Deeds of the Franks, Book One, Chapter Three

The second group entered the Slavic regions, that is to say the Count of Saint Gilles, Raymond, and the Bishop of Le Puy (Adhemar). However the third group came along the ancient road of Rome. In this group was Bohemond, Richard the Principate, Robert the Count of Flanders, Robert the Norman, Hugo the Great (Vermandois, brother of the king of France), Everard de Puisset(Viscount of Chartres), Achard de Montmerle, Isard de Mouzon and many others besides. Then they came to the port of Brandisi, or Bari, or Otranto. Hugo the Great and Wilhelm, son of the Marquis, entered the sea at the port of Bari and having been ferried across came to Durachium. The leader of these parts, hearing that these most prudent of men had been steered towards this place, his heart was soon touched with bad thinking and he seized them and he ordered that they be cautiously taken to Constantinople and the emperor and they should pledge faith to him.

Then Duke Godfrey, who was the first of all the nobles to arrive in Constantinople, arrived with a great army two days before the birthday of our Lord and was as a guest outside the city. Then the prejudiced emperor ordered that he be housed in a castle of the city as a guest. And when the Duke was made comfortable, he sent his soldiers out securely one day so that they could carry away straw and other necessities for the horses. And when they reckoned they could confidently go where they wished, the wrong headed emperor Alexius commanded his Turcopoles and Patzinaks to attack and kill them. Baldwin, brother of the duke, hearing this, sent himself to verify these plots and found those men killing his people. He attacked them with great spirit and, with God aiding him, he overcame them. Seizing sixty of those men, Baldwin killed some of them and others he presented to his brother, the duke. When the emperor had heard of this, he was very angry. After that, seeing the anger of the emperor, the Duke left the castle with his men and set up camp outside the city. Now after this last action, the destructive emperor ordered his own army to attack the Duke and the Christians. At this, the Duke, unbeaten, killed seven of these men with his Christian soldiers and pursued the rest all the way to the gate of the city. Returning to his own tents, the Duke remained there for five days, then he entered into a pact with the emperor and said the emperor would ferry them across the Strait of Saint George and would allow them to have a market there just as in Constantinople and to bequeath alms to the poor so that they would be able to live.