On a side note, Duke Godfrey of Lower Lorraine, the second son of the Count of Boulogne, and his youngest son, Baldwin, were in Constantinople.
Brinyos had no choice but to agree to Robert's proposal. After all, he had just accepted the man's silver, and Robert had treated him very well throughout the journey. The impression this Norman King gave him was surprisingly different from the Norman Lords of Apulia.
In the end, Brinyos, Eric, and the others set out for Constantinople on ten Pisan galley-type ships, transporting one hundred knights.
The Pisans were quite familiar with the waters of the Aegean Sea. They had close trade relations with the Byzantine Empire.
They were even active in the Black Sea region north of Constantinople, trading in goods like silk and spices. They had also obtained certain privileges in Constantinople, including establishing their own commercial centers and churches within the city.
