History The Byzantine Empire Questions
The Byzantine view of the Crusades was generally mixed. While they initially welcomed the Crusaders as potential allies against the Muslim Seljuk Turks, they soon became disillusioned with their behavior. The Byzantines saw the Crusaders as undisciplined and destructive, as they often pillaged and looted Byzantine territories instead of focusing on their original goal of recapturing Jerusalem. Additionally, the Fourth Crusade resulted in the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders themselves, causing significant damage to the Byzantine Empire. Overall, the Byzantines viewed the Crusades as a complex and tumultuous period in their history.