Re: Just what IS "marriage" anyway?
Yah, when the Crusaders decided to detour and sack Constantinople instead of head to the Holy Land to fight Islam, that was a watershed moment that I've heard even echoes down to this day. The Byzantine Empire was already weakened before that, but the 1204 sacking and occupation for a number of years destroyed what staying power the Byzantines had left. Which really worked against western Europe, for whom the Byzantines were a shield against Muslim incursion (at least in that part of Europe) for a good long while in the Middle Ages, a time western Europe was not in good shape to defend itself.
Originally posted by joecct
View Post
Comment