ABSTRACT
Relations between the Byzantine Empire and Western Europe in the twelfth century were close, variegated, and took place on many fronts and in many configurations. Never since the sixth century were Eastern and Western Europe closer than in this period. The First Crusade had been preached in part as an effort to bring help to the Byzantines, at war against the Seljuk Turks in Asia Minor. The last stage of the crusade, however, consisted of an attack on the Byzantine Empire by Bohemond of Taranto. Alexios’s war of propaganda was carried out for the most part through Westerners whom he had cultivated over the years and some of whom he co-opted precisely around the time of Bohemond’s preparations. Perhaps because of Alexios’s diplomacy and propaganda efforts, Bohemond got a bad press in this enterprise, for some Western chronicles give lip service to his campaign, while others are openly critical.
