Niketas Choniates on the 1204 Sack of Constantinople

The post presents excerpts from Niketas Choniates, a Byzantine historian who witnessed the Latin sack of Constantinople in 1204. Choniates describes how the populace greeted the crusaders with crosses and icons, but the Latins were unmoved and began plundering immediately, seizing both private property and articles consecrated to God.

He recounts the desecration of the Eucharist, the smashing of chalices and patens, and the use of sacred vessels as common tableware. The altar of the Great Church, fashioned from precious materials, was broken apart and divided among the looters. Pack animals were led into the sanctuary to strip silver and gold overlays; some slipped on the marble and were killed, defiling the floor with blood and excrement.

Choniates calls the crusaders forerunners of Antichrist and notes that they trampled the Cross they bore on their backs for gold and silver. He contrasts their conduct with the Muslims who took Jerusalem, observing that the Muslims allowed Christians to depart with their possessions after paying a ransom. The post also cites Steven Runciman calling the Fourth Crusade one of the most ghastly incidents in history, and Michael Whelton on the burning of libraries and destruction of manuscripts.

The discussion centers on the horror of Christians attacking fellow Christians and the lasting trauma of the event.