Fourth Crusade, The Latin Empire, Trachy - 1204 to 1261 CE - Constantinople

These uniquely shaped coins hail from the era of the Fourth Crusade, a religious conflict initiated by the Catholic Church in 1202 CE. In 1204, Latin forces captured the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and its surroundings, subsequently minting these coins during the brief existence of a crusader state known as the Latin Empire.The Fourth Crusade is remembered for being one of the most controversial in history. Proclaimed by Pope Innocent III, it originally aimed to reclaim Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control. However, financial difficulties plagued the crusaders, leading to their indebtedness to the Doge of Venice while securing ships for passage across the Mediterranean. To offset this debt, the crusaders attacked the Catholic city of Zara under Venetian direction, an unprecedented act of Catholics assaulting a fellow Catholic city. The Pope, outraged by their actions, temporarily excommunicated the entire crusader army.Out of funds and far from their intended destina