At that time Theodore Lascaris, who held the land on the other side of
the straits towards Turkey, was at truce with the Emperor Henry; but
that truce he had not kept well, having broken and violated it. So the
emperor held council, and sent to the other side of the straits, to the
city of Piga, Peter of Bracieux, to whom land had been assigned in
those parts, and with him Payen of Orléans, and Anseau of Cayeux, and
Eustace, the emperor’s brother, and a great part of his best men to the
number of seven score knights. These began to make war in very grim and
earnest fashion against Theodore Lascaris, and greatly wasted his land.
They marched to a land called Skiza, which was surrounded by the sea
except on one side. And in old days the way of entry had been defended
with walls and towers, and moats, but these were now decayed. So the
host of the French entered in, and Peter of Bracieux, to whom the land
had been devised, began to restore the defences, and built two castles,
and made two fortified ways of entry. From thence they overran the land
of Lascaris, and gained much booty and cattle, and brought such booty
and cattle into their island: Theodore Lascaris, on the other hand,
harked back upon Skiza, so that there were frequent battles and
skirmishes, and losses on the one side and on the other; and the war in
those parts was fierce and perilous.
Now let us leave speaking of those who were at Skiza, and speak of
Thierri of Loos, who was seneschal, and to whom Nicomedia should have
belonged; and Nicomedia lay a day’s journey from Nice the Great, the
capital of the land of Theodore Lascaris. Thierri then went thither,
with a great body of the emperor’s men, and found that the castle had
been destroyed. So he enclosed and fortified the church of St. Sophia,
which was very large and fair, and maintained the war in that place.
ADVANTAGES OBTAINED BY BONIFACE—MARRIAGE OF HIS DAUGHTER WITH THE
EMPEROR
At that time the Marquis Boniface of Montferrat departed from Salonika,
and went to Seres, which Johannizza had destroyed; and he rebuilt it;
and afterwards rebuilt a castle called Drama in the valley of Philippi.
All the country round about surrendered to him, and came under his
rule; and he wintered in the land.
Meanwhile, so much time had gone by, that Christmas was now past. Then
came messengers from the marquis to the emperor at Constantinople to
say that the marquis had sent his daughter in a galley to the city of
Abydos. So the Emperor Henry sent Geoffry the Marshal of Roumania and
Champagne, and Miles the Brabant, to bring the lady; and these rode day
by day till they came to Abydos.
They found the lady, who was very good and fair, and saluted her on
behalf of their lord Henry, the emperor, and brought her to
Constantinople in great honour. So the Emperor Henry was wedded to her
in the Church of St. Sophia, on the Sunday after the feast of our Lady
St. Mary Candlemas (4th February 1207), with great joy and in great
pomp; and they both wore a crown; and high were the marriage-feastings
in the palace of Bucoleon. Thus, as you have just heard, was the
marriage celebrated between the emperor and the daughter of the Marquis
Boniface, Agnes the empress by name.