The Black Comedy of the Crusade

Preachers who went out into the French countryside did not always mention Egypt. The assumption was that if they explained about the whole naval invasion of Egypt part of the mission, many soldiers would turn their nose up at the enterprise. You also need a sudden death in any black comedy, and ours is provided by Tebow of Champagne,. Who unexpectedly passed away in May 1201. This was a real blow and affected recruitment in the heartlands of France. It's never a good sign for a campaign when its leader keels over well before his time.