The Fourth Crusade of the Venetians

Venetians could rely on their privileged position within the Byzantine Empire to guarantee their profits. Manowiel Comlinos, who in 1171 arrested every Venetian within his realm,. This shocking break with any number of norms permanently scarred the relationship between the merchant republic and its long-standing trading partner. But there was now a considerable argument on the lagoon for moving away from reliance on Constantinople. If the Byzantines couldn't be trusted, then the merchants of Venice must diversify. To conquer Egypt would allow the Venetians to take control of ports like Alexandria, the most profitable in the Mediterranean.