The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople

The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople by Jonathan Phillips
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jonathan Phillips has authored a fantastic book in The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople. It's been immensely enjoyable to read and extremely informative.

Phillips' book tries to be non-partisan and objective in delving into the political, commercial and theological roots for the Fourth Crusade and the story around why it went astray. He brings comment from both the Western nations and the Roman Catholic church as well as from the Byzantine Empire side, although I would have wanted to read more from the point of view of the Orthodox church.

I'd put this almost on the same level as Herrin's magnificent book Byzantium: The Surprising Life Of A Medieval Empire.

If you have any interest in the Crusades or this era then this book is a must read.

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Authored by Chris Hall

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