What is the Story of the Four Horse Sculptures in San Marco's Square?
Ships were needed for the plan to transfer the Crusader Army directly to Egypt, to destroy the power of Islam and to pass from there to Jerusalem. Since so many ships were only in Venice, a delegation of six was sent to Venice at the beginning of 1201, to the old and blind Doge Enrico Dandolo.
Great Betrayal, Looted Istanbul, Our Stolen Treasures:
In this article, I would like to take you back from the tension of the Russia-Ukraine War, to take you back to the old times, to talk about an event in our own history known as the "Great Betrayal", and to tell you the true story of the 4 Horse Sculptures looted from Istanbul during the Fourth Crusade.
The Fourth Crusade, its Preparation, and Its Perversion:
Giovenni Lotario, who was elected pope on 8 January 1198, took the papal throne at the age of thirty-seven as Innocentus II. He studied theology in Paris and law in Bologna. He was a very passionate man. After the conquest of Jerusalem by Saladin on October 2, 1187, he wanted to organize a new expedition instead of the third Crusade, which ended in fiasco between 1189-1192.
First of all, for the unification of the churches, Emperor III. He began negotiations with Alexios. He dreamed of uniting all Christians under the banner of the Papacy. He did not want the kings to join the crusade. Like the first crusade, the counts, the clergy, and the public wanted an expedition and success. In 1199, the Pope also imposed a new tax to cover the cost of the expedition. This tax later became the "Papal Income Tax".
Plan to Bring the Army to Egypt by Ships:
Ships were needed for the plan to transfer the army directly to Egypt, to destroy the power of Islam and move from there to Jerusalem. Since so many ships were only in Venice, six people, including the historian Geoffroi de Villehardouin, were sent to Venice at the beginning of 1201, the old and blind Doge Enrico Dandolo. Venice used this opportunity very skillfully.
Venetian Ships Take on the Duty of Preparing:
Venice agreed to provide 4,500 knights and their horses, transport ships for 9,000 grooms and 20,000 foot soldiers, and a year's food for the Crusader army, in exchange for 85,000 silver marks to be paid by the Crusaders. Venice was also ready to participate in the Crusade with 50 ships and 7,000 soldiers, if half of the lands that the Crusaders would conquer were given to it.
After the treaty was signed, the Venetians began to assemble. However, sufficient soldiers and money could not be collected. Dandalo promised to give himself the money and ships that could not be collected in return for the conquest of Zara, the powerful commercial center in the region. Despite the Pope's forbidding them to attack a Christian city, the city was taken and plundered by Dandalo's persuasion of the crusaders. The captured booty was shared equally between the crusaders and Dandalo. The Pope excommunicated anyone who attacked Christians. When the crusaders expressed their remorse and said they had to, the Pope lifted their excommunication. Despite this, Dandalo convinced the crusaders by targeting Istanbul this time. The Crusaders set out immediately and arrived in front of Istanbul on 24 June 1203. The Crusaders went crazy when they saw this magnificent city. After a long siege, military and diplomatic struggles, the city fell into the hands of the Crusaders on 13 April 1204.
The Biggest Loot in History
In the words of Işın Demirkent, “The Crusaders plundered Istanbul with a brutality that fits well with the terrible massacre they committed when they captured Jerusalem in 1099. Such looting and destruction of a city is unprecedented in history. Even the Western writers who witnessed the event were horrified by the brutality and madness of the Crusaders; In the works they wrote, they clearly expressed the shame they felt because of this event. Istanbul, which had been the center of the Christian world for 900 years, lost all its splendor, wealth, works of art and everything after this plunder. The knights kill everyone, whether male, female, old or child; They even destroyed the poor houses. Courtiers, nobles, young women, girls and even nuns were victims of the rape of the ravaged Crusaders.
At the end of the third day, Istanbul, which was called the "Queen of Cities", lay in ruins under the feet of wild and proud European barbarians.”
Even Western writers who witnessed the event were horrified by the brutality and madness of the Crusaders; In the works they wrote, they clearly expressed the shame they felt because of this event.
After the looting, the Crusaders established the Latin Empire in Istanbul, which would last until 1261. Theodoros Laskaris, son-in-law of Alexios, carried the empire to Iznik.
Quadriga Horses
The most famous of the monuments adorning the hippodrome is the statue of four bronze horses pulling the triumphal chariot called Quadriga. B.C. fourth or M.S. They are thought to date from the second century. There are rumors that the horse statues were brought from Chios (Chios) Island.
They are the only surviving example of the quadriga, which is frequently encountered in the reliefs of the Antiquity. The sculptures were cast as heads, torso and tails and joined with solder. Although all the inscriptions indicate that the statues are bronze, copper was used in the mixture to a large extent. The metal mix of the sculptures is 98% copper, 1% lead and 1% tin. The parts that are more exposed to the light are covered with more intense gold leaf to increase the brightness of the sculptures.
Today, Stolen Horses Decorating St. Marco's Square:
At the behest of Enrico Dandolo, these four horse statues were suddenly transported to Venice one night. When the people of Istanbul could not see the horses when they got up in the morning, they immediately sent word to the emperor in Iznik. The emperor commissioned his fleet to catch the ships carrying the horses, but they could not catch them. Later, these horses stolen from Istanbul were used to decorate the San Marco cathedral.
In the picture below, the famous San Marco's Square. The four horse statues in the Hippodrome, which were taken away after the conquest of Istanbul, can be seen in front of the church in the square.
France adventure of Quadriga Horses
Napoleon Bonaparte, who captured the north of Italy with the Campo Formio treaty, which documented the end of the Republic of Venice, signed in 1797, sent his quadriga horses to Paris as booty. The horses were placed on top of the triumphal arch at the entrance to Paris in 1807, when it was built. However, the horses' stay in Paris was short-lived. After the fall of Napoleon in 1815, the horses were returned to Venice.
While the horses of the Venetian Quadriga were taken into the Basilica of St. Mark's in the 1980s to prevent them from being damaged by external conditions, their replicas were placed in their place.
Conclusion
The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is on a trail like a detective to bring back the historical artifacts smuggled to various countries from the Anatolian lands with a history of 10 thousand years. Ministry experts collect one by one artifacts that they determined were smuggled from Anatolian lands in museums in different geographies, especially in European countries. Since 2003, 4 thousand 311 artifacts have been brought to the land they belong to.
In this context, St. Since the original owner of the horses adorning the Marco Square is Istanbul, these precious artifacts, which are certain to have been stolen from this city during the Crusade, should be returned to their original place as soon as possible.
References:
Geoffroi de Villehardouin - Henri de Valenciennes, Crusaders in Constantinople, Istanbul: Communication pub., 2001.
Prof. Dr. Işın Demirkent, Historia of Niketas Choniates (1195-1206) The Sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders. Istanbul: World Spring. 2013.
Prof. Dr. Işın Demirkent, The Crusades, Istanbul: World Pub., 1997.
