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 530 CRUSADES and Flanders, and Simon de Montfort, were the principal leaders. The marquis of Mont- ferrat, in Italy, acted with them, and was fol- lowed by many Italians. The crusading spirit extended to Germany and Hungary, and in the latter country the king assumed the cross. The French crusaders despatched a deputation to Venice to make arrangements for the trans- portation of their forces to Palestine by sea. The Venetians engaged to transport a large army; but when in 1202 the crusaders as- sembled at -Venice, they could not pay the price named, whereupon it was agreed that in lieu of money they should aid the Vene- tians to. subdue Zara in Dalmatia, which had revolted. This, though not under the com- mand of their chief, the marquis of Montferrat, and in defiance of papal prohibition, they ac- complished. The Venetians were commanded by the doge Enrico Dandolo, then nearly blind and more than 90 years old. Montferrat then rejoined them. Here the combined forces en- tered into an agreement with Alexis, son of the deposed Byzantine emperor Isaac Angelus, to restore the fallen monarch. The opposition of the pope to this singular undertaking had little effect. The expedition proceeded to Constan- tinople, which was taken, and Isaac Angelus and his son were raised to the throne (1203). Soon, however, dissensions broke out between the allies. The restored princes were com- pelled to fight their restorers, but against their will, and with no good to themselves; for the Greeks hated them, overthrew them, and placed another emperor on the throne. Isaac died of terror, and Alexis was slain. The crusaders, affecting to be the champions of the dead princes, waged successful war with the new emperor, besieged and took Constantino- ple (1204) r which they pillaged, and established a Latin empire, the conquered territory being divided between the Venetians and their west- ern associates. The ultimate effect of this crusade was- to weaken the principal barrier against Mussulman progress westward, so that when the new Turkish power was established in Asia Minor it experienced but moderate re- sistance from Byzantium. In the spring of 1212 a French peasant boy named Stephen preached a crusade of boys. Though the en- terprise was condemned by the university of Paris and by royal edict, nevertheless several thousand boys, by some estimated as high as 30,000, embarked at Marseilles in August of that year. They were shipwrecked on the isl- and of San Pietro, and the greater part per- ished ; the rest were sold into slavery to the Mohammedans. A similar expedition, advo- cated by a peasant boy named Nicholas, in Ger- many, mustered at Cologne ; but after various disasters it was abandoned. These expeditions are known in history as the "children's cru- sade." The fifth crusade, 1216, was the work of Pope Innocent III., and was joined by Hun- garians, Italians, Germans, English, and French. Andrew II., king of Hungary, led a large army to Palestine, and, in connection with the dukes of Austria and Bavaria, made one cam- paign, when he returned home. The Germans remained, and having been joined by others, they transferred the war to Egypt (1218)! Damietta was besieged and taken, and the crusaders received large reinforcements from England, France, and Italy. The Mussulmans now offered Jerusalem, and even all Palestine, to the victors, on condition that they should leave Egypt, arid most of them were for accept- ing terms which embraced all that the first crusades had been intended to gain. But the papal legate, and the templars and hospitallers, who were joined by the Italian leaders, were able to bring about the rejection of the offer. After a delay of months the crusaders ad- vanced upon Cairo, but the expedition failed entirely, and they were glad to humble them- selves before the sultan, who allowed them to leave the country. The pope, Honorius III., attributed the failure to the emperor Fred- erick II., who had not kept his crusading vow. It was not till 1228 that the emperor went to Palestine with a small force, he being then ex- communicate, the effect of which was greatly to weaken his power. Yet he did much, and made a treaty with the sultan, by which the Christians were to be allowed to visit Jeru- salem freely, and Bethlehem, Nazareth, and other places were made over to them. He was permitted to visit the church of the sepulchre, from the altar of which he took the crown, and put it on his head. Thus the fifth crusade was brought to an honorable termination, and the emperor returned to Germany in 1229. The folly of the Christians soon led to the loss of all that Frederick had gained for them. They quarrelled, and some of the independent Mussulman rulers were thereby encouraged to refuse to be bound by the treaty, and were successful in their warfare. Again Europe was filled with complaints. A sixth crusade was proclaimed, but with no good result ; and the sultan of Egypt, resolved to be beforehand with his enemies, entered Palestine, and drove the Christians from Jerusalem. Hereupon the nobility of England and France, in 1238, re- solved to go to the relief of Palestine. The French, under various leaders, arrived there first, and achieved some brilliant successes. These were followed by reverses and dissen- sions, and most of the French left the country. The English then arrived, headed by the earl of Cornwall, brother of Henry III., who was well received by the Christians, whose affairs he completely reestablished. Jerusalem and most of the Latin kingdom were ceded to them, and numerous captives were released. Cornwall then departed, and the sixth crusade was hon- orably ended in 1240. The seventh crusade grew out of that vast Mongol movement which terrified the world in the 13th century. The Kharizmian horde, flying before the Mongols, sought refuge in Egypt, but were persuaded by the sultan to attack Palestine. They entered