Venice's Participation in the Fourth Crusade

1. Religious Conflict with the Holy See (Papal State)

1.1. Venice had been in conflict with the Pope over Zara. Venice's attempts to annex Zara by force were brought to the attention of the Pope. King Emeric of Hungary and Croatia, being a Catholic himself, took the cross in 1195/1196, and was a member of the Crusades against Egypt. As such, he had the recognition of the Pope. Pope Innocent III was wholly committed to bringing Byzantium under the Papal authority, and hence forbade the Crusaders from attacking Zara. The Pope had even threatened excommunication for anyone who attacked Zara. This resulted in a split between Venice and the Papal state, which resulted in Venice's excommunication. As such, Venice had to participate in the Fourth Crusade and lead its allies to Constantinople before the Pope's allies did.

2. Further Information (On this topic)

2.1. 1. Venice did indeed conquer Zara and even destroyed the fortifications. The Crusaders spent an entire winter in Zara. 2. Venice and her allies reached Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire. They ransacked Constantinople in a historical move called the Sack of Constantinople, which resulted in many historical artefacts and treasures being shipped back to Venice. 3. Venice cannot be said to be a villain in the Sack of Constantinople, since it claimed only its due payment and protected their share of the city's artwork from destruction. (This was in contrast to the French and others, who destroyed indiscriminately, carrying out much vandalism, rape, murder and looting in the city.)

3. Financial Security (Prevent Bankruptcy)

3.1. Due to the crusaders choosing Venice as the designated departure spot for the Crusades, they opened negotiations with Venice under Doge Enrico Dandolo for military transport of 33500 men. The Crusaders borrowed money from Venice to act as a down payment for the fleet. However, many of the crusaders chose to be transported from other ports, such as Flanders, Marseille and Genoa. This reduced the number of Crusaders transported from Venice to around 12000. This was far lower than the original estimated number. The Venetians, however, did their part in the deal and halted an entire year of commerce to build 50 war galleys and 450 transports. The entire cost was 85000 Silver Marks. However, the Crusaders could only pay up to 49000 Marks and all were reduced to extreme poverty. The Venetians, having halted an entire year of commerce, lending a large amount of money prior to the Crusaders and deploying about 14000 - 30000 men, were greatly impacted and on the verge of financial bankruptcy.

4. Trade Ambitions

4.1. Venice had an interest in the Byzantine Empire and the city state of Zara. The commercial rivalry between the Republic of Venice and the Byzantine Empire, as well as the Massacre of the Latin, resulted in much animosity between the Venetians and the Byzantine Empire. According to the Chronicle of Novgorod, Doge Dandolo had been blinded by the Byzantines in the 1171 expedition to Byzantium, and as such, held a personal grudge against the Byzantines. The city of Zara, on the other hand, had troubled Venice for many years over its control over the Dalmatian Coast. Until 1180/1181, Zara had been under Venetian control, until it staged a rebellion and became the sole city on the coast that was a threat to Venetian interests. The city-state had even allied itself with King Emeric of Hungary and Croatia. Subsequent Venetian attempts to regain the city were repulsed and by 1202, the city was under the official protection of the king.