Nicaea (Plenary 2/12/16)

Definition: Nicaea was a major city close to Constantinople. It was a walled city and its location near a lake made it difficult to blockade. Crusaders arrived at this site under the command of Alexius to take Nicaea from the Seljuk Turks, but they suffered many losses in the process. The Turks would take dead bodies of the Byzantines, rob them, and throw them back over the wall (ok, that’s just mean). One day, the Crusaders realized that the city had been returned to Alexius secretly after five weeks of fighting (Peters page 64). 

Importance: Nicaea was one of the first cities to be sacked by the Crusaders. While its outcome was a success for the Byzantine Christians, the means by which the result was achieved are questionable. Usually, Crusaders would receive spoils from cities as they were conquered. Because there was no official “win” for the Byzantines, the Crusaders were robbed of this opportunity. As a result of Alexius’ quiet negotiations with the Turks instead of a typical battle, sentiments towards Emperor Alexius turned hostile for some Crusaders (Newsome). It is never beneficial for military leaders to have divided allegiances amongst soldiers. 

source: http://www.mifami.org/eLibrary/FirstCrusadeReading.htm