Basileos,

Thank you for replying so very quickly. I have devoured the information in the links that you posted. Even though it is only partial, the "dorky" translation of Niketas is helpful and more than I hoped for. I knew of Villehardouin's account, but I had not found it yet, so that was also very much appreciated.

In hindsight, I realize that my request was rather broad. Let me offer some more specifics for both what I am looking for and why I am looking for it.

What I am looking for is for two categories of information concerning the time period of 1175 - 1205. The first category is information about the politics of the period from the close of the Comeni dynasty, the rise and fall of the Angelo dynasty, and the fall of Constantinople. The other category of information that I am looking for is about nearly every aspect of daily life of the residents of Constantinople during this period of time. I realize that this is still rather broad, but if I explain why I am looking for it, my challenge will become a little more clear.

You see, I am an aspiring author and I want to create a work of popular fiction. Originally I intended to write something in science fiction or fantasy, but while searching for inspiration from history, I stumbled on to the events of the Fourth Crusade.

Now I am not a historian, but I flatter myself to think that I know quite a bit history. However, I had never heard the story of the Fourth Crusade, the sack of Constantinople, and the series of unlikely events that precipitated the event. As my interest and knowledge of the characters and period have grown, I have discarded my original intention of creating a work of science or fantasy fiction and decided instead to create a work of historical fiction (an admittedly ambiguous category of literature).

While my primary goal in writing is to entertain, I also would like to provide some illumination to the masses on this (at least to me and I think others in the United States) relatively obscure slice of history.

In this I seek as much information as I can find about this period. I think that the more information I can have, then the odds that I can create empathy between the reader and the events will improve. To me it is not enough to say that Andronicos advocated the dispossesion and slaughter of thousands of Latin residents of Constantinople. It is also not enough to say that Crusading knights were in awe of what they found in Constantinople. The context needs to be built around these events so that when they occur in a narrative, it invokes an emotional response from the reader.

The other reason that I want as much information as I can get my hands on is much more simple. If I deviate from known history, I want to do so knowingly and for the needs of the narrative and not out of my own ignorance. In short, I think the actual events are compelling enough and do not require much in the way of dramatic convention.

If you are willing to keep offering me advice, I would certainly be grateful, though I worry that the posts would clog up this forum, which appears to have a different purpose. If that is the case, I am more than willing to correspond via email.

Thanks again for the help so far!