| Riot With thousands of English crusaders camped
outside the walls of Messina, the price of bread began to
rise and so did tempers. Arguments broke out with local
Greek shopkeepers over their inflationary prices and the
Longobards living within the town began to show
resentment at their foreign invaders. All three sides
seemed well practised in the art of insult and verbal
abuse and when drunken crusader gangs began staggering
about the streets molesting women, brawls broke out.
While King
Richard was in talks with Tancred's representatives,
skirmishing broke out between the combined Greeks and
Longobards against the English crusaders which turned
into a full scale riot. When the King went to quell the
affray, the Longobards shouted insults at him, enraging
him so much that he donned his armour and led his knights
in an assault on the town.
The
crusaders soon broke down the town gates and stormed
through, cutting down all those who resisted - the
townspeople stood no chance against an onslaught of
experienced soldiers. Eye witnesses reported that some
citizens threw themselves from the roofs of their houses
so as not to be taken.
Ambroise,
the minstrel accompanying the crusaders later sang: 'They had seized
Messina long before, a priest had said his matins o'er .
. . the town, it speedily was sacked . . . and there were
women taken, fair and excellent and debonair.'
King
Philip took no part in the storming of the city but
demanded a share of the spoils, forcefully reminding King
Richard of the agreement they had made at Vezelay to
share all plunder on the crusade. Our honourable King had
to keep his word and the lilies of France flew beside the
golden lions of England on the battlements of Messina,
though the minstrel sang: 'lags?'Who has more right to fly
his flags, the one who stands aside and lags.'
As a
warning to all locals to behave themselves, King Richard
built a great wooden castle outside the walls of the town
and called it Mategriffon or Death to the
Greeks.
|
A
restless King Richard is now burning with impatience to fulfil
his vow - he was the first prince to take the cross - and is
eager to lead his knights into battle. Meanwhile, he is feasting
in magnificent style on abundant meat from gold and silver plates
and drinking wine from finely carved vessels set with precious
gems. King Richard does everything in the grandest style.
