Deliberations ended
At midnight the deliberations were at an end. The doors chapel wcee Opened. The great crowd which filled the palace-yard pressed near in order to see if they could obtain any indication from the faces of the electors of what their decision was.[1] The doge, barons, Crusaders, Venetians, and citizens crowded round the electors to hear the new emperor named. Nivelon, Bishop of Soissons, had been chosen by his colleagues to act as spokesman. "Signers," said he," thanks be to God we are all agreed upon our choice ; ye have all sworn that you would accept him whom we should elect to be emperor, and that you would support him against all opponents. This hour of the night which saw the birth of God sees also the birth of a new empire.[2] We proclaim as emperor Earl Baldwin of Flanders and Hainault." The announcement was greeted with a loud cry of delight by the assembled crowd. Baldwin was raised upon a shield, according to the ancient custom, and carried from the palace into the Great Church. Boniface took part in this impromptu performance, and publicly showed his successful rival every mark of honor. The emperor was placed on the golden throne set apart for the emperors. The barons pressed forward to kiss his hand, and Baldwin was solemnly invested with the scarlet buskins.
Coronation of Baldwin
Sunday, the 16th of May, that is, a week after the election, fixed for the coronation, the preparations for which were made on a scale which astonished the Crusaders. As the Greek patriarch had been deposed, the ceremony was performed by the legate. Baldwin, seated on a buckler, was first raised on the shoulders of the chiefs; then, descending, he was conducted solemnly to Hagia Sophia. He was escorted and followed by the barons and other officers of the army. Boniface bore in the procession the robe
- ↑ Villehardouin, p. 260.
- ↑ Du Cange (" Observations on Villehardouin ") discusses the meaning of the phrase " in the hour in which God was born," and concludes that this shows that the proclamation was made at midnight, which is the time when, according to common belief, Christ was born; "dum silentium tenerent omnia."
25
