Siege of Zara
First major action of the Fourth Crusade, a siege of a Catholic city.
The siege of Zara (Zadar) in 1202 was the first major action of the Fourth Crusade and the first attack by Catholic crusaders against a Catholic city. The crusaders, unable to pay the full cost of their transport, agreed to help Venice capture Zadar, a city contested between Venice and the Kingdom of Croatia and Dalmatia. The attack proceeded despite papal letters forbidding it and threatening excommunication, and the city fell on 24 November.
Quick Facts
- Part of
- the Fourth Crusade
- Date
- 10 November – 24 November 1202
- Location
- City of Zadar (Zara), Kingdom of Croatia
- Result
- Crusader-Venetian victory
Facts from the source article.
Background
His plan differed from earlier crusades: it would be under papal control, and the army would travel by sea to Egypt to seize the Nile Delta as a base. The pope negotiated with Venice, Europe's dominant sea power, for a fleet of warships and transports. In response, Venice proposed that the crusaders help capture Zara (Zadar) and nearby Trieste in lieu of payment, with the remainder to be paid from initial gains of the crusade.
Assault
The crusaders and Venetians boarded the fleet, which included 50 amphibious transports, 100 horse carriers, and 60 warships designed by the Venetians. The transports could carry up to 600 infantry each; the horse carriers had slings and fold-out ramps for mounted knights. The Venetian fleet under Doge Enrico Dandolo left harbor on 1 October, imposing Venetian supremacy over Trieste, Muggia, and Pula. Most crusaders left Venice on 8 October, and the two forces met near Pula and sailed together to Zadar.
On the eve of St. Martin's Day, the fleet arrived. The attack was an amphibious landing followed by a brief siege. Crusaders broke through chains and booms across the harbor, landed troops and equipment, and made camp. Citizens hung flags with crosses on the walls, but most crusaders sided with Dandolo.
Some leaders, including Simon de Montfort, refused to participate and camped apart. On 13 November, siege engines bombarded the walls. Zadar fell on 24 November; most of the population fled to Nin, Biograd, or the surrounding islands.
Aftermath
After the capture, a brawl between Frankish and Venetian contingents over plunder distribution left about 100 dead, according to the Devastatio Constantinopolitana. The army wintered in Zadar, during which many lower-ranking men deserted. In 1203, Pope Innocent III excommunicated the entire crusading army and the Venetians for the attack, writing that their gold had turned to base metal and they had turned from the path. In February 1203, the pope rescinded the excommunications against all non-Venetians in the expedition.
More in Venetian Period in the History of Croatia
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