117
Henry crowned emperor —
Johannizza ravages the country
again — the emperor
marches
against him
The barons now resolved that they would go to Constantinople,
and crown Henry, the brother of the Emperor Baldwin
as emperor, and leave in the country Vemas, and all
the Greeks of the land, together with forty knights,
whom Henry, the Regent of the empire, would leave with
him. 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, and right
well were they received. They crowned Henry as
emperor with great joy and great honour in the church
of St. Sophia, on the Sunday (20th August) after the
festival of our Lady St. Mary, in August. And
this was in the 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 in Constantinople,
and that Vemas had remained in the land of Adrianople
and Demotica, he collected together as large a force
as he could. And Vemas had not rebuilt the walls
of Demotica where they had been breached by Johannizza
with his petraries and mangonels, and he had set but
a weak garrison therein. So Johannizza marched
on Demotica, and took it, and destroyed it, and rased
the walls to the ground, and overran the whole country,
and took men, women, and children for a prey, and
wrought devastation. Then did those in Adrianople
beseech the Emperor Henry to succour them, seeing
that Demotica had been lost in such cruel sort.
Then did the Emperor Henry summon as many people as
he could, and issued from Constantinople, and rode
day by day towards Adrianople, with all his forces
in order. And Johannizza, the King of Wallachia,
who was in the land, when he heard that the emperor
was coming, drew back into his own land. And
the Emperor Henry 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
men and women and cattle, and that he had destroyed
Demotica, and wasted the country round; and that he
was still within a
118
day’s march. The emperor settled that he
would follow after, and do battle-if so be that Johannizza
would abide his coming-and deliver the men and women
who were being led away captive. So he rode after
Johannizza, and Johannizza retired as the emperor advanced,
and the emperor followed him for four days. Then
they came to a city called Veroi.
