Title: Why were the Crusades unsuccessful? - Quora
Headings: Why were the Crusades unsuccessful?
Why were the Crusades unsuccessful?
Anonymous

Content: This was presented as a way to absolve sins as well, anyone who died went to heaven (reminds you of contemporary Islamic suicide bombers a little, doesn’t it). It was a military pilgrimage that counted as major penance. The lords and knights took up the call with gusto. Many sold their possessions, packed up to leave, and once they achieved their goal, came back home. So in this sense, it was a success again. Conclusion
If we consider the Fourth Crusade again we see some of the complexities at play. The Fourth Crusade ended with the sacking of Constantinople. This came about as a result of an out-of-power claimant to the Byzantine throne banding together with an ambitious Venice that ended up with the power of Byzantium smashed. It was a success for the Venetians, but considering that the initial aim was the recapture of Jerusalem we could judge it unsuccessful. A second example might be one of the alternative crusades.