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Byzantine–Crusader Alliance

Type Event Region Constantinople Time 1097

In 1097 the First Crusade's main force reached Constantinople; Alexios I secured oaths of homage in exchange for supplies, transport, and guidance.

Timeline

  1. 1097Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireCrusader leaders Bohemond, Godfrey, and others led their great army into Thrace, approaching the imperial capital. Alexios received them with court ceremony but restricted their entry into the city, and tense negotiations over supplies, passage, and political terms ensued.
  2. 1097Imperial Palace, Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireThe principal Crusader leaders swore homage before Alexios, becoming his vassals and promising to return recovered former imperial lands to Byzantium. The emperor provided supplies, ships for the crossing, and Byzantine guides, formally establishing a military alliance.
  3. 1097Dardanelles · DardanellesThe Byzantine fleet assisted the Crusaders in crossing into Anatolia, and the allied forces besieged Nicaea. The empire provided intelligence and logistics while the Crusaders bore the main siege operations; the alliance was tested in battle for the first time.

Sources