Latin Empire
The Latin Empire was a feudal crusader state. It was created during the Fourth Crusade on the land captured from the Byzantine Empire. Originally, the crusaders were told to retake the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem. Instead of doing that, the crusaders looted and captured Constantinople.
Latin Empire Imperium Constantinopolitanum Imperium Romaniae Imperium Romanorum | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1204–1261[note 1] | |||||||||||||||
![Attributed arms[note 2] of Latin Empire](https://www.search.com.vn/wiki/simple/File:Arms_of_Courtenay-Constantinople.svg) Attributed arms[note 2] | |||||||||||||||
 The Latin Empire with its vassals (in yellow) in 1204 | |||||||||||||||
| Capital | Constantinople | ||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Latin, Old French (official) Greek (popular) | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | Latin Catholic (official) Greek Orthodox (popular) | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Feudal Christian Monarchy | ||||||||||||||
| Emperor | |||||||||||||||
• 1204–1205 | Baldwin I | ||||||||||||||
• 1206–1216 | Henry | ||||||||||||||
• 1216–1217 | Peter | ||||||||||||||
• 1219–1228 | Robert I | ||||||||||||||
• 1229–1237 | John | ||||||||||||||
• 1228–1261 | Baldwin II | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | High Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||
• Sack of Constantinople | 1204 | ||||||||||||||
• Joint Nicean-Bulgarian campaign against Empire | 1235 | ||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1261[note 1] | ||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||
| 1204 est.[2] | 179,000 km2 (69,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| 1209 est.[2] | 206,000 km2 (80,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| 1228 est.[2] | 47,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| 1260 est.[2] | 14,000 km2 (5,400 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Today part of | Turkey Greece Bulgaria | ||||||||||||||
History
Fourth crusade
In 1202, Pope Innocent III called for the crusaders to retake the Holy Land from the Abbasid. Due to financial problems, the crusaders were not able to reach their original goals. Crusaders and the Venetians attacked and looted the Catholic city of Zara, Croatia. Soon after this, they were excommunicated by the pope.
Crusaders and the Venetians later decided to go to Constantinople. In 1203, the Crusaders besieged Constantinople. A year later they looted and captured the city.
Latin Empire
In 1204, Baldwin IX of Flanders was crowned the Latin Emperor of Constantinople in Hagia Sophia. Baldwin did not reign for long. He was captured in the Battle of Adrianople while fighting the Bulgarians.
