In April 1204, guided by the vengeful spirit of the Venetians, the members of the Fourth Crusade defied the command of Pope Innocent III and turned their violence towards the Byzantine Empire which had promised them safe passage. In 1171, the rivalry between Byzantium and Venice reached a boiling point as the nations’ hostilities towards each other erupted into violent conflict. With the Roman Empire now a distant memory, countless Empires have dared to take the mantle as the true successors to Rome, but the Byzantines remain adamant that they hold the only legitimate claim to that ancient Empire.
