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Villehardouin, Geoffroi de, 1150-1213

"Memoirs or Chronicle of the Fourth Crusade and the Conquest of Constantinople"

For Geoffry of
Villehardouin, who was nephew to Geofiry of Villehardouin, Marshal of
Roumania and Champagne, being his brother's son, was moved to leave
Syria with the company that came to Constantinople. But wind and
chance carried him to the port of Modon, and there his ship was
injured, so that, of necessity, it behoved him to winter in that
country. And a Greek, who was a great lord of the land, knew of it,
and came to him, and did him much honour, and said: " Fair Sir, the
Franks have conquered Constantinople, and elected an emperor. If thou
wilt make alliance with me, I will deal with thee in all good faith,
and we together Will conquer much land." So they made alliance on
oath, the Greek and Geoffry of Villehardouin, and conquered together a
great part of the country, and Geoffry of Villehardouin found much
good faith in the Greek.
But adventures happen as God wills, and sickness laid hold of the
Greek, and he made an end and died. And the Greek's son rebelled
against Geoffry of ViHehardouin, and betrayed him, and the castles in
which Geoffry had set a garrison turned against him. Now he heard tell
that the marquis was besieging Napoli, so he went towards him with as
many men as he could collect, and rode through the land for some six
days in very great peril, and thus came to the carnp, where he was
received right willingly, and much honoured by the marquis and all who
were there.


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