{"product_id":"byzantium-and-the-crusades-crusader-worlds-9781852855017","title":"Byzantium and the Crusades (Crusader Worlds)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first great city to which the Crusaders came in 1096 was not Jerusalem but Constantinople. Almost as much as Jerusalem itself  Constantinople was the key to the foundation  survival and ultimate eclipse of the crusading kingdom. The Byzantines had developed an ideology over seven hundred years which placed Constantinople  rather than Rome or Jerusalem  at the centre of the world. The attitudes of its rulers reflected this priority  and led to tension with the crusaders over military and diplomatic strategy. At the same time  the riches and sophistication of the great city made a lasting impression on the crusaders. In the end  the lure of the citys wealth was fatal to the claims of Christian unity. In April 1204  the Fourth Crusade under the Venetian doge Enricho Dandolo captured and sacked Constantinople  signalling the effective end of almost a thousand years of Byzantine dominance in the east.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45651921403957,"sku":"ByrdShop_1852855010","price":142.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781852855017.jpg?v=1781845329","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/byzantium-and-the-crusades-crusader-worlds-9781852855017","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}