Geoffrey of Villehardouin recorded how Comte Louis “immediately started off in pursuit of the Comans” outside of Adrianople.
Perceptions of cowardice on the field of battle could prove the ruin of a medieval lord, but in the case of Baldwin of Flanders and Hainaut, it did not prevent him being elected the new emperor of Constantinople. A powerful lord who had taken his pilgrim's vows only after securing his duchy's southern border from the encroaching hands of France, he brought to the Crusade battle hardened warriors more numerous and seasoned than any other lord in the Crusading host. Yet when the army came before Constantinople in the summer of 1203 his prudence would be mistaken for cowardice in an episode that would have dramatic consequences for Baldwin's future command decisions.
‘One…we knew to be a good man'
From the sea, the Venetians struck, seizing a swath of the city's seaward perimeter, till fire contained their advance, enabling the Byzantine Emperor to challenge their Crusader allies on the plains in open battle. Baldwin's vanguard pressed forward to meet them, only to stop within sight of the enemy. Advised to secure his line of retreat to the army's camp, Baldwin, inexplicably in the eyes of many, began to withdraw while the rest of the army continued forward.
The shame of this apparent retreat proved too much for the Flemish knights who forced Baldwin's hand: “Lord,” they cried “you are doing great shame not
