Capture of The City
On 12 April 1204, weather conditions finally favoured the Crusaders as the weather cleared and a second assault on the city was ordered. A strong north wind aided the Venetian ships near the Golden Horn to come close to the city wall, which enabled the attackers to seize some of the towers along the wall. After a short battle, approximately 70 crusaders managed to enter the city. Some Crusaders were eventually able to knock holes in the walls, small enough for a few knights at a time to crawl through; the Venetians were also successful at scaling the walls from the sea, although there was extremely bloody fighting with the Varangians. The crusaders captured the Blachernae section of the city in the northwest and used it as a base to attack the rest of the city, but while attempting to defend themselves with a wall of fire they ended up burning down even more of the city. This second fire left 15,000 people homeless. Emperor Alexios V fled from the city that night through the Polyandriou (Rhegium) Gate and escaped into the countryside west of the city.
Read more about this topic: Siege Of Constantinople (1204)
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