Princes' armies assemble at Constantinople

Background

The aristocratic armies organised after Clermont were not under a single command. Godfrey of Bouillon marched from Lorraine through Hungary, Raymond of Saint-Gilles from Provence through Dalmatia, Bohemond and Tancred crossed the Adriatic from southern Italy, while Hugh of Vermandois, Robert of Normandy, Robert of Flanders and Stephen of Blois travelled via Italy and the Adriatic. All converged on Constantinople.

Course of events

Hugh, the first to arrive, swore allegiance to Byzantium in November 1096. Godfrey reached the capital on 23 December; when his resistance over the oath led to fighting with Byzantine troops in early April 1097, he gave way and his army was ferried to the Asian shore. Bohemond, arriving in April, quickly accepted the oath despite being a former enemy of Byzantium, and hoped for a command from the emperor in the East.

Raymond refused a full oath of vassalage and finally swore a more limited oath to respect the emperor's life and honour. Tancred crossed the Bosporus early to avoid the oath. Alexios gave the leaders rich gifts and provided supplies and Byzantine guides.

Outcome and significance

The oaths rested on the principle that the crusaders would hand over to the emperor any former Byzantine cities they captured. The surrender of Nicaea to Byzantium in 1097 conformed to it. But when Antioch was taken in 1098, Bohemond kept the city, and the crusaders argued that the obligation lapsed because Alexios had not come to their aid during the siege. The dispute shaped Byzantine–Antiochene relations until the Treaty of Devol in 1108.

Sources and debates

Anna Komnene's Alexiad contains vivid portraits, especially of Bohemond and Godfrey, but was written some forty years after the events. The Gesta Francorum and Raymond of Aguilers report the oaths from the Latin leaders' point of view. Whether the oath was a Western bond of vassalage or a Byzantine-style contract is debated by historians.