Vandalism & anti-Byzantine sentiment in the French army outside Constantinople

Summary:
Odo of Deuil suspected the complete submissiveness of Byzantine behaviour while Louis VII was in Constantinople, believing they would not have been so servile without ulterior motives. He stigmatised apparent kindness as showing up Byzantine falsity, in view of later events. But Odo also accepted that French burning of houses and olive trees was a provocation, especially when it was pointless, drunken vandalism. Louis tried to restrain his men from such acts by exemplary mutilations, but was unwilling to punish enough of his troops in this brutal way to keep the peace. The leader of anti-Byzantine sentiment was Godfey, bishop of Langres, who was supported by Odo in his text. Godfrey declared that the French should attack the City. He stressed the weakness of its defences and defenders, its dominant position in the empire (obviating the need for other fighting), and its rulers' purely nominal Christianity, shown in attacks on Antioch. He said that Ioannes II captured Antiochene cities, replacing Catholic bishops by heretics. Instead of uniting Christians, he tried to destroy them with aid from infidels, so died from a minor wound; Manuel I kept Ioannes' gains and hoped for more, exacting homage from Raymond of Poitiers and choosing a rival patriarch. Others suggested legal reasons for these actions, and said that a crusade should not enrich itself by attacking Christians - an action which would place the crusaders outside the definition of the crusade made by Eugenius III and put his indulgencies in doubt. But Godfrey would (in Odo's view) have carried the day if the Byzantines had not tricked them 
Dates:
1147 
Pope Eugenius III (Eugenios 23)
  • The words with which he had launched the Second Crusade and promised salvation for its participants seemed to exclude an attack on Constantinople; this was used as an argument against Godfrey 101 and his advocacy of the capture of the Byzantine capital and empire (:) Odo of Deuil 70
Godfrey, bishop of Langres (Godfrey 101)
  • At Constantinople, he urged a French attack on the city, with support in the text of Odo 102; he stressed the weakness of its defences and defenders, its dominant position in the empire (obviating the need for other fighting), and Manuel 1's purely nominal Christianity, shown in attacks on Antioch (:) Odo of Deuil 68
  • He said that Ioannes 2 captured Antiochene cities, replacing Catholic bishops by heretics; instead of uniting Christians, he tried to destroy them with aid from infidels, so died from a minor wound; Manuel 1 kept Ioannes' gains and hoped for more, exacting homage from Raymond 17001 and choosing a rival patriarch (:) Odo of Deuil 68-70
Louis VII, king of France (Louis 101)
  • His men burned Byzantine houses and olive trees through lack of wood, or sometimes as acts of pointless, drunken vandalism; Louis tried to restrain his men from such actions by exemplary mutilations, but was unwilling to punish enough of his men in this brutal way to keep the peace (:) Odo of Deuil 66
Odo of Deuil, monk and historian (Odo 102)
  • He suspected the complete submissiveness of Byzantine behaviour while Louis 101 was in Constantinople; they would not have been so servile without ulterior motives; he accepted that French burning of houses and olive trees was a provocation, especially when it was pointless vandalism (:) Odo of Deuil 66