The History of Aristotle’s Cranium
During the fourth crusade, the Francs army and their Venetian allies lie before Constantinople. The Byzant Emperor had stopped financing the expedition to the East.
Thus, the crusaders were in a very awkward situation. They did not have enough money or food left to come back home nor could they risk pursuing towards the East. The only solution, apparently, was to take Constantinople and it’s riches. Taking into account the span of this new project and the importance of the treasure they would find, the Francs and Venetians agreed on a treaty in order to separate the earnings. The Venetians would get three quarters of the treasure and the rest would go to the Francs. Food would be separated equally between the two groups. Furthermore, Venise would keep all commercial and religious privileges as well as all properties owned under the Byzant Empire’s rule. The crusaders even determined how the new Emperor would be elected : twelve electors, six Venetian and six non-Venetian, would choose the worthiest man to become Emperor. This man would have right to a quarter of the Empire and to two imperial palaces : the Blachernes Palace and the Boucoléon Palace. The remainder of the Empire would be equally divided between Venetians and Francs. Many other more detailed clauses were added to the treaty, demonstrating the long-term intention of the crusaders to divide the Byzant Empire into fiefs.
Once the treaty agreed upon, a first assault on the coastal ramparts was launched at daybreak on April 9th, 1204. After many hours of desperate combat, the crusaders’ attack failed. Another assault was launched on April 12th, this time using drawbridges on the ships. At the end of the day, the Crusaders had taken a large part of the ramparts and were starting into Constantinople. German men from Marquis Boniface of Montferrat’s division set fire to a section of the city in order to push away the Greeks, disabling a counter-attack.
Seeing his enemies advance, the Greek Emperor Murzuphle fled from Constantinople at night. When news of his desertion came in the morning, the crusaders engaged in merciless pillaging of the now undefended city. During three days, Constantinople’s treasures and shrines – renowned as the Western World’s most comprehensive collection – where looted. All this happened before the terrorized Greek people as they watched their houses burn down, their wives and daughters ravaged and sometimes killed.
A German, Gunther of Pairis, present during the pillage, offers a most troubling testimony of the atrocities he and his own endured as he was desperately trying to flee. It is he who tells us of the Most Sacred Cranium’s discovery.
Discovery of Aristotle’s Cranium
With the city taken and rendered ours by right of conquest, the victors would loote it with much ardour. Abbot Martin started to think about which part of the treasure he could claim as his own in order not to be left the only one empty handed. And so he made himself a proposal to direct his consecrated hands towards whatever prey. However, feeling it was not suitable of him to hold secular treasure, the idea to claim some relics – which he knew abunded in these grounds – came to him. Foreseeing who knows which great adventure, he went to a church much revered by locals because it sheltered the dignified sepulture of the much illustrate Emperor Manuel’s mother, which meant a lot to Greeks, but for which we could care less. Also held there was important quantities of money from the surrounding region as well as precious relics, brought from neighboring churches and monasteries, in hope of keeping them secure. Unfortunately for them, they had learned this even before taking the city from those expulsed by the Greeks. Many pilgrims raided the church; while others employed themselves feverously at gathering all the money, gold and pricy objects, Martin, seeing worth only in sacred objects, came over an even more secret area. The holiness of this secret place seemed to promise that which he wished to discover most of all. An old man with a great beard and a great head of hair was there. It was a priest, but his appearance was different from the priests we knew back home. Sure to be in company of a layman, calmly but with a fearsome tone, sharply addressed him by saying : “Deceitful old man, show me the most worthy relics that you hold, or immediate death shall castigate your refusal!”
Frightened, more likely by the noise than by the words – for if he heard the noise, he could not understand the words – knowingly unable to get through to Martin in the Greek language, the old timer tried to calm the man with the little Latin he knew, hoping to ease the pretenced anger. In response to this, our Abott assembled the few greek words he could think of, and got the old priest to understand what was being asked of him. And so, considering his face and his dress, more inclined to let a religious man claim by fear and reverence the holy relics, rather than taking the risk of seeing secular men soil them with bloody hands, he opened an iron chest. Thus was revealed to Martin, the most desired and prefered treasure among all the riches of Grece : The Most Sacred Cranium of Aristotle
When he recognized it, the Abott plunged towards it avidly with both hand, and hitching up is dress vividly, filled it with the holy relic. That which was the most precious of all to him so concealed, Martin left...
Loaded, he pressed on towards the ships. Those who saw him, who knew and loved him, and who were running towards the loot, would ask him cheerfuly : “Have you plundered?” or “What objects have you so loaded?”
Smiling back, as always and affable: “All has gone well for us”, would he say and they would answer: “Thanks be given to God!” and he would pass on, hastily, difficulty supporting anything that could delay him.
Gunther of Pairis in Geoffroy of Villehardouin and Robert of Clari, Those who conquered Constantinople, XIIIth century.
After this episode, the Most Sacred Cranium was brought back to the Western World in Austria’s court. It went from hand to hand and finally came to Hermann of Salza, Hochmeister of the teutonic order, who died in 1219. For centuries, the relic remained sole property of the Order. Painful events of the XIVth century and the defeat of the Order by the Polish, resolved in the loss of the artifact.
It has been miraculously retrieved by Hochmeister Benedictus in 1453, on the day when Light overcomes Darkness, December 21st. Since then, the incomparable relic is held in the Saint-Maurice chapel, Marienburg Castle.
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