For this embassy were chosen Conon of Béthune and Geoffry of
Villehardouin, the Marshal of Champagne, and Miles the Brabant of
Provins; and the Doge also sent three chief men of his council. So
these envoys mounted their horses, and, with swords girt, rode together
till they came to the palace of Blachernæ. And be it known to you that,
by reason of the treachery of the Greeks, they went in great peril, and
on a hard adventure.
They dismounted at the gate and entered the palace, and found the
Emperor Alexius and the Emperor Isaac seated on two thrones, side by
side. And near them was seated the empress, who was the wife of the
father, and stepmother of the son, and sister to the King of Hungary-a
lady both fair and good. And there were with them a great company of
people of note and rank, so that well did the court seem the court of a
rich and mighty prince.
By desire of the other envoys Conon of Béthune, who was very wise and
eloquent of speech, acted as spokesman: “Sire, we have come to thee on
the part of the barons of the host and of the Doge of Venice. They
would put thee in mind of the great service they have done to thee-a
service known to the people and manifest to all men. Thou hast swom,
thou and thy father, to fulfil the promised covenants, and they have
your charters in hand. But you have not fulfilled those covenants well,
as you should have done. Many times have they called upon you to do so,
and now again we call upon you, in the presence of all your barons, to
fulfil the covenants that are between you and them. Should you do so,
it shall be well. If not, be it known to you that from this day forth
they will not hold you as lord or friend, but will endeavour to obtain
their due by all the means in their power. And of this they now give
you warning, seeing that they would not injure you, nor any one,
without first defiance given; for never have they acted treacherously,
nor in their land is it customary to do so. You have heard what we have
said. It is for you to take counsel thereon according to your
pleasure.”
Much were the Greeks amazed and greatly outraged by this open defiance;
and they said that never had any one been so hardy as to dare defy the
Emperor of Constantinople in his own hall. Very evil were the looks now
cast on the envoys by the Emperor Alexius and by all the Greeks, who
aforetime were wont to regard them very favourably.
Great was the tumult there within, and the envoys turned about and came
to the gate and mounted their horses. When they got outside the gate,
there was not one of them but felt glad at heart; nor is that to be
marvelled at, for they had escaped from very great peril, and it held
to very little that they were not all killed or taken. So they returned
to the camp, and told the barons how they had fared.
THE WAR BEGINS—THE GREEKS ENDEAVOUR TO SET FIRE TO THE FLEET OF THE
CRUSADERS
Thus did the war begin; and each side did to the other as much harm as
they could, by sea and by land. The Franks and the Greeks fought often;
but never did they fight, let God be praised therefor I that the Greeks
did not lose more than the Franks. So the war lasted a long space, till
the heart of the winter.
Then the Greeks bethought themselves of a very great device, for they
took seven large ships, and filled them full of big logs, and shavings,
and tow, and resin, and barrels, and then waited until such time as the
wind should blow strongly from their side of the straits. And one
night, at midnight, they set fire to the ships, and unfurled their
sails to the wind. And the flames blazed up high, so that it seemed as
if the whole world were a-fire. Thus did the burning ships come towards
the fleet of the pilgrims; and a great cry arose in the host, and all
sprang to arms on every side. The Venetians ran to their ships, and so
did all those who had ships in possession, and they began to draw them
away out of the flames very vigorously.
And to this bears witness Geoffry the Marshal of Champagne, who
dictates this work, that never did people help themselves better at sea
than the Venetians did that night; for they sprang into the galleys and
boats belonging to the ships, and seized upon the fire ships, all
burning as they were, with hooks, and dragged them by main force before
their enemies, outside the port, and set them into the current of the
straits, and left them to go burning down the straits. So many of the
Greeks had come down to the shore that they were without end and
innumerable, and their cries were so great that it seemed as if the
earth and sea would melt together. They got into barges and boats, and
shot at those on our side who were battling with the flames, so that
some were wounded.
All the knights of the host, as soon as they heard the clamour, armed
themselves; and the battalions marched out into the plain, each
according to the order in which they had been quartered, for they
feared lest the Greeks should also attack them on land.
They endured thus in labour and anguish till daylight; but by God’s
help those on our side lost nothing, save a Pisan ship, which was full
of merchandise, and was burned with fire. Deadly was the peril in which
we stood that night, for if the fleet had been consumed, all would have
been lost, and we should never have been able to get away by land or
sea. Such was the guerdon which the Emperor Alexius would have bestowed
upon us in return for our services.
MOURZUPHLES USURPS THE EMPIRE—ISAAC DIES, AND THE YOUNG ALEXIUS IS
STRANGLED
Then the Greeks, being thus embroiled with the Franks, saw that there
was no hope of peace; so they privily took counsel together to betray
their lord. Now there was a Greek who stood higher in his favour than
all others, and had done more to make him embroil himself with the
Franks than any other. This Greek was named Mourzuphles.
With the advice and consent of the others, one night towards midnight,
when the Emperor Alexius was asleep in his chamber, those who ought to
have been guarding him and specially Mourzuphles-took him in his bed
and threw him into a dungeon in prison. Then Mourzuphles assumed the
scarlet buskins with the help and by the counsel of the other Greeks
(January 1204). So he made himself emperor. Afterwards they crowned him
at St. Sophia. Now see if ever people were guilty of such horrible
treachery!
When the Emperor Isaac heard that his son was taken and Mourzuphles
crowned, great fear came upon him, and he fell into a sickness that
lasted no long time. So he died. And the Emperor Mourzuphles caused the
son, whom he had in prison, to be poisoned two or three times; but it
did not please God that he should thus die. Afterwards the emperor went
and strangled him, and when he had strangled him, he caused it to be
reported everywhere that he had died a natural death, and had him
mourned for, and buried honourably and as an emperor, and made great
show of grief.
But murder cannot be hid. Soon was it clearly known, both to the Greeks
and to the French, that this murder had been committed, as has just
been told to you. Then did the barons of the host and the Doge of
Venice assemble in parliament, and with them met the bishops and the
clergy. And all the clergy, including those who had powers from the
Pope, showed to the barons and to the pilgrims that any one guilty of
such a murder had no right to hold lands, and that those who consented
thereto were abettors of the murder; and beyond all this, that the
Greeks had withdrawn themselves from obedience to Rome. “Wherefore we
tell you,” said the clergy, “that this war is lawful and just, and that
if you have a right intention in conquering this land, to bring it into
the Roman obedience, all those who die after confession shall have part
in the indulgence granted by the Pope.” And you must know that by this
the barons and pilgrims were greatly comforted.