The Crusade of the Venetians

Alexius Anglos was warmly greeted by the Italians who gave him a ship and men to serve him. The debate reopened about the purpose of the crusade and the mood soured. Some feared that the indulgences offered by the Pope would never be there as if they died on the Nile, rather than in the footsteps of Christ. If these men sailed away, the expedition would be ruined. Boniface, Baldwin and Louis rushed the camp to meet with their men. It was an emotional scene. As historian Jonathan Phillips says, it was a volatile mixture of genuine feeling, utter desperation, and emotional blackmail. And it did the trick. Eventually, the mass of Latin pilgrims promised to