zara and Constantinople

Failure was to some degree his responsibility

Too absolutist[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Presumes that the world will do his bidding

Fails to understand that he needs kings for taxation, fleets and chivalric culture

Unrealistic Demands from Peter of Capuano[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Failed to secure either Richard or Philip because of unrealistic demands

Required Richard to release Philip of Beauvais

Required Philip to take back his former wife Ingeborg of Denmark and remove his new wife Agnes of Meran

Chivalric culture[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Without participation of Kings

Lower lords will not come

Flawed model for crusading[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Sets date for crusade starting in 6 months rather than 3 yrs which took 3rd crusade to prepare

Only 12k turned up

Leadership[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Venetian Debt[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Crusade leadership knew there were problem in recruitment
- Timing was problematic
- Unachievable goal of 33.5k men
  - Frederick Barbarossa only had 15k men
    - Considered to be largest in crusade history
  - Insufficienet arriving
Went ahead and signed the disastrous Treaty of Venice with Doge of Venice April 1201
Construction of a fleet capable of transporting 33.5k crusaders
Only had 12k men
Now had 34k mark debt (double income of King John)

Thibaut of Champagne’s death[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Passed on responsibility to Reynald of Dampierre
Crusaders turned to Boniface
- 1201 oath
Undermined further problems of recruitment
- Lost Champagne support
- Reynald sailed directly to Outremer
Boniface was Italian
- Friction with the mainly French leadership
Boniface’s alliances created further friction
- Friends with Philip of Swabia
  - Pope’s enemy in imperial succession crisis
- Closely tied with Byzantium
  - Wife (Irene Angelus was daughter of deposed Emperor Isaac Angelus)

Failure to ensure that going to Venice was clearly demanded of all crusaders[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Only knights of Champagne, Flanders, Blois, Saint-Pol and Montferrat agreed to meet in Venice
Many other crusaders, such as Flanders, sailed by more convenient means
Objective of attacking Alexandria was kept secret
- Not aware of the importance of Venice
Growing doubts among leaders
- Louis of Blois tried to back out of it initially
- About 300 knights sailed to Outremer rather than travelling to Outremer directly

Zara[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Dandolo offered to commute debt if crusaders captured the christian city of Zara for Venice
- Defiance of papal order
- Ignored papal letter threatening excommunication
Still insufficient to pay off debt

Constantinople[編輯 | 編輯原始碼]

Plans to reinstate Prince Alexius Angelus
- Clear defiance of papal wishes
Ignored papal letter threatening excommunication again
- Sent Peter of Capuano to Acre
- Papal legate absent from crusade
Still insufficient to pay off debt
- 12 April crusaders began to attack Constantinople