The Latin Schism

None of these early expeditions touched Constantinople or Hagia Sophia. While the Romans initially sought Western military cooperation in Anatolia, they would later become victims when subsequent Crusades turned directly against their capital.

3.2 The Fourth Crusade, 1204 CE

The Fourth Crusade was diverted from its original mission (strike Egypt to recover Jerusalem), and turned against the Byzantine capital itself. Western Crusaders, largely from Venice and France, stormed Constantinople, looted Hagia Sophia, and imposed Catholic rule for nearly six decades, transforming Hagia Sophia into the seat of the Latin Patriarch and leaving a scar that deepened the separation and hostility between the East and West.

For 57 years (1204–1261), Hagia Sophia stood as a symbol of Western crusade occupation, until the Byzantines reclaimed the city in 1261 CE and restored the church to Orthodox worship. This episode marked one of the deepest wounds in Christian history.