Siege of Zara

For other sieges of Zara, see Siege of Zadar (disambiguation).
Siege of Zara
Part of the Fourth Crusade

The crusaders conquering the City of Zara (Zadar) in 1202, painted by Andrea Vicentino
Date10 November[1] – 24 November 1202[2]
Location
City of Zadar (Zara), Kingdom of Croatia
44°06′51″N 15°13′40″E / 44.11417°N 15.22778°E / 44.11417; 15.22778
Result Crusader-Venetian victory[3][4]
Belligerents
Crusaders
Republic of Venice		 Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Enrico Dandolo
Boniface I		 Unknown
Strength
  • Crusaders: 10,000 men[5]
    Venetians: 10,000 men[5]
  • Venetians: 210 ships[6]
 Unknown
Siege of Zara is located in Croatia
Siege of Zara
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Location within Croatia
Siege of Zara is located in Mediterranean
Siege of Zara
Siege of Zara (Mediterranean)

The siege of Zara or siege of Zadar (Croatian: opsada Zadra; Hungarian: Zára ostroma; 10–24 November 1202) was the first major action of the Fourth Crusade and the first attack against a Catholic city by Catholic crusaders. The crusaders had an agreement with Venice for transport across the sea, but the price far exceeded what they were able to pay. Venice set the condition that the crusaders help them capture Zadar (or Zara), a constant battleground between Venice on one side and Croatia and Hungary on the other, whose king, Emeric, pledged himself to join the Crusade. Although some of the crusaders refused to take part in the siege, the attack on Zadar began in November 1202 despite letters from Pope Innocent III forbidding such an action and threatening excommunication. Zadar fell on 24 November and the Venetians and the crusaders sacked the city. After wintering in Zadar, the Fourth Crusade continued its campaign, which led to the siege of Constantinople.[3][7][8]

  1. ^ Michaud, Joseph François (1882). The History of the Crusades. A. C. Armstrong and Son. p. 63. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  2. ^ Setton, Kenneth M.; Wolff, Robert Lee; Hazard, Harry W. (15 December 1969). The Later Crusades, 1189–1311. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 174. ISBN 9780299048440. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b Sethre, Janet (2003). The souls of Venice. pp. 54–55. ISBN 0-7864-1573-8.
  4. ^ Queller, Donald E.; Madden, Thomas F. (1999). The Fourth Crusade: The Conquest of Constantinople. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812217131. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  5. ^ a b J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 269
  6. ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 106
  7. ^ Timeline Croatia Archived 2021-10-26 at the Wayback Machine 1202
  8. ^ Jonville and Villehardouin, Chronicles of the Crusades, Penguin Classics, pp. 22