Anatomy of a Crusade, 1213-1221

VII: The First Phase

CHAPTER VII THE FIRST PHASE The Rhenish and Frisian fleet, some three hundred ships, departed from Vlerdingen in the Netherlands on May 29, 1217. This was the first contingent of the Fifth Crusade to actually get underway. It would not be the first to arrive in the East. The army led by King Andrew of Hungary and Duke Leopold of Austria, which did not set out until the fall of 1217, arrived long in advance of the Rhenish and Frisian contingent, which did not land in Acre until the late spring of 1218. This delay wasnot a matter of chance, but was premised on the leaders' knowledge of the general state of preparations for the crusade. In most earlier studies, the early de­ parture and slow progress of the Rhenish­Frisian contingent have received little attention, save for the participation of a portion of it in an attack on the Moslem stronghold of al­Qasr (Alcacer do Sal) in Portugal. However, there is much more of interest than this in the accounts of their departure, particularlywith respect to the or­ ganization and discipline of the crusader army. Having crossed the English Channel to Dartmouth, the as­ sembled crusaders elected Count George of Wied commander of the fleet and chose William, count of Holland, previously selected as leader of the whole army, to take charge of the rear guard. They also established "new laws" for the observance of peacein the army.1 Following this initial plan of organization, the fleet moved south­ ward along the coast of Brittany, where it joined other units. The constitutions set out at Dartmouth wereread again and accepted by the whole army, which "bound itself to observe the same laws."2 124 Anatomy of a Crusade The peace process, which had begun with the recruitment of the crusaders, so many of whom had recently been in conflict with one another, now achieved a formal legal force binding on all departing crusaders. Very likely, some such ceremony as that held in Dart­ mouth marked the organization of most if not all crusader con­ tingents.3 Moreover, the ecclesiastical nature of this legislation, at least in the case of the Rhenish and Frisian crusaders, seems evident from the use of the phrase "ob pacis observanciam" to describe its content in the Gesta Crucigerarum Rhenanorum and the referencein the DeItinere Frisonum to everything being done properly (rite) for the salvation of souls and the peace.4 These laws laid the ground­ work for the role Honorius III assigned to his legate, Cardinal Pe­ lagius of Albano, at his appointment in June 1218. Just as Ad libemndam had enabled the papacy, with the approval of the coun­ cil, to exercisegreater control over such areasasclericaltaxation and the preservation of the peace, the voluntary acceptanceof laws such as these by the crusaders provided a basis for the jurisdiction exer­ cised by the papal legate over the crusader army. As Honorius stated, Pelagius was to precede "the army of the Lord with hu­ mility . . . to encourage those in agreement to remain in agree­ ment . . . to recall troublemakers to peace."5 The sea route chosen by the crusaders was perilous. There is no way to document fully how many of the ships that left Vlerdingen were lost at sea, but the number must have been substantial. Only a few days out, in the sea off Brittany, a ship from Monheim was wrecked on the rocks, and the fleet had to slow while its men were rescued from the rock onto which they had climbed.6 Three more ships were wrecked in a storm off the Portuguese coast.7 Bishop James of Vitry, who had earlier travelled from Genoa to Acre, left a vivid description of the perils of travel on the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean.8 He described his fear during a storm in which the waters were breaking over his ship, and this was despite the fact that he was travelling on a newly constructed ship and the arrange­ ments on board were well suited to his episcopal rank. There was a room on the upper castle where he could study and eat, and an­ other where he could sleep with his companions. There were also places for his servants, his stores, and his horse. The ship carried wine, meat, and biscuit sufficient for almost three months.9 Still, the trip was far from comfortable. Contrary winds impeded their progress. They ran into a storm of such magnitude that "fifteen an­ chors...