Conquest of Constantinople
Quick Summary
The Conquest of Constantinople is a historical work by Geoffrey of Villehardouin, a leader of the Fourth Crusade. Written around 1209, it is the first significant prose history in Old French.1
Villehardouin's chronicle details the Fourth Crusade's invasion of the Byzantine Empire and its capture of Constantinople in 1204. He describes the complex political maneuverings that led to the diversion of the Crusade from its original goal in the Holy Land to the Byzantine capital. The work also recounts his own military leadership, particularly his role in saving the Crusader army from defeat by the Bulgars in 1205.1
The Fourth Crusade, initiated by Pope Innocent III, involved French nobles and Venetian allies. It ultimately resulted in the sack of Constantinople and the establishment of a Latin empire, deepening the schism between the Catholic West and the Orthodox East.2
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