Partitio-romanorum
The Partitio-romanorum was an agreement made during the Fourth Crusade in 1204, which resulted in the division of the Byzantine Empire among the Latin Crusaders and their Venetian allies. This treaty is significant for its role in the establishment of the Latin Empire and various Latin states in the former Byzantine territories.
After the capture of Constantinople in April 1204, the Crusaders and Venetians needed to decide how to divide the spoils of their conquest. The Partitio-romanorum was drafted to outline this distribution:
- Constantinople: The city itself was to become the capital of the newly established Latin Empire, with Baldwin IX of Flanders becoming the first Latin Emperor.
- Maritime Territories: Venice received strategic ports, islands, and three-eighths of the Byzantine Empire's territory, including Crete, Euboea, and several Aegean islands, which were crucial for Venetian trade routes.
- Other Lands: The remaining territories were divided among the other Crusaders, leading to the creation of various feudal states like the Kingdom of Thessalonica, the Principality of Achaea, and the Duchy of Athens.
The Partitio-romanorum had several long-term effects:
- It weakened the Byzantine Empire, which never fully recovered from this dismemberment, paving the way for its eventual fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453.
- The establishment of Latin states introduced Western feudal systems, Latin Christianity, and Roman Catholic Church influence into the Orthodox Christian territories of the Byzantine Empire, leading to cultural and religious conflicts.
- The Venetian acquisitions solidified Venice's position as a major maritime power in the Eastern Mediterranean.
- The division also sparked numerous conflicts among the Latin states and with the remaining Byzantine successor states like the Empire of Nicaea, the Despotate of Epirus, and the Empire of Trebizond.
For further reading on the Partitio-romanorum and its implications, consult the following sources:
See Also: