"Goodbye, Constantinople!" Alexius Komnenos looked at the dome of Hagia Sophia that was gradually disappearing from the distant field of vision, feeling sad and angry in his heart.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he turned around and wiped them away because it would be beneath his dignity.

His fists were clenched, and his fingertips were almost embedded in his flesh. Drops of blood fell down into the Sea of ​​Marmara, into the sea that gave birth to countless Romans; but he knew very well that this rough ocean was now suffering the wrath of God.

, God wonders why his followers are killing each other now? The step by step approach of Muslims not only failed to unite his followers, but instead made them more infighting.

So, the angry God tortured the ocean with lightning and thunder, and even the god Poseidon, who controlled the ocean, could not withstand his wrath.

The sea wind and high tide were attacking this lonely sailing boat. Dark clouds were rolling on the Black Sea and waves were splashing. The turbid waves rushed onto the bow of the ship and turned into heavy rain, splashing on the Romans sitting there, sulking and covering their faces.

The crew was soaked to the skin. This was God asking them, why did they not keep the spirit of God and the new home of the Roman people? Why did the Christian world fall apart and fall into civil strife.

In the 21st century, he was still an accomplished historian and studied European medieval history, but one day, an accident brought him to the medieval era.

He came to the (Eastern) Roman Empire, but he was not happy at all because he came to the late empire!

Who is his current identity?

Alexius Komnenos, one of the founders of the Trebizond Empire in history, was originally just a down-and-out member of the Komnenos family, but he and his younger brother David Komnenos got the support of the Georgians

Helped and captured Trebizond.

Under the slogan of "reviving the Komnenos dynasty", he continued to expand westward. Unfortunately, his military level was average. He was defeated by Theodore who occupied Nicaea and lost the "unification of the remaining Roman lands in Asia Minor".

Ability.

A few days ago, he came to Kaffa to negotiate with the local Genoese people about trade privileges. The negotiations between the two parties failed. Alexius had to take a boat back to Trebizond along the Black Sea coast. On the way, he and the crew

We could vaguely see the dome from Hagia Sophia, the heart of the Roman Empire, but that day it stopped beating.

On Monday, April 12, 1204, the Crusaders were beguiled by Dandolo's words and launched another attack on the same section of the sea wall. They had personally confirmed that the wall was very fragile and vulnerable. The former emperor

Although Alexius V raised the city walls in advance and sent troops to patrol around to boost the morale of the troops in various fortresses, within just a few hours, several towers were destroyed and collapsed by the Crusaders. A group of French soldiers

Using tactics to break open a gate - then, the Crusaders swarmed in, and the city's misfortune followed.

The departure of the Varangian Guards made the former emperor Alexius V realize that he was at the end of his rope, so he fled from the Golden Gate and went to Alexius III to plan a future counterattack.

If he lived in another time and space without the Fourth Crusade, he would have become an excellent emperor - even though he was over sixty years old, he was still strong, decisive and uplifting the spirits of his people.

With the defeat of Alexius V, all resistance in Constantinople completely collapsed. The Crusaders, who were afraid of a large-scale resistance in the city blocks, even burned down all the buildings within their sight, hoping that this group of "Greek "People" completely lose the ability to resist.

Most of the Crusaders had never seen such a large city and were deeply shocked by its astonishing size. Palaces and magnificent churches were located in all directions, as if the glory of wealth was shining everywhere (churches at that time were usually composed of a large number of decorated with treasures), the leisure gardens are renovated in a luxurious style, the sheltered harbor is decorated with dappled rocks, and magnificent monuments seem to stand in every corner of the city.

A French soldier who participated in this operation wrote in his diary:

"Many houses were reduced to ashes in the fire. Before that, they were so gorgeous and beautiful that even in the most prosperous cities in France, there was no comparable building."

The "great" Crusader kings, princes and nobles, like their soldiers, could not believe their eyes. These people were shocked by the scale of Constantinople. When night fell, they ordered to stop all burning, killing and looting. It was thought that a city of this size could not be completely conquered in less than a month. That night, the invaders gathered and camped in the largest public hall in Constantinople, carving in the rust the long-lost glory of Rome. fell into slumber under the shadow of the monument.

When the people of Constantinople woke up the next morning and found their city still burning with scourge, they could only pray that the worst of the violence was over. However, everyone's nightmare had just begun.

