Narrative Unit

Summary:: Baldwin's nephew Tancred felt passionately that the crusade was being corrupted, agonising over his own position. He avoided contact with Alexios I, crossed the straits at night and in disguise, and passed unnoticed. Beyond the Bosporos he removed the disguise on the way to Nicaea, and felt safer. His actions infuriated his uncle and Alexios. Tancred made a point by sending Atropius and Guarinus as messengers to summon Bohemond while the latter was helping Alexios to impose on Raymond of Toulouse the same oath he had taken himself. The two messengers were told to summon Bohemond to duty on the crusade, because the Turks were threatening. Alexios, who (as intended) discovered the message, interrogated the messengers, discovered they could not be cowed and dismissed them without punishment. But Bohemond was forced to promise to bring Tancred into line. Tancred was increasingly angry at the net of obligations enveloping him
Dates:: 1097:

Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (Alexios 1)

He tried to make Raymond 61 take the oath sworn by Bohemond 61, with Bohemond's help; he was thus furious when Tancred 61 avoided all contact and obligations; he interviewed Atropius 101 and Garinus 101, but did not punish them; but he made Bohemond promise to bring Tancred into line (:) Ralph of Caen 12-13

Atropius, Norman messenger sent by Tancred to Bohemond (Atropius 101)

He (and Garinus 101) was sent by Tancred 61 to call Bohemond 61 across the Bosphoros for the crusade, as Turks were threatening; this was discovered (as intended) by Alexios 1, who interrogated the two, finding them confident men who could not be cowed; they were let go unpunished (:) Ralph of Caen 13

Bohemond of Taranto (Bohemond 61)

He stayed on the European side of the straits, to try to reconcile Alexios 1 with Raymond 61; Alexios was trying to force on Raymond the same oath given by Bohemond; Tancred 61's avoidance of all contact did not help, and Bohemond was forced to promise to bring him into line (:) Ralph of Caen 12

Garinus, Norman messenger from Tancred to Bohemond (Garinus 101)

He (and Atropius 101) was sent by Tancred 61 to call Bohemond 61 across the Bosphoros for the crusade, as Turks were threatening; this was discovered (as intended) by Alexios 1, who interrogated the two, finding them confident men who could not be cowed; they were let go unpunished (:) Ralph of Caen 13

Tancred of Hauteville, nephew of Bohemond of Taranto (Tancred 61)

He was pictured agonising over his position in relation to Bohemond 61, or even the whole crusading leadership, who seemed to have been bought by Alexios 1; he wondered whether this was perfidy, speculated over the finality of the oath, and decided to make sure that he did not become implicated (:) Ralph of Caen 11
Thus he reached the city with no announcement, did not meet Alexios 1, disguised himself as a common soldier, slipped unnoticed across the Bosporos and joined those making their way to Nicaea; he then resumed his normal clothing and felt safer (:) Ralph of Caen 12
He crossed the straits at Constantinople secretly, with his army and that of Bohemond 61, without meeting Alexios 1 or becoming subject to him, greatly annoying Alexios (:) Albert of Aachen II.19
While Bohemond 61 delayed in the city, Tancred 61, avoiding contact with Alexios 1, took the whole army across the Bosporos to Chalcedon in Bithynia, camping near troops of Godfrey 51, to await the others for their common march (: ) William of Tyre bk. 2, 15.28-42
As he learned what had happened from Atropius 101 and Garinus 101, then from Bohemond 61 himself, he became incandescent with rage, apparently at Alexios 1 for trying to corrupt him, and at Bohemond for assisting him (:) Ralph of Caen 13

Tancred avoided contact with Alexios I, & undermined Bohemond