On 12 April 1204 a small force of crusaders breached the walls of Constantinople and gained entry to the city. Once inside, they widened the breach, allowing further troops to enter, and secured the north-western quarter as a base from which to advance. Fires deliberately set during the assault spread rapidly, destroying large areas of the city and leaving an estimated 15,000 inhabitants homeless.1

The remaining defences collapsed the following day. Constantinople was then subjected to three days of systematic looting and destruction. Churches, monasteries, and palaces were plundered, and many ancient Roman and Greek works, including the great library of Constantinople, were destroyed or dispersed.2

Although the actions of the crusaders were formally condemned by Pope Innocent III ⓘ, who had launched the Fourth Crusade ⓘ, he nevertheless accepted jewels, gold, and other valuables taken from the city.2

• 1. Phillips, Jonathon The Fourth Crusade And The Sack Of Constantinople ⓘ London Pimlico 2004. pp258-280.
• 2. a. b. Darke, Diana Stealing From The Saracens London Hurst and Company 2020. pp288-259.