No kings sailed with them; from the first the movement had
been in the hands of turbulent feudatories, inspired by chivalry rather than religion.
Their leader, Boniface of Montferrat, the patron of all the troubadours and
knights-errant of the South, was a sworn friend of the Pope's worst enemy,
Philip of Suabia, the brother and successor of the Emperor Henry VI. Boniface
had been elected to the command without the sanction of the Pope; and from an
early date was in league with Philip to turn the Crusade against
Constantinople. This plan was for a time concealed from the army, in which a
majority of the common soldiers were bent upon recovering the Holy Sepulchre.
But the nobles, with whom lay the last word, were ready for whatever adventure
the course of events might suggest. Their original hope was to conquer
Egypt,--an infinitely more tempting prey than Palestine, where the chief fruits
of any success would be claimed by the remnants of the standing garrison.
To
obtain ships from Venice they undertook on her behalf the siege of Zara; their first
feat of arms was the conquest of a Christian city, the only offence of which was
that it disputed the Venetian supremacy in the Adriatic. At Zara they were
invited by Philip's envoys to attack Constantinople, to overthrow the Emperor
Alexius III, and to substitute for him another Alexius, son of the deposed
Isaac Angelus and brother-in-law to Philip. The proposal received enthusiastic
support from the Venetians, whose great commercial interests in the Greek capital
had been often assailed by the fanaticism of the city-populace. The Venetians
held the key of the situation, since, if they withdrew their transports, the
army could neither go forward nor return in safety; and the nobles, who needed
little persuasion, were able to convince the more earnest pilgrims that
Philip's offer must of necessity be accepted, though Alexius III was on
friendly terms with the Pope and had been expected to assist the Crusade. To
palliate the flagrant treachery a promise was exacted from the pretender that,
when installed as Emperor, he would help in the conquest of Egypt with men,
money, and supplies.
