Enrico Dandolo was the Doge, or elected chief magistrate of the former republic of Venice. Dandolo had served Venice in diplomatic and perhaps military roles for many years, with at least two expeditions involving the Byzantine Empire based at Constantinople. He lost his sight in a battle with his city’s Byzantine rivals, but this did not prevent him from making Venice the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean. He did this by building ships for the Crusaders to transport their armies. The Crusaders were missions organized by the Church to recapture Christian lands that had been invaded by others.
The Venetians lent ships to the Crusaders, and supplied their armies with food and fodder for the horses for a staggering fee. The original plan of the Crusaders was to land an army in Egypt. However, Venice had a trade relationship with Egypt, and did not wish for this relationship to be threatened. When the Crusaders could not pay the amount that was due to Venice, Dandolo convinced the Crusaders to assist Venice in conquering the city of Zara, which was now under Hungarian control. Zara fell in November of 1202. Despite the plunder and economic gain of Zara, the wealth gained was still insufficient for the Crusaders to break free from their debt. So, Dandolo helped the Crusaders gain complete control over Constantinople on April 13th, 1204. In the days that followed, the Crusaders pillaged the city.
Venice flourished under Dandolo. His foreign policy ensured Venice gained exclusive trading rights throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Historians often refer to him as the ‘founder of the Venetian Colonial Empire’.