Geoffroy of Villehardouin, Marshal of Champagne

Geoffroy of Villehardouin, Marshal of Champagne by Theodore Evergates traces the remarkable life of Geoffroy of Villehardouin (c. 1148–c. 1217) from his earliest years in Champagne through his last years in Greece after the crusade.

The fourth son of a knight, Geoffroy became marshal of Champagne, principal negotiator in organizing the Fourth Crusade, chief of staff of the expedition to and conquest of Constantinople, garrison commander of Constantinople and, in his late fifties, field commander defending the Latin settlement in the Byzantine empire against invading Bulgarian armies and revolting Greek cities. Known for his diplomatic skills and rectitude, he served as the chief military advisor to Count Thibaut III of Champagne and later to Emperor Henry of Constantinople.

Geoffroy is remarkable as well for dictating the earliest war memoir in medieval Europe, which is also the earliest prose narrative in Old French. Addressed to a home audience in Champagne, he described what he did, what he saw, and what he heard during his eight years on crusade and especially during the fraught period after the conquest of Constantinople. His memoir, The Book of the Conquest of Constantinople, furnishes a commander's retrospective account of the main events and inner workings of the crusade—the innumerable meetings and speeches, the conduct (not always commendable) of the barons, and the persistent discontent within the army—as well as a celebration of his own deeds as a diplomat and a military commander.

Theodore Evergates is the editor or author of ten books on medieval France, including The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100–1300; Henry the Liberal; and Marie of France.

A richly rewarding immersion into the world of crusading, nobility and the writing of history. Theodore Evergates brings to bear decades of ground-breaking research on medieval Champagne to produce a genuinely illuminating and enjoyable study of the life and the writing of Geoffrey of Villehardouin. He traces Geoffrey's astonishing rise from a garrison knight in Troyes, through his leading role in the birth, progress and controversial outcome of the Fourth Crusade, to a career that culminated in his role as marshal of the struggling Latin Empire of Constantinople. In tandem with an incisive reading of Geoffrey's memoirs, Evergates reveals much about Villehardouin's own character as well as an often pointed judgement of his fellow-crusaders. Cultures of leadership, honour, blame and shame track through this remarkable life; thoroughly recommended.

Amy Livingstone, University of Lincoln:

Although Geoffrey Villehardouin is best known for his account of the Fourth Crusade, little attention has been paid to the man himself. Skillfully brought to life by Theordore Evergates, we walk in Geoffrey's footsteps as he dedicated his life to military service in Champagne, on crusade, and in post-conquest Byzantium. Evergates deftly extracts the man from the events that shaped his life. What emerges is a riveting read about this gifted soldier, tactician, diplomat, and keen observer of his time.

Jessalynn Lea Bird, coeditor of Crusade and Christendom:

Evergates' deep knowledge of Champenoise social networks and sources enables him to bring to life the worlds and careers of Geoffrey of Villehardouin, from castleguard, to marshal of Champagne, to marshal of the Empire, as he moves from Troyes, to Venice, and to Constantinople. This new biography should be essential reading for all those interested in approaching Villehardouin's memoirs with new eyes, not as mere "chronicle" of the Fourth Crusade, but as the reminiscences, in Old French, of a "preudomme" written in close collaboration with an anonymous scribe.

William Chester Jordan, Princeton University:

Theodore Evergates has succeeded remarkably well in recovering the role of the French knight, Geoffroy of Villehardouin, in the diplomatic and military history of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries and in establishing once and for all this prudhomme's centrality to the events. Evergates's intelligent, meticulous and compelling analysis of Geoffroy's famous 'war memoir' describing the Franco-Venetian conquest of Constantinople in 1204 and its immediate aftermath is at the root of this altogether significant reevaluation.

Thomas Madden, Saint Louis University:

This is an outstanding examination of the man behind the most important source for the Fourth Crusade and one of the earliest French vernacular works of the Middle Ages. It is solidly based on an informed, perceptive, and careful use of source material. I have spent my career studying the Fourth Crusade and still this book opened vistas to me.