Footnote to an Incident of the Latin Occupation of Constantinople: The Church and the Icon of the Hodegetria

Abstract

The Latin Empire of Constantinople was established by an agreement drawn up in March 1204 between the Venetian and non-Venetian Crusaders of the fourth Crusade, before they captured the city for the second and last time. According to the agreement, each side would appoint six electors; these would elect an Emperor; thereafter the party whose candidate for Emperor had been unsuccessful would choose Latin clergy to serve as a cathedral chapter for Santa Sophia, and would name the Latin Patriarch. The Venetians were chiefly interested in the commercial opportunities in Byzantine territory; and, especially since they had stipulated that the Doge would not be a vassal of the Latin Emperor, they were willing to see the imperial throne go to a non-Venetian, and to establish an economic monopoly, at the same time taking control of the most important church offices. They therefore secured the election of Count Baldwin of Flanders as the first Latin Emperor, and themselves chose a Venetian cleric, Thomas Morosini, as first Patriarch. In April 1205 Baldwin was captured by the forces of Ioannitsa, King of the Vlachs and Bulgars. Sometime thereafter, Ioannitsa had Baldwin murdered in prison. This deed was in all probability committed in a fit of rage at the act of certain Latin forces who had burned down the quarter of the Bogomile supporters of Ioannitsa in Philippopolis, and who had persuaded the Greeks of the place, formerly allied with Ioannitsa, to desert him.