Some thoughts on the relations between Greeks and Latins at the time of the First and Fourth Crusades *

The picture of a strong hostility between the two halves of Christendom which was allegedly exacerbated by the First Crusade has now become much more nuanced, despite the negative impact of the possession of Antioch by Bohemond and the failure of the expedition of 1101. From that period onwards, the issue of logistics determined to a large extent the relations between the Empire and the Latins of Outremer. Manuel Komnenos played that card to its full extent, and the cash-strapped Latins in the Fourth Crusade expected the same kind of support, something which contributed to the capture of Constantinople in 1204.