La Quatrième Croisade : analyse du traité de Venise
This master’s thesis is about the Treaty of Venice, made in 1201 between the Fourth Crusade’s barons and the Republic of Venice, regarding the transportation and provisioning of a fleet bound for the Levant. The importance of this study stems from the Crusaders’ default on their obligation, which had a decisive impact on the course of events, thus placing it at the heart of the Crusade’s deviation to Constantinople. First, this study analyses the nature and scale of Venice’s undertaking, attempting to quantify and measure in economic terms the number of ships and passengers onboard, as well as the supplies’ weight and cost, for both men and horses. This analysis, based on analoguous contracts, proves the agreed sum of 85 000 silver marks was in no way exaggerated. Also, the analysis weighs the importance of such a sum in the economic context of the times, and tries to identify the reasons of the crusaders’ shortcomings. Despite a certain traditional historiography, this analysis demonstrates that Venice cannot bear the brunt of the responsibility for the Crusade’s deviation, and that blaming their uncompromisingness, their greed, or even their duplicity, is wrong. The sheer effort provided by the Republic, indicates it took every measure to warrant the venture’s success. The interruption of far-away trade, the construction of numerous ships, the requisition of thousands of sailors to man them, and the logistics needed to supply tens of thousands, display well the Venetians’ dedication. It is the crusaders’ failure to pay which triggered doge Enrico Dandolo to commit further, thus irremediably joining his city’s fortunes to those of the expedition.
Fourth Crusade Financing of the Crusades Treaty of Venice (1201) Enrico Dandolo History of Venice