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Siege of Zara 1202

Siege of Zara: Siege of Zadar
Image: Andrea Vicentino, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.

Key facts

Year1202Wikidata P580 (start time)
EraMedieval (500–1499)derived from year
LocationCroatiaNatural Earth (modern borders)
ContinentEuropeNatural Earth
War / conflictFourth Crusade, War for ZadarWikidata P361
ParticipantsCroatia in personal union with Hungary, Republic of Venice, crusaderWikidata P710
Coordinates44.1142, 15.2278Wikidata P625

About the battle

The siege of Zara or siege of Zadar (Croatian: opsada Zadra; Hungarian: Zára ostroma; 10–24 November 1202) was the first major action of the Fourth Crusade and the first attack against a Catholic city by Catholic crusaders. The crusaders had an agreement with Venice for transport across the sea, but the price far exceeded what they were able to pay. Venice set the condition that the crusaders help them capture Zadar (or Zara), a constant battleground between Venice on one side and the Kingdom of Croatia and Dalmatia (Sclavonia) and Hungary on the other, whose king, Emeric, pledged himself to join the Crusade. Although some of the crusaders refused to take part in the siege, the attack on Zadar began in November 1202 despite letters from Pope Innocent III forbidding such an action and threatening excommunication. Zadar fell on 24 November and the Venetians and the crusaders sacked the city. After wintering in Zadar, the Fourth Crusade continued its campaign, which led to the siege of Constantinople.

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Zara (revision 1370746568), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.

Location

44.1142, 15.2278 · Croatia

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Nearby battles

Other battles of the Fourth Crusade

All 3 battles of the Fourth Crusade →

Browse more: battles in Croatia · Europe · Medieval battles

Further reading