Was the fourth crusades conquest on constantinople in 1204 ther consequent of a clash of cultures?
Not really. There are two aspects to be considered in rejecting the proposition. First, Byzantium was not so far advanced as you suggest. It is true that mathematics and some elements of artistic expression were better developed in the East than the West, but other elements of civilisation were very backward. For example, the rule of law and the development of secular legal systems were moving ahead rapidly in Europe when Byzantium was still shackled by the limited view of the Bible. Also, by the late 12th Century, many European ethnic groups were growing into countries, if not exactly nations. That was not the case with Byzantium, which suppressed rigorously all nationalist expression, and the freedoms that were to come over the next two centuries. By the end of the Byzantine era, in 1452 say, that empire was still looking back and trying to apply ancient rules and processes to a changing population and society, and was ripe for overthrow by Islam. Europe, by contrast, was on the verg
