Venice supplied much of the fleet for the Fourth Crusade. In 1201, the crusade’s leaders contracted with the Republic of Venice to build and operate a large transport fleet for the expedition to the eastern Mediterranean.
The agreement was financially risky for both sides. Venice prepared ships, crews, horses, provisions, and equipment for a force larger than the army that ultimately arrived. When the Crusaders could not pay the full price, Doge Enrico Dandolo proposed that they help Venice attack Zara, a Dalmatian city under the rule of Hungary. The Crusaders captured Zara in November 1202, despite papal opposition.
The Venetian fleet then carried the expedition toward Constantinople rather than directly to Jerusalem. It included dozens of war galleys, horse transports, and large troop transports, and Venetian sailors and marines formed a major part of the expedition’s naval strength. Venice’s maritime power was therefore central to the crusade’s ability to reach and assault the Byzantine capital.
Pisa, Genoa, and Amalfi were important Italian maritime centers, but they did not organize and supply the principal fleet of the Fourth Crusade. Genoa later became Venice’s major commercial and naval rival in the eastern Mediterranean.