nouncing bis safe arrival. Allowing three months for the news to reach Philip, there was ample time for the messengers of Philip to reach the Marquis of Montferrat,and for the latter to have been at the Swabian court in October. Boniface remained with Philip until January or February, 1202, and then left with an embassy for Rome, sent thither in order to induce Innocent the Third to take up the cause of young Alexis.[1] In the spring of the year the latter received letters of recommendation to the Crusaders from Philip.[2] It therefore appears clear that, from the beginning of 1202, the leader of the expedition had become aware of the facts connected with the claims of Alexis. Subsequent evidence indicates that even at this time he had promised Philip to aid him.
At the time appointed — namely, the 24th of June — most of the leaders of the expedition had arrived, according to the arrangement, in Venice. Baldwin of Flanders, Hugo Count of St. Paul, Geoffrey of Villehardouin, perhaps Boniface, and many also from Germany, were present, while the Abbot Martin and others from that country were on their way thither.[3]
- ↑ " Gesta Inno. III."
- ↑ Nicetas says (p. 715) "from Philip and the pope," but the latter is doubtful; from (
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- ↑ M. Jules Tessier contends that the Crusaders could never agree upon the destination of the expedition. lie admits that the most intelligent of its leaders proposed to attack Egypt, but he insists that the majority of the army were in favor of going to Syria. In support of this contention he (1) calls attention to the fact that the charter-party made with the Venetians makes no mention of either Syria or Egypt; (2) he quotes Yillehardouin (par. 49) and claims that the "grant peril" of which the Flemings stood in fear was of going to Egypt, and (3) he quotes the reply given to the speech of the Abbot of Citeaux (Villehardouin, par. 96), "In Syria you can do nothing." The first of these arguments is inapplicable if the contention is well founded, that it was intended to conceal the destination of the expedition. Later on I give a different interpretation to the " grant peril" phrase, while the argument founded on the reply to the abbot appears to me to fall when connected with the surrounding circumstances. Gunther's statement that the resolution to attack Egypt was adopted unanimously (" Ilii quidem omnes uno consensu in hoc convenerant, ut petentcs Alexandriam") is probably too sweeping. See "La Diversion sur Zara et Constantinople," par Jules Tessier. (Paris, 1884.)
