ring Zara, a rival Christian city on the eastern coast
of the Adriatic. Zara was accordingly captured--ultimately
to be destroyed by the Venetians, who next drew some of the
crusaders into a plot to overthrow the Byzantine emperor
Alexius IV, and place his son on the throne. By this means
the Venetians thought to make good their promise to
frustrate the crusade, and at the same time to obtain great
commercial advantages at Constantinople. Thus was the
pilgrim host "changed from a crusading army into a
filibustering expedition."

Having wintered at Zara, the crusaders were landed, in June,
1203, under the walls of Constantinople. The Emperor was
deposed by his own people, and his son, Alexius V, crowned
during a revolution in the city, which followed an
unsuccessful attack by the crusaders in July. The second and
successful assault, in April, 1204, with its sequel of
pillage and debauchery, forms the subject of Pears'
brilliant narrative. The city, during these troubles,
suffered from two fires, of which the second, in July, 1203,
deserves to be reckoned among the great historic
conflagrations of the world.

The preparations which the leaders had been pushing on during several
weeks were completed in April, 1204, and that day was chosen for an
assault upon Constantinople. Instead of attacking simultaneously a
portion of the harbor walls and a portion of the landward walls,
Venetians and crusaders alike directed their efforts against the
defences on the side of the harbor. The horses were embarked once more
in the _huissiers_.[39] The line of battle was drawn up; the huissiers
and galleys in front, the transports a little behind and alternating
between the huissiers and the galleys. The whole length of the line of
battle was upward of half a league, and stretched from the Blachern to
beyond the Petrion.[40] The Emperor's vermilion tent had been pitched
on the hill just beyond the district of the Petrion, where he could
see the ships when they came immediately under the walls. Before him
was the district which had been devastated by the fire.

On the morning of the 9th the ships, drawn up in the order described,
passed over from the north to the south side of the harbor. The
crusaders landed in many places, and attacked from a narrow strip of
the land between the walls and the water. Then the assault began in
terrible e