Johannizza, the king of Wallachia, who had besieged Adrianople, gave
himself no rest, for his petraries, of which he had many, cast stones
night and day against the walls and towers, and damaged the walls and
towers very greatly. And he set his sappers to mine the walls, and made
many assaults. And well did those who were within, both Greeks and
Latins, maintain themselves, and often did they beg the Emperor Henry
to succour them, and warn him that, if he did not succour them, they
were utterly undone. The emperor was much distraught; for when he
wished to go and succour his people at Adrianople on the one side, then
Theodore Lascaris pressed upon him so straitly on the other side, that
of necessity he was forced to draw back.
So Johannizza remained during the whole month of April (1207) before
Adrianople; and he came so near to taking it that in two places he beat
down the walls and towers to the ground, and his men fought hand to
hand, with swords and lances, against those who were within. Also he
made assaults in force, and the besieged defended themselves well; and
there were many killed and wounded on one side and on the other.
As it pleases God that adventures should be ordered, so it befell that
the Comans who had overrun the land, and gained much booty, and
returned to the camp before Adrianople, with all their spoils, now said
they would remain with Johannizza no longer, but go back to their own
land. Thus the Comans abandoned Johannizza. And without them he dared
not remain before Adrianople. So he departed from before the city, and
left it.
And you must know that this was held to be a great miracle: that the
siege of a city so near to the taking should be abandoned, and by a man
possessed of such power. But as God wills, so do events befall. Those
in Adrianople made no delay in begging the emperor, for the love of
God, to come to them as soon as he could; for sooth it was that if
Johannizza, the King of Wallachia returned, they would all be killed or
taken.