WI: The fourth crusade actually goes to Egypt

As it says in the title what If the fourth crusade actually goes to Egypt rather then to sack Constantinople?

The way I can see this happening is that more crusaders show up (30,000 rather then 12,000) so that they can pay the Venetians the full amount of money they asked for rather then have to pay them by attacking Zara so they also do not need to go to attack Constantinople to get more support, because they already have plenty of support.

Discuss.
 
Well, maybe they could force the Ayyoubids to give them Jerusalem back, in exchange of letting the Delta. It was more or less the proposal made by the Ayyoubids during the V Crusade.

Even if Jerusalem was quite undefendable when Syria and Egypt were united in a only state, it could be reverted (by a split of Ayyoubid empire).

So a IV quite sucessful in Egypt, but giving up for recovering Jerusalem before going too much south and then probably being crushed.
 
Peter I of Cyprus managed to capture and sack Alexandria in 1365, but he was unable to hold it. Furthermore, his coalition fell apart almost immediately, and he was unable to complete a planned march on Cairo.

The 4th Crusade might succeed in taking Alexandria and a few other cities on the coast before being defeated.
 
Interesting...

But what about the Byzantines as well? IIRC the Fourth crusade was one of the key events that triggered their collapse.
 
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