Editing Alexios III Angelos (section)

==Fourth Crusade==
Soon, Alexios was threatened by a new and more formidable danger. In 1202, soldiers assembled at [[Venice]] to launch the [[Fourth Crusade]]. [[Alexios IV Angelos]], the son of the deposed Isaac II, had recently escaped from [[Constantinople]] and now appealed for support to the crusaders, promising to end the [[East-West Schism|East–West Schism]], to pay for their transport, and to provide military support if they would help him depose his uncle and ascend to his father's throne.{{sfn|Bury|1911}}

The crusaders, whose objective had been [[Egypt]], were persuaded to set their course for Constantinople, arriving there in June 1203, proclaiming Alexios IV as emperor, and inviting the populace of the capital to depose his uncle. Alexios III took no effective measures to resist, and his attempts to bribe the crusaders failed. His son-in-law, [[Theodore I Laskaris]], who was the only one to attempt anything significant, was defeated at [[Üsküdar|Scutari]], and the siege of Constantinople began. Misgovernment by Alexios III had left the [[Byzantine navy]] with only 20 worm-eaten hulks by the time the crusaders arrived.{{fact|date=January 2022}}

In July, the crusaders, led by the aged [[Doge of Venice|Doge]] [[Enrico Dandolo]], scaled the walls and took control of a major section of the city. In the ensuing fighting, the crusaders set the city on fire, ultimately leaving 20,000 people homeless.  On 17 July, Alexios III finally took action and led 17 divisions from the [[Gate of St. Romanus]], vastly outnumbering the crusaders. His courage failed, however, and the Byzantine army returned to the city without a fight. His courtiers demanded action, and Alexios III promised to fight. Instead, that night (17/18 July), Alexios III hid in the palace, and finally, with one of his daughters, Eirene, and as much treasure (1,000 pounds of gold) as he could collect, got into a boat and escaped to [[Debeltos|Develtos]] in Thrace, leaving his wife and his other daughters behind. Isaac II, drawn from his prison and robed once more in the imperial purple, received his son, Alexios IV, in state.