The Conquest of Constantinopleby Geoffrey of Villehardouin andThe Life of Saint Louisby John of Joinville are eye-witness accounts of going to war in the service of God.
Geoffrey of Villehardouin was born in around 1150. In 1185 he was
appointed to the office of marshal of Champagne, and having taken
the cross in 1199 he was subsequently appointed as an envoy by the
leaders of the Fourth Crusade. He was privy to crucial decisions
made throughout the course of the crusade, which ended with the
conquest of Constantinople from its Greek Christian rulers in April
1204. His account of The Conquest of Constantinople relates the
controversial history of the Fourth Crusade and the early years of
the Latin empire from the perspective of a well-informed
insider.
John of Joinville was born in 1224 or 1225. In 1233 he inherited
the office of seneschal of Champagne that would give him a leading
role in the administrative affairs of the county. He took the cross
for the first crusade led by King Louis IX of France. Joinville
became a close friend of Louis IX and after their return to France
he was a familiar figure at the royal court. Joinville refused to
join Louis on his second crusade and was therefore not present when
the king died in 1270. He honoured his friend's memory by giving
evidence to the enquiry that established the king's sanctity and by
composing The Life of Saint Louis as a record of his holy words and
good deeds.
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