Crusade of the Kings and the Crusade of the Bad Knights The 3 rd and 4 th Crusades

The Crusade of Kings When news reached the pope in Europe that Jerusalem was again in Muslim hands, he is said to have died of grief. His successor, Pope Gregory VIII, called for a Third Crusade, which came to be called the Crusade of Kings.

The Crusade of Kings Three kings came to fight : Emperor Frederick I of Germany, King Richard I of England, and King Philip II of France. In 1189, these kings and their armies began preparations to regain Jerusalem from Saladin and the Muslims.

King Frederick of Germany From the beginning, this crusade went badly. The 70-year- old Fredrick drowned in 1190 while swimming across a river in Turkey. Most of Frederick's army was so discouraged that they returned to Europe.

King Richard of England Richard, who would later be nicknamed " The Lion Heart," was a military genius famous for his great courage in battle. But he had an unstable character- generous one moment and violent the next.

King Philip II of France Philip, a skilled politician, was no warrior, but he was an expert in planning sieges ( how to surround and attack cities and castles).

Philip and Richard In April 1191, Phillip began a siege of Acre, an important city on the coast. Richard arrived to help Phillip in June. The following month, the Muslims surrendered and Phillip headed back to France.

King Richard After staying in Acre for a few weeks, Richard became impatient when plans for peace with Saladin were going slowly. Richard ordered the throats to be cut of all 2,700 Muslim prisoners within the city's walls

Richard and Saladin During the next year, Richard and Saladin fought many battles. Richard regained some territories but failed to regain Jerusalem. Each leader made various peace proposals, and in September 1192, the two leaders signed a five-year treaty. Under this treaty, the crusaders could keep their cities along the coast from Jaffa north, and pilgrims could once again freely visit the holy land. According to one writer, Richard sent word to Saladin that he had agreed to a treaty so that he could, "go back to his country (England), collect more money and men and return and take all of Jerusalem away from Saladin". Saladin replied that he "thought Richard so pleasant and upright", that if he must lose Jerusalem, he would rather lose it to Richard's mighty power than anyone else's.

The Fourth Crusade

The Pope In 1198, Pope Innocent III asked for a 4th crusade. However, this crusade would prove to be disastrous to the Byzantine Empire.

Going by sea In this fourth crusade, the crusaders decided to go to the Holy Land by sailing the Mediterranean Sea rather than by land.

Venice to Constantinople But the crusaders needed money, a lot of money. The ruler and the bankers in the city of Venice made a deal to provide the crusaders with ships and supplies in return for a share of the riches that the crusaders found.

Venice to Constantinople The crusaders continued on to Constantinople now in debt to the Venetian bankers. There, in 1204, the ruler of Venice persuaded the crusaders to attack Constantinople and put a new Emperor in charge of the Byzantine Empire. He also promised the crusaders they could have all the treasures and riches they could find in the city.

The Sack of Constantinople For three terrible days, the crusaders burned libraries, looted churches, and stole many valuable works of art, jewels, and gold. They then shipped their stolen goods to Venice to finish paying off their debt. Later historians have referred to this as "the sack of Constantinople." In the selection on the next slide, you can read an eyewitness record.

Eyewitness Account "How shall I begin to tell of the deeds done by these wicked men? They trampled the images underfoot instead of adoring them. They threw the relics of the martyrs into filth…. They broke into bits the sacred altar of Santa Sophia, and distributed it among the soldiers. When the sacred vessels and the silver and gold ornaments were to be carried off, they brought up mules and saddle horses inside the church itself."

The End The spirit of the crusades had been lost. Very few crusaders ever made it to the Holy Land. The "enthusiasm " seen in the first crusades had been replaced by a hunger for wealth.