The Fourth Crusade: Success Or Failure?

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becomes a source of contention for many of the citizens and they decide to give Alexios an ultimatum. He understands that he’s got to either back the citizens or be overthrown” . Alexios tries to make many attempts on behalf of the people of Constantinople but it is very difficult to back the Latins and the Greeks. As December passes the senate decides that it’s time to elect a new official and Mourtzouphlus is the one person elected. Alexios reaches out to the Crusaders to explain the situation to them and once more they decide to back him. But they also haven’t been repaid the funds that they were promised and as Prince Henry had reiterated to Alexios III they would obtain payment by any means necessary. “When the Crusaders had requested that Mourtzouphlus abdicate the throne and reinstate Emperor Alexios IV, he denied this request. When the Crusaders received this response they decided to continue to loot and pillage the church” . This would have spelled dire consequences for the new emperor as he started to realize that the Latins would never recognize him the legitimate leader of the Byzantine Empire as long as Alexios Angeles survived. With this plan in mind he was killed on the new emperor’s orders. It would seem that this would be the end of the uprising …show more content…

But upon further inspection this was actually one of the most successful in history. Boniface and Clari were able to reconcile the Roman and Byzantine churches something that had been a source of contention between the two Empires for centuries. The Crusaders were also able to attain 90,000 marks in gold by raiding the city. Even though it may have not made it to the Holy Land of Jerusalem as it intended this does not mean that it ended in failure. Boniface was a leader who was able to maintain his heart and head during times of extreme stress and hopelessness. He was able to bring peace to the Roman Empire once