The Duke of Normandy seized the opportunity. 'Friends and comrades, as a warrior and a nobleman, whether on the field of battle, or in the court of rule, I yield nothing to anyone who holds not my respect; and that respect must be earned, by God. I say Duke Godfrey has earned my highest respect, and that of all crusaders. Therefore, he should be king.'

'Hear! Hear!' shouted the duke's supporters and advisors. 'It is God's will!'

Bishop Arnulf, who was chaplain to the duke, added his voice to the acclaim. 'The man who was first on the wall, and first to set foot in the city, and first to draw blood in defence of the faith-should not that man be made ruler of the city? What say you, Godfrey?'

The Duke of Bouillon, looking suitably solemn, rose and turned pious eyes towards the altar. After a moment, he made the sign of the cross over himself, then turned to the assembly. 'I am humbled that you should deem me worthy of the honour you propose. Yet, whether I am granted the rule of the city, or whether it shall pass to another, I believe that it should here be established that the throne of Jerusalem shall remain empty until Christ himself shall come to resume his reign. Brothers, we would do well to await that glad day with keen anticipation. Until our Lord Christ returns, I should be honoured to hold this city for him, but never let it be as king. For no mortal monarch should wear a crown of gold, where Our Lord and Saviour wore a crown of thorns!'

Raymond, alarmed at the speed with which the kingship was receding from his grasp, waded back into the fray. 'Well said, my friend!' he called loudly. 'You speak my own thoughts admirably well. Allow me to propose, therefore, that the ruler of the Holy City should own a title befitting his humility and devotion.'

This sentiment met with the acclaim of the assembled lords, who shouted their support so loudly that Raymond allowed himself a small, inward smile at how well he had steered the tide of opinion back to his favour.

But he had not reckoned on Bohemond. 'My lords, and esteemed and worthy comrades, we have braved many dangers on our pilgrimage, the successful completion of which is now contemplated. It only remains for us to choose an honourable ruler, and make division of the treasures which God has placed in our hands for the benefit of our troops and the on-going protection of his Holy City.'

His listeners were rapt. Here was a new wrinkle in the argument; what did the wily prince have in mind?

'I speak not for myself,' Bohemond continued, 'but for those who have no voice at this assembly, yet who nevertheless have given of their sweat and blood as much as anyone here. Were we to hear those voices, I doubt not they would tell us that he who would be ruler of Jerusalem must be seen to be just, fair-handed, and generous. They would say that it should be the Lord of Jerusalem's first duty to see to the division of the treasure seized in plunder. To this end, I will uphold the man who will shoulder this burden with all equity and impartiality.'

So saying, the prince then sat down. He wished Tancred was with him; his cousin's support would have helped sway the balance of opinion. Still, he had an ally equally eager to see an evenhanded division of the spoils: King Magnus. The Norse lord was on his feet before the crowd had yet tumbled to the implications of Prince Bohemond's proposal.

'My lords, friends, and brothers-in-arms,' said the king in rough Latin. 'I am not known to many here, but like you, I have taken the cross and, like you, braved the dangers of pilgrimage to see the Holy City liberated. I agree with Bohemond: we must choose the man who will support those whose blood and muscle made the conquest possible – wherever they fought, and wherever they fell.'

Magnus then took his seat, to much noisy acclamation. To Raymond's chagrin, the noblemen liked this plainspeaking barbarian lord and his outrageous suggestion that the latecomers should share in the plunder.

'The prince and his liegeman are right to remind us of our duty to the men on whom we all depend,' Raymond said, desperate to repair the breach to his carefully constructed campaign. 'Let me add my voice to those who say that we should honour them. But I ask you: would it not be a disservice to those who gave their lives to include men who were not here, who by their very absence caused those on whose shoulders fell the burden of liberation to labour more greatly for the lack?'

Before his voice had died away, Magnus was on his feet once more. 'Please, my lord, I mean no disrespect, but men where I come from are used to simpler fare. Are you saying that you would not abide by the agreement, made by every nobleman around this table, to divide the plunder equally?'

All eyes turned to Raymond to see the count's face grow red with anger and exasperation. The count's discomfiture pleased Bohemond greatly. In the short time he had known the King of Norway, Bohemond had grown very fond of his new vassal. Of Northern blood himself, he understood Norsemen and their unaffected ways. Of all his mercenary host, he valued their courage, skill, and fearlessness most highly. These were men he could count on to dare anything for gain-something Bohemond appreciated, and wholeheartedly approved.

Thus, the two questions hung in the air like storm clouds poised to collide and inundate all beneath with thunder and torrent. King Magnus had forced the count to declare his intentions regarding the division of spoils, and had let the assembly know where his sentiments lay. Raymond, insisting on the narrowest interpretation of their agreement, had let them know he would withhold the spoils from anyone who had not fought in Jerusalem.

Now, it was for the other contender to make his position known. Bishop Arnulf