Even though the Roman Church initially launched the Crusades to support the Byzantines, the Fourth Crusade was redirected from the Holy Land to Constantinople in 1204 CE. The Latin Crusaders founded a feudal state known as the Latin Empire, which was governed along similar lines to the Western European kingdoms. The empire lasted over half a century until it was conquered by resurgent Byzantine Greeks in 1261.   Founding of the Latin Empire Crusade of 1204, by Tintoretto, 16th Century. Source: Timetoast.com   When Pope Innocent III launched the Fourth Crusade, he hoped to recapture Jerusalem and protect the coastal cities of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. However, a series of diversions, driven by debt, politics, and opportunism, led the Crusaders to sack Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The Venetians, who had financed the Crusaders’ fleet, played a crucial role in redirecting the campaign toward Byzantium, hoping to collect their debts and advance their commercial and political interests in the eastern Mediterranean.   The Byzantine Empire was politically unstable at the time. In 1203, the Crusaders and Venetians supported the claim of Alexios IV Angelos, a deposed Byzantine prince who promised them money, military support, and religious union with the Catholic Church if they restored him. After taking Constantinople and reinstalling Alexios IV, the Crusaders found he could not fulfill his promises. He was murdered in a palace coup, prompting the Crusaders to storm the city again in April 1204. Both sieges led to horrendous casualties among the city’s population.   Following this second conquest, the Crusaders established the Latin Empire on the ruins of Byzantium, declaring Baldwin of Flanders as its first emperor. Territories were divided among Latin barons and Venice, with Eastern Orthodox clerics replaced by Catholic clergy. The Empire was meant to consolidate Western control over former Byzantine lands and impose Catholic dominance in the East. The Byzantines retained their own rump kingdom called the Empire of Nicaea. This marked the first time a Pope had authority over the eastern provinces of the former Roman Empire.   Political Administration The Boukoleon Palace, residence of the Latin emperors. Aerial photograph by Pi István Tóth, 2018. Source: Flickr   The governance structure of the Latin Empire was unwieldy and unstable. The emperor, usually a Frankish or Venetian lord, was the titular head of state. Beneath him was a series of lords and barons who oversaw the different regions of the empire. This was based on the feudal structure of Western Europe at the time, something alien to most Byzantine subjects who had been used to direct imperial rule. The empire did retain much of the Byzantine bureaucracy due to its administrative efficiency. There was a council of advisors, one of which was the Venetian Podestà, who acted as the Venetian delegate to the emperor’s court in Constantinople.   The Latin Empire’s vassals included the Kingdom of Thessalonica, the Principality of Achaea, the Duchy of Athens, the Duchy of the Archipelago, and the short-lived Duchy of Philippopolis in northern Thrace. All of these territories were located in Greece, the Aegean islands, and parts of Macedonia. The Venetians took control of Crete, Rhodes, Cephalonia, Corfu, Negroponte, and some other territories. This made it one of the largest empires under the control of the Catholic Church. The Latin emperors sought to expand their territory further at the expense of the Byzantines and the Seljuk Sultanate.   The Latin Empire’s lords ruled over a mostly Greek population who followed Eastern rites. This led to serious discontent among the people, who resented the efforts to Latinize the population. Additionally, the Empire persecuted Jews, who had not been subject to systemic persecution under Byzantine rule. This increased instability during the period of Frankish rule.   The Economy Illustration of a Venetian trade galley in the Mediterranean from Description of a Journey from Konstanz to Jerusalem by Konrad von Grünenberg, c. 1487. Source: Karlsruhe Library   The economy of the Latin Empire was weak from its inception and played a central role in its eventual collapse. When the Crusaders established the empire, they inherited an economy that had already been weakened by internal strife, invasions, and administrative decline. The two sieges of Constantinople also destroyed much of the city’s infrastructure, disrupted trade networks, and alienated local populations, especially the Greek merchant and artisan classes who had driven the city’s economy.   A key challenge was the Latin Empire’s dependency on external resources. The Crusaders lacked the administrative experience to effectively manage local economies or restore Byzantine tax systems. Even though they tried to keep much of the bureaucracy in place, many Byzantine officials fled after the Latin conquest.   Meanwhile, the Venetians, who had helped engineer the conquest, gained control over major ports, customs duties, and entire districts of Constantinople. Their dominance of trade routes, major islands such as Rhodes, and exemption from taxes drained revenue from the imperial treasury, further weakening central authority.   Agricultural production in surrounding regions suffered from warfare and population displacement. The Latin rulers also faced constant threats from several Byzantine states and the Second Bulgarian Empire, making it difficult to secure rural areas and collect revenue consistently. Without stable taxation, internal markets, or strong economic institutions, the Latin Empire struggled to fund its military and administrative apparatus. Ultimately, its economy could not support the state in the face of external military pressure and internal fragmentation, making it a major factor in the empire’s collapse in 1261.   