ABSTRACT
The first two Latin emperors of Constantinople were Baldwin of Flanders, who reigned for less than a year, and his younger brother, Henry of Hainault, who after a short period as regent, reigned for ten years. Baldwin's decision not to pursue the war was reluctant in the extreme, and it was only after his return to Constantinople, when he was in the presence of the other leaders, that he accepted the reality of the situation and agreed to terms with Boniface of Montferrat. Politically, Henry seems to have been a much shrewder operator than his elder brother. Henry's qualities as both a soldier and a politician emerge particularly clearly in his campaign against the Lombards of Salonika, which is fully documented in the narrative of Henry of Valenciennes. Villehardouin comments on how Henry was powerless to resist the Cumans, who were raiding right up to the gates of Constantinople, because of his lack of men.
