To: Greg or e who wrote (49519 ) 3/13/2014 1:20:48 AM From: average joe Read Replies (1) | Respond to So you think the Crusaders invaded Constantinople just so they could burn the Library do you? Of course not, they came to rape and loot and pillage. looted horses Hippodrome St Mark's Basilica One of the most precious works to suffer such a fate was a large bronze statue of Hercules , created by the legendary Lysippos , court sculptor of no lesser than Alexander the Great . Like so many other priceless artworks made of bronze, the statue was melted down for its content by the Crusaders whose greed blinded them.The Library of Constantinople was destroyed . Despite their oaths and the threat of excommunication, the Crusaders systematically violated the city's holy sanctuaries, destroying or stealing all they could lay hands on: nothing was spared. The civilian Women, even nuns , were raped by the Crusader army , which also sacked churches monasteries convents The very altars of these churches were smashed and torn to pieces for their gold and marble by the warriors who had sworn to fight in service of Christendom without question. Although the Venetians engaged in looting too, their actions were by far more restrained. Doge Dandolo still appeared to have far more control over his men. Rather than wantonly destroying all around like their comrades, the Venetians stole religious relics and works of art which they would later take to Venice to adorn their own churches with.A further 100,000 silver marks were divided evenly up between the Crusaders and Venetians. The remaining 500,000 silver marks were secretly kept back by many Crusader knights. Latin residents of Constantinople, meanwhile, in their own ways exacted retribution for the Massacre of the Latins en.wikipedia.org
