The crusaders and the Venetians proceed to…

The crusaders and the Venetians proceed to implement their agreement when order is restored.

The imperial crown is at first offered to, and refused by, Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice.

The choice then lies between Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders (and, as Count of Hainaut, Baldwin VI) and the nominal leader of the crusade, Boniface of Montferrat.

While Boniface is considered by both the Crusaders and the citizens of Constantinople the most probable choice, due to his connections with the imperial court—his brother Conrad had married into the royal family—Baldwin, the most popular leader in the host, is young, gallant, pious, and virtuous, one of the few who interprets and observes his crusading vows strictly.

The Venetians want an emperor whom they could control more easily, and with their influence, Baldwin, elected emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, called Romania, on May 9, is crowned on May 16 in the church of the Hagia Sophia.

Dandolo takes for himself and the doges of Venice the title “lord of the fourth part and a half of the whole empire of Romania.” The title corresponds exactly to that part of the territories of the Empire apportioned to the Venetians in the division of spoils among the crusaders.

Since he has been one of the most powerful leaders of the expedition, Dandolo remains in Constantinople to direct all the operations there and to look out for the interests of Venice.

The Venetian Thomas Morosini is chosen patriarch, but the lands parceled out among the leaders do not include all the former imperial possessions.

Constitutional restrictions hamper the new Latin emperor from the outset.

The Venetians enjoy self-government in Constantinople, as well as total control over the former imperial lands they have taken: Crete and the Aegean islands, Corfu, and other Ionian islands.

The emperor cannot act without the consent of the council of Frankish barons and Venetians.