The Latin __Renovatio__ of Byzantium: The Empire of Constantinople (1204-1228)

In 1204 the army of the Fourth Crusade sacked the great city of Constantinople. In earlier historiography the view prevailed that these Western barons and knights temporarily destroyed the Byzantine state and replaced it with a series of feudal states of their own making. Through a comprehensive rereading of better and lesser-known sources this book offers an alternative perspective arguing that the Latin rulers did not abolish, but very consciously wanted to continue the Eastern Empire. In this, the new imperial dynasty coming from Flanders-Hainaut played a pivotal role. Despite religious and other differences many Byzantines sided with the new regime and administrative practices at the different governmental levels were to a larger or lesser degree maintained. Prologue -- The Constitutional Treaties Of 1204-1205 : The Latin Restructuring Of Byzantium -- The Imperial Ideology -- The Imperial Quarter -- Imperial Authority Within The Empire In Its Entirety -- The Central Elite -- Religion, Church, And Empire -- The Byzantine Space -- The Latin Orient. By Filip Van Tricht ; Translated By Peter Longbottom. Translation Of: Latijnse Renovatio Van Byzantium. Revision Of Author's Thesis (ph. D.)--rijksuniversiteit Te Gent, 2004. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [483]-519) And Index. In 1204 the army of the Fourth Crusade sacked the great city of Constantinople. Through a comprehensive rereading of better and lesser-known sources this book offers an alternative perspective on this event, arguing that the Latin rulers did not abolish, but very consciously wanted to continue the Eastern Empire This book offers a new perspective on the Latin take-over of Byzantine territories after the crusader sack of Constantinople in 1204, arguing that the new rulers very consciously aimed at continuing the Eastern Empire, drawing many Byzantines to their side.