Croisés, which missed vessels to cross the Mediterranean, was addressed to the Venetian ones, which had a great maritime power.

Deputies, among whom was Villehardouin, went to Venice: "In the name of God, known as Villehardouin while throwing itself to the feet of the old Doge Dandolo, listen to our supplications: help the barons of France to deliver Jerusalem, slave of the non-believers, and to avenge shame for Jesus-Christ; provide us a fleet, you who have the empire of the sea "the Venetian ones, at the same time moved and flattered, exclaimed with enthusiasm: ", we grant We it grant it," and the following day a solemn treaty was signed on the Gospels between Croisés and the Republic of Venice.

The Cross ones were far from agreeing: the ones declared that Constantinople was the true way of Jerusalem, the others regarded as sacrilege this war undertaken against Christians, and wanted to go directly to Syria.

In Corfou a plot was formed, and much the Cross ones, involved by the abbot of Be worth-Cernay, took the resolution to gain theHoly one.

But the principal chiefs of the army, educated in time, brought together the bishops, made them share of the danger that forwarding ran, and, on their councils, they went to be thrown to the knees of the abbot of Are worth-Cernay.

Overcome by their supplications, it renonça to leave them, and the Cross one moved all Constantinople worms.

The Cross ones, gone up on the Venetian vessels, arrived in front of Constantinople by a splendid sun; the turns, the palates and the domes resplendissaient marvelously, and the high walls were crowned soldiers with the weapons étincelantes.

The knights, who had never seen such a large city, remained some amazed time, and there was not so bold with which it heart did not quiver; but they did too much honor to the Byzantines, by them as supposing brave man as the men of the Occident (1204).

Bysantins, in spite of their number and their walls, opposed to the small army Cross only one low resistance.

After two days of engagements, the Cross ones were made main of three doors and penetrated in the city following the runaways: they expected a terrible fight in the streets and the houses, but the inhabitants did not try to defend themselves, and the winners, full with contempt for such a loose people, devoted themselves to an unrestrained plundering; a part of the city was
set fire to.

Crossed, Masters of Constantinople, organized a French empire (1204): Baudouin, count de Flandre, were proclaimed emperor, his companions devirent its vassal, and French feudality was transported in the Byzantine Empire as it had been into Ground-Holy after the first crusade: there was a duke of Nicée, a duke of Athens, a count de Lacédémone; Villehardouin, celebrates it historian of these event, was a marshal of Romanie.

But the winners remained for the populations from abroad and of the enemies, the decline was fast: Baudouin II, after having requested in vain help from the Occident, was reversed in 1261 per Michel Paléologue, and the Byzantine empire was restored.