Prise de Constantinople

This painting depicts the taking of Constantinople in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. Instead of continuing toward the Holy Land, the crusaders seized the capital of the Byzantine Empire, a major event that brought plunder, violence, and lasting upheaval in the Christian Mediterranean world. The work, attributed to Palma Le Jeune, shows the assault on the city from the sea and the burning of Constantinople. It illustrates the dramatic memory of this episode, which became one of the most striking moments in the history of the Crusades. ([commons.wikimedia.org](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APriseDeConstantinople1204PalmaLeJeune.JPG))