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.So Henry, the Regent of the empire,and the other barons, went towards Constantinople, and they rode from day to day till they came thither, andright well were they received.They crowned Henry as emperor with great joy and great honour in the churchof St.Sophia, on the Sunday (20th August) after the festival of our Lady St.Mary, in August.And this was inthe year of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ twelve hundred and six.Now when Johannizza, the King of Wallachia and Bulgaria, heard that the emperor had been crowned inConstantinople, and that Vemas had remained in the land of Adrianople and Demotica, he collected togetheras large a force as he could.And Vemas had not rebuilt the walls of Demotica where they had been breachedby Johannizza with his petraries and mangonels, and he had set but a weak garrison therein.So Johannizzamarched on Demotica, and took it, and destroyed it, and rased the walls to the ground, and overran the wholecountry, and took men, women, and children for a prey, and wrought devastation.Then did those inAdrianople beseech the Emperor Henry to succour them, seeing that Demotica had been lost in such cruelsort.Then did the Emperor Henry summon as many people as he could, and issued from Constantinople, and rodeday by day towards Adrianople, with all his forces in order.And Johannizza, the King of Wallachia, who wasin the land, when he heard that the emperor was coming, drew back into his own land.And the EmperorHenry rode forward till he came to Adrianople, and he encamped outside the city in a meadow.Then came the Greeks of the land, and told him that johanriizza, the King of Wallachia, was carrying off menand women and cattle, and that he had destroyed Demotica, and wasted the country round; and that he wasstill within a day's march.The emperor settled that he would follow after, and do battle-if so be thatJohannizza would abide his coming-and deliver the men and women who were being led away captive.So herode after Johannizza, and Johannizza retired as the emperor advanced, and the emperor followed him for fourdays.Then they came to a city called Veroi.When those who were in the city saw the host of the Emperor Henry approaching, they fled into themountains and abandoned the city.And the emperor came with all his host, and encamped before the city, andfound it well furnished with corn and meat, and such other things as were needful.So they sojourned there fortwo days, and the emperor caused his men to overrun the surrounding country, and they obtained a large bootyin beeves and cows and buffaloes, and otl-ler beasts in very great plenty.Then he departed from Veroi withall his booty, and rode to another city, a day's journey distant, called Blisnon.And as the other Greeks hadHENRY CROWNED EMPEROR JOHANNIZZA RAVAGES THE COUNTRY AGAIN THE EMPEROR MARC69Villehardouin: Memoirs or Chronicle of The Fourth Crusade and The Conquest of Constantinopleabandoned Veroi, so did the dwellers in Blisnon abandon their city; and he found it furnished with all thingsnecessary, and quartered himself there.THE EMPEROR MEETS JOHANNIZZA, AND RECAPTURES HISPRISONERSThen came tidings that in a certain valley, three leagues distant from the host, were the men and womenwhom ohannizza was leading away captive, together with 9.11 his plunder, and all his chariots.Then didHenry appoint that the Greeks from Adrianople and Demotica should go and recover the captives and theplunder, two battalions of knights going with them; and as had been arranged, so was this done on themorrow.The command of the one battalion was given to Eustace, the brother of the Emperor Henry ofConstantinople, and the command of the other to Macaire of Sainte-Menehould.So they rode, they and the Greeks, till they came to the valley of which they had been told; and there theyfound the captives.And Johannizza's men engaged the Emperor Henry's men, and men and horses were killedand wounded On either side; but by the goodness of God, the Franks had the advantage, and rescued thecaptives, and caused them to turn again, and brought them away.And you must know that this was a mighty deliverance; for the captives numbered full twenty thousand men,women, and children; and there were full three thousand chariots laden with their clothes and baggage, to saynothing of other booty in good quantity.The line of the captives, as they came to the camp, was two greatleagues in length, and they reached the camp that night.Then was the Emperor Henry greatly rejoiced, and allthe other barons; and they had the captives lodged apart, and well guarded, with their goods, so that they lostnot one pennyworth of what they possessed.On the morrow the Emperor Henry rested for the sake of thepeople he had delivered [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]