Child of Governance
by Roy L. Snyder In 1204, Norman, Venetian, and other European forces heeded the call of Pope Innocent III for a Fourth Crusade to take back the Holy Land from the Muslim conquerors. In a bizarre chain of events brought on primarily by a lack of funds, a deal with an ousted prince of Constantinople, and a fair smattering of greed, most of the Crusaders never made it to the Holy Land, but instead captured the city of Constantinople and large portions of territory of the Roman Empire – including the islands of the Mediterranean. An earlier agreement amongst the…