Military Organization Crusaders of the Latin Empire in Constantinople by Eugene Delacroix, 1830. Source: Louvre Museum   The Latin Empire’s military was a patchwork force composed of Western European knights, feudal levies, mercenaries, and naval allies, particularly the Venetians. The empire controlled a lot of territory but did not have the manpower to defend it all. Its military was initially formidable, benefiting from seasoned Crusader knights and the walls of Constantinople, but was quickly strained by overextension and constant warfare.   The Latin emperors, starting with Baldwin I, relied heavily on feudal vassals from France, Flanders, and Italy, who were granted fiefs in former Byzantine lands in exchange for military service. The subordinate lords brought contingents of knights and foot soldiers, but were more focused on defending their own territories than protecting the Empire as a whole. The empire also depended on Venice’s powerful navy to maintain control of the seas, defend ports, and disrupt maritime powers like Genoa, which had an intense rivalry with Venice.   Despite these strengths, the Latin military was chronically under-resourced. The Latin Empire was surrounded by hostile forces: the Empire of Nicaea, the Despotate of Epirus, and the Second Bulgarian Empire all challenged Latin authority, often successfully. The Empire’s failure to win local support and its limited recruitment base meant that its armies were often outnumbered. Western kingdoms did not send reinforcements and the Latin Empire suffered from the same logistical challenges that the Kingdom of Jerusalem dealt with. Defeats, such as the Battle of Adrianople in 1205, where Emperor Baldwin I was captured by the Bulgarians, highlighted its vulnerability.   The Fall of the Latin Empire Michael VIII Palaiologos, the Byzantine Emperor who took back control of Constantinople from the Latin Empire. Miniature by George Pachymeres, 14th century. Source: Wikimedia Commons   With a collapsing economy and a weak military, the Latin Empire was vulnerable to outside threats. The Empire of Nicaea maintained control of much of Anatolia and had a strong military. It was allied to several other Byzantine kingdoms that hoped to restore Constantinople to Greek rule. However, the Latin Empire managed to hold off some of these foes, such as the Despotate of Epirus, due to robust defenses and the mediation of the Bulgarians.   In 1235, Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes of Nicaea signed an alliance with Bulgaria and marched on Constantinople. This attack failed, but it highlighted the vulnerabilities of the Latin Empire’s defenses. By 1237, Baldwin II became the Latin emperor and struggled to maintain his realm. Repeated attempts to acquire loans from Western European kingdoms failed and the economy deteriorated further. Meanwhile, many local peasants rose up in support of the Byzantines because of the strength of the Eastern Church and the belief that the Frankists and Venetians were outsiders.   In 1261, Alexios Strategopoulos, a prominent Byzantine general, led hundreds of men from Nicaea to the outskirts of Constantinople. He snuck into the city and forced the garrison and Emperor Baldwin into a panicked retreat. Michael VIII Palaiologos returned as the restored Byzantine Emperor and the Franco-Venetian forces evacuated to the Principality of Achaea, a vassal state of the Latin Empire that became the main Crusader holdout until the Byzantines reconquered it in the 1300s. With this final act, the Latin Empire was no more, although Baldwin II’s descendants and relatives continued to claim the imperial title.   The Empire’s Legacy The Selymbria Gate, one of the gates seized during the recapture of Constantinople by Alexios Strategopoulos, 2006. Source: Tripbucket   The failure of the Latin Empire highlighted how the Crusaders were capable of conquering territory and inflicting atrocities on the inhabitants, but not effective at governing or maintaining control of conquered lands. Despite the Byzantine Empire’s internal troubles preceding the Fourth Crusade, the Frankish rulers failed to realize that most of the peasantry did not want to submit to their rule. Additionally, the conquest of Constantinople distracted the Crusaders from their original goal of retaking Jerusalem.   The long lines of communication that had to be maintained to supply the Latin Empire with resources were vulnerable to attack. Additionally, the Byzantines were operating on their territory, meaning that they could attack the Crusaders when they chose to. Once the Empire of Nicaea allied itself with the Bulgarians, the Latin Empire’s days were numbered. The Latin Empire suffered from the same institutional problems that plagued the Christian kingdoms in the Levant.   At the start of the 14th century, a new Turkish state was established in Anatolia and that would conquer Constantinople once and for all. The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 was facilitated by the weakness of the Byzantine Empire, which was still recovering from the partitions of the Fourth Crusade.   Although the Latin Empire lasted little more than half a century, its legacy can be seen in Istanbul through the Western architectural features it introduced in existing Byzantine buildings. The Latin Empire has also left a psychological legacy: to this day, Catholic and Orthodox communities still struggle to overcome the memory of rapacious Latin Crusaders sacking Constantinople, suppressing the Orthodox Church, and facilitating the eventual Muslim conquest of the Second Rome.