The greatest city on the Bosporus has never been invaded by foreign enemies since the days of the Roman Empire. It has always been the brightest beacon of civilization in a dark world. Unrest and riots once stained the city's streets. , enemy attacks and poverty may have dimmed the glory of the city founded by Constantinople nine hundred years ago, but among many cities in the ancient world, Constantinople is the only place that has not been set foot by foreign conquerors.

The city's libraries contain numerous lost Greek and Latin documents, the churches are filled with priceless treasures, and the palaces and squares are still decorated with countless artistic masterpieces. This city is completely different from any other city in the world. The final jewel in the crown of the Roman Empire.

When the Crusaders awoke that Tuesday morning, they bared their fangs like hungry wolves.

April 13th, please remember this day.

This is a catastrophe in the history of human culture, and this is a sad day for every Roman.

Heavily armed troops rushed around the city, setting off a carnival of destruction. In this looting of wealth, no so-called sacred objects were spared. Stored in the Thirteenth Roman Empire ( The tombs of the greatest emperors of the Middle Ages were opened, the remains in the reliquaries were thrown aside, priceless manuscripts were torn, and their jeweled covers were plundered. Churches were destroyed, women were defiled, The palaces collapsed one after another. Both living people and corpses became a burden at this time.

The lid of the exquisite sarcophagus containing the remains of Emperor Justinian was dismantled. Although the well-preserved remains gave the vandals a moment of hesitation, they soon abandoned his remains and began frantically grabbing the gold. The cassocks and silver ornaments. Justinian's body quickly oxidized and turned into ashes in an instant.

The burning and looting lasted for three full days. If one person accidentally left anything of value behind, it would soon be taken by another. When this disaster finally fell into silence, even the Crusaders I was also shocked by the scale of the "trophies".

One of them wrote that since the creation of the world, no city had suffered such a degree of looting.

These armies wantonly demolished ancient statues, melted them into precious metals, and divided the spoils at will. All members of the Crusaders became rich overnight. Even the humblest and most ordinary soldiers became millionaires at this moment.

The Venetians brought back a large number of works of art intact to decorate their city in the lagoon. Some of them survive to this day. A Venetian once scaled the Porta de Casseris, the great gate to the Hippodrome, and removed four of them. Then he took a boat back to Venice and brought them back to San Marco, where the four bronze horses still stand today.

After the looting, people hurriedly cleared the ruins of Hagia Sophia, where a few days ago a prostitute was resting and having fun on the Patriarch's throne. A Latin emperor ascended the throne of the empire, and the ruins of Rome Western ceremonies were held above. Many nobles were given mansions, and a political system composed of many semi-independent kingdoms replaced the original independent centralized empire. A Crusader knight occupied Macedonia and proclaimed himself the king of Salonika. Another man established himself as the Duke of Athens. In the most declining years of the Roman Empire, there had never been a moment when the Roman Empire was so at the mercy of others. Even the Latins were able to occupy the magpie's nest.

This is one of the greatest tragedies in human history. The Roman Empire (in the Middle Ages), which had been the bulwark of Christendom against Muslims for centuries, was now completely destroyed and could never recover. It was destroyed by those who claimed to The people who worshiped God were completely destroyed. Blinded by greed and manipulated by the Venetians, these Crusaders completely destroyed the greatest Christian power in the East, causing all remaining ruins and most of Eastern Europe to fall under the iron cavalry of the Turks. It suffered barbaric ravages for five centuries.

The Crusades were supposed to be motivated by a desire to lend a helping hand to their Christian brothers in the East, but now this spirit has become a complete mockery. In the name of God, they brutally killed their fellow brothers without mercy. , wantonly looted and destroyed everything. During this looting, they also destroyed the altar of the church and completely shattered the icons that had been worshiped by devout believers for generations. When the rich fled and the palaces were reduced to rubble, the West People eventually lost interest in looting and turned their attention elsewhere, but the crimes they committed in the East will never be forgotten. Seeing the Crusaders trampling the scorched earth streets in the city, the Romans concluded that these people wearing shining crosses would never again The qualification is to be called a "disciple of the Lord".

Let the power of the Yinsilan world come! They thought in their hearts that even being ruled by pagans or barbarians would be much better than these evil heresies that violate the holy will of Christ.

The Eastern and Western churches are completely unable to heal, and the Pope's dream of unifying Christendom will never be realized. He may write to his envoys asking how the "Greeks" in the East can forgive their Catholic "brothers"; and these The swords of "brothers" still flow with the blood of their brothers and sisters, and they have betrayed and defiled their most sacred land.
Chapter completed!