Since this event had taken place in the year 1200, it is very possible that Dandolo knew of the Pope’s statement. But whether he did or not, he certainly understood Innocent’s view of the Papal position. “To princes power is given on earth, but to priests it is attributed also in heaven; to the former only of bodies, to the latter also over souls. Whence it follows that by so much as the soul is superior to the body, the priesthood is superior to the kingship… Single rulers have single provinces, and single kings single kingdoms; but Peter, as in the plenitude, so in the extent of his power is pre-eminent over all, since he is the Vicar of Him whose is the earth and the fullness thereof, the whole wide world and all that dwell therein.”

Dandolo had probably calculated that the submission of Constantinople to the arms of the crusaders would be justified if it entailed also the submission of the heretic Orthodox Eastern Church to the throne of Peter. If Dandolo could restore to the true Faith the whole of the Byzantine Empire, spiritually at any rate, his act in taking that empire would be justified. If he could place upon the throne an emperor who owed his restoration to the force of crusading arms, that emperor would be willing to see that his church and his people accepted the spiritual jurisdiction of Rome. If at the same time this strengthened the Venetian trading position, even if it put into the hands of the Venetians and their allies all those rich territories in eastern Europe, the Pope would surely be prepared to overlook the crime of making war upon fellow-Christians if it brought those Christians back to the Church of Rome. The young Alexius had already told Dandolo and the other leaders that “If God allows you to restore me to the throne, I will place all of my empire under obedience to Rome.”

Other factors did undoubtedly contribute to the Crusaders’ participation in this diversion from Egypt to Constantinople. Most important of all was the simple necessity to raise enough money to pay for the Venetian fleet that was transporting them. The leaders of the Crusade, who were in the confidence of the Doge (as far as that was ever given to any man), may well have been aware that the restoration of Alexius might not be possible, and that it might be necessary to capture Constantinople to secure the money they needed. The rank and file, however, as well as the main assembly of knights and nobility, knew only that Alexius had promised them 200,000 silver marks as a reward for restoring him to the throne. In addition to this, Alexius had guaranteed to victual the crusading army, and had stated that “If necessary I will personally go with you into the land of Babylon [Egypt], or, if you prefer it, I will send there at my own expense ten thousand men and maintain them there for a year.”

His promise to submit the Orthodox Church to the Church of Rome might be of interest to the clergy, but to practical soldiers it was his financial and military aid that was appealing. Constantinople was a name to them and no more. They knew little or nothing of the ramifications of eastern trade which caused Venice to look upon her long-established rival as a deadly enemy. They had heard of Constantinople, as had nearly all citizens of western Europe in those centuries—the great Christian city at the end of the world, Mickle Garth, the Mighty Town—but it was more a legend than a reality. They knew nothing about the citizens of eastern Rome, nor what eastern Rome had meant to the world centuries before their own capitals, such as Paris and Brussels, were anything more than insignificant townships.

It was on June 23rd that the fleet finally came to anchor near the abbey of St. Stephen’s, which lies about six miles southwest of Constantinople on the Sea of Marmora. It was a natural place to assemble before attempting the narrow fast-running strait of the Bosphorus. At such a distance the capital city of Constantine was little more than a shimmer of walls topped by towers. Even so, it was enough to cause the sophisticated Venetians to murmur with envy and admiration. Even the hardiest of the Crusaders understood at last the immensity of the enterprise upon which he had embarked. As Villehardouin wrote: “All those who had never seen Constantinople before gazed with astonishment at the city. They had never imagined that anywhere in the world there could be a city like this. They took careful note of the high walls and imposing towers that encircled it. They gazed with wonder at its rich palaces and mighty churches, for it was difficult for them to believe that there were indeed so many of them. As they gazed at the length and breadth of that superb city there was not a man, however brave and daring, who did not feel a shudder down his spine. One could not blame them, for never before in the whole history of the world had any men embarked upon so gigantic an enterprise…”

It was not true to say that the Crusaders were the first to attempt the fabulous walls and fortifications of Constantinople. Many armies and fleets before them had approached the ‘God-guarded City’ bent on its conquest. Not one of them had succeeded. Avars, Saracens and Bulgars had besieged the city.