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) declared an emergency order “for the deployment of backup generation resources in order to mitigate blackouts in Texas during Winter Storm Fern.” “Issued pursuant to Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the order authorizes the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to deploy backup generation resources at data centers and other major facilities. Today’s action follows a letter Secretary Wright sent Thursday to grid operators asking them to be prepared to use backup generation if needed to mitigate the risk of blackouts during the storm,” the DOE stated in a release. “DOE estimates more than 35 GW of unused backup generation remains available nationwide. The order will help ERCOT with the extreme temperatures and storm destruction across Texas and reduce costs for Americans during the winter storm,” it continued. Texas grid holding steady as DOE order lets ERCOT tap backup generators. The federal government issued an emergency order Saturday that could help Texas avoid blackouts as a massive winter storm continues to move across the state. https://t.co/MSCUJQQfwA — Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) January 25, 2026 More from the Department of Energy: On day one, President Trump declared a national energy emergency after the Biden administration’s energy subtraction agenda left behind a grid increasingly vulnerable to blackouts. According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), “Winter electricity demand is rising at the fastest rate in recent years,” while the premature forced closure of reliable generation such as coal and natural gas plants leaves American families vulnerable to power outages. The NERC 2025 – 2026 Winter Reliability Assessment further warns that areas across the continental United States have an elevated risk of blackouts during extreme weather conditions. Power outages cost the American people $44 billion per year, according to data from DOE’s National Laboratories. This order will help mitigate power outages in Texas and highlights the commonsense policies of the Trump Administration to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable and secure electricity. The order is in effect from January 24—January 27, 2026. “The Trump administration is committed to unleashing all available power generation needed to keep Americans safe during Winter Storm Fern,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. “Unfortunately, the last administration had the nation on track to lose significant amounts of baseload power, but we are doing everything in our power to reverse those reckless decisions. The Trump administration will continue taking action to ensure that the 35 GW of untapped backup generation that exists across the country can be deployed as needed during Winter Storm Fern and in the future,” he added. The emergency order comes as thousands of Texans have lost power during the winter storm. “Winter storm pushes nearly 96,000 homes and businesses offline statewide Sunday, with East Texas hit hardest — Nacogdoches, Cherokee, and Shelby counties see tens of thousands dark,” The Dallas Express News wrote. “DFW metro remains largely stable with minimal outages. ERCOT grid stays normal with ample reserves — no emergency operations or rotating blackouts expected,” it added. TEXAS POWER OUTAGES CLIMB TO SIX FIGURES: Winter storm pushes nearly 96,000 homes and businesses offline statewide Sunday, with East Texas hit hardest — Nacogdoches, Cherokee, and Shelby counties see tens of thousands dark. DFW metro remains largely stable with minimal outages.… pic.twitter.com/Y5pMifk6t2 — The Dallas Express News (@DallasExpress) January 25, 2026 CBS News shared further: As of 2 p.m., over 21,000 Texas Oncor customers are without power, with the majority in East Texas, south of Tyler, according to the outage map. In the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, about 3,000 customers are without power. That includes Tarrant County, where over 700 customers are in the dark, and Dallas County, where nearly 900 remain without power and Collin County, where a little over 100 are without power. Ahead of the storm Friday, Oncor told CBS News Texas that it activated its storm‑readiness operations, increasing the number of response teams and on-site crews to help restore power. The company’s biggest concern is neighborhoods where trees may be close to power lines, because after the freezing that occurred overnight, ice-coated branches and limbs can snap easily and bring down lines beneath them. And even a half an inch can add as much as 500 pounds of extra weight to power lines. As crews work to repair lines and respond to power outages quickly in the DFW area, officials are urging customers to monitor weather alerts and potential service disruptions. “Customers can also sign up for MyOncor alerts by texting REG to 66267 and we will send them personalized notifications… about outage impacts to their specific address… put together a family emergency plan, as well as storm safety kit, blankets, bottled water… flashlights, just in case you need to withstand an extended time without power,” said Andrew Clark, an Oncor spokesperson. The wintry mix is expected to taper off Sunday, and the extreme cold will last through Tuesday this week, continuing the threat of freezing across North Texas.

Some of Australia’s beaches have been impacted by several shark attacks during the height of the busy summer season. According to CNN, approximately “40 beaches along the coast of New South Wales (NSW) remain closed after four shark attacks in 48 hours.” All the attacks have been attributed to bull sharks. #Australia: Australia's New South Wales state is reeling after four separate shark attack incidents along the coast in the last two days. Read more: https://t.co/UbJvlIGhZI#OceanConditions pic.twitter.com/iQfo9oXcae — The American Geographical Society (@AmericanGeo) January 20, 2026 CNN has more: Bull sharks typically inhabit warmer waters up the coast but move further down the coastline towards Sydney’s most popular beaches during the summer months. Last weekend saw some of the heaviest rainfall in Sydney over 24 hours for at least a decade, creating the perfect mix of conditions for potentially lethal encounters, experts say. “We do get a lot of shark sightings, or people being bumped by sharks, but to have four incidents where all the victims have been actually attacked by sharks is really uncommon,” said Steve Pearce, the CEO of NSW Surf Life Saving, whose volunteers patrol the state’s beaches on weekends. Bull sharks have the unique ability to live in both fresh and marine water. When heavy rain flushes food from the estuaries into the ocean, they tend to follow it, and feed by bite as the water quality makes it almost impossible to see. One of the attacks led to the death of a 12-year-old boy attacked by a shark at a popular cliff-jumping spot. Australian boy, 12, dies following shark attack while swimming at popular cliff-jumping spot https://t.co/9k0tkWnaxl pic.twitter.com/doXHzIIBcW — New York Post (@nypost) January 25, 2026 The New York Post explained further: A 12-year-old Australian boy who had been clinging to life after a shark attack last week died from severe injuries suffered when a suspected bull shark took a single bite while he was swimming in the famous Sydney Harbour. Nico Antic was cliff-jumping with two friends at Jump Rock near Shark Beach in the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse just before 4:20 p.m. local time on Jan. 18 when he entered the water outside the area protected by anti-shark nets. The enclosures are physical barriers designed to reduce the chances of large sharks entering designated swimming areas. While in the water, Nico was bitten once by the shark on both legs, causing catastrophic injuries and massive blood loss. Authorities said major tissue and blood vessels were severed by the vicious bite. Immediately after the attack, one of Nico’s friends jumped into the water and pulled him toward the rocks. Another friend helped lift Nico onto a rock platform as emergency responders rushed to the scene. Police and emergency crews applied tourniquets in an effort to stem the bleeding before transporting Nico by boat to a nearby ferry wharf. An ambulance then rushed him to the hospital, where he received a blood transfusion during transport after the tourniquets proved insufficient to stop the blood loss. Within hours, Nico underwent emergency surgery at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick and was placed into a medically induced coma. 9 News Australia provided further coverage:

Democrats in Virginia have passed a bill out of committee that allows government bureaucrats to receive unlimited taxpayer funding to buy a house. Gov. Spanberger and the rest of the Democrats ran on “affordability.” The only thing that will be affordable are houses for their voters. They already give $25,000 grants. Now, there is no […] The post Virginia “Affordability” Democrats Are Giving Away Homes to Their Voters appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Former CNN host Don Lemon said on Sunday that he believed the Trump administration would “go around a judge” if necessary to prosecute him for disrupting a Minneapolis church service alongside radical protesters. Speaking to fellow former CNN host Alisyn Camerota — now a special events anchor for Scripps News — Lemon repeatedly professed his innocence, claiming he was only observing the protest as a journalist. Lemon claimed that the Trump administration would prosecute him by any means necessary, even if it meant having to “retrofit” laws or circumventing a judge. A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the Justice Department established probable cause to charge former CNN host Don Lemon and four others over the anti-ICE church storming in Minneapolis last weekend. The appeals court, however, declined to force a lower court judge to sign arrest warrants. WATCH: Camerota described Lemon as “calm,” “resolute,” and “unapologetic” — and said that he truly believes his actions were protected under the First Amendment because he was acting solely as a journalist at the time. Noting that one judge had already denied the Justice Department’s request to charge Lemon for his role in the protest — a protest that has resulted in three arrests thus far — Camerota asked Lemon what he thought might happen in the coming weeks. “I’m not naive. I think they’re probably going to try again and again as they did with Tish James and Comey and everyone. If one doesn’t work, then they try something else and that fails, and they try something else and then they just don’t give up because they, you know, they want to save face, but I don’t know what’s next,” Lemon said. “I think what’s next is that I have to be in it for the long haul and to, you know, and just to be strong, as always, and keep calm and carry on.” Lemon went on to say that he fully expected the Trump administration to step outside the law if that was the only way to get him, claiming that they were targeting him specifically because he was the “biggest name” involved. “If there’s no law to fit, they will try to fit or retrofit something or go around a judge and just do it themselves. And it doesn’t matter and everything that they say pertains to protesters. I was not a protester. It’s very clear about that. If you look at all the evidence, I’m not a protester. And so I think Alisyn — not that I think I know — I was the biggest name. And so if they get a Don Lemon, woohoo, that’s a victory and also I’m the one who put the information out there.” Lemon joined a large group of anti-ICE protesters who stormed Cities Church in Minneapolis last Sunday during a worship service because one of the church’s pastors is believed to be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Three of the anti-ICE agitators who organized the church storming have been arrested by the FBI, including Black Lives Matter activist Nekima Levy Armstrong.

'no longer the dynamo she once was'