The Crusaders Are in a Very Tight Spot

Tia doge of venice, the ruler of venice at this time, was an old, blind man named dondolo. Dondolo decided to take advantage of this situation and basically proposed that the venetians coulda transport the crusaders if they would make a little side errand on the way to the holy land. When the pope finds out,. he promptly excommunicates them all. It was strictly forbidden for crusaders to attack fellow catholics. That was completely contrary to the whole idea and purpose of the crusade. An zara was a christian city under christian rule. So the papacy excommunicates all of them.