 The actual partition of the Byzantine Empire after the Fourth Crusade | |
| Context | Sack of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade |
|---|---|
| Signed | 1204 |
| Location | Constantinople, Latin Empire (now Istanbul, Turkey) |
| Signatories | |
The Partitio terrarum imperii Romaniae (Latin for "Partition of the lands of the empire of Romania[a] [i.e., the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire]), or Partitio regni Graeci[1] ("Partition of the kingdom of the Greeks"), was a treaty signed among the crusaders after the sack of the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It established the Latin Empire and arranged the nominal partition of the Byzantine territory among the participants of the Crusade, with the Republic of Venice being the greatest titular beneficiary. However, because the crusaders did not in fact control most of the Empire, local Byzantine Greek nobles established a number of Byzantine successor kingdoms (Empire of Nicaea, Empire of Trebizond, Despotate of Epirus). As a result, much of the crusaders' declared division of the Empire amongst themselves could never be implemented. The Latin Empire established by the treaty would last until 1261, when the Empire of Nicaea reconquered Constantinople, re-establishing the Byzantine Empire. The various crusader principalities in southern Greece and the Aegean archipelago would last much longer, until they were conquered by the Ottomans in the 14th and 15th centuries.
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- ^ Tafel & Thomas 1856, p. 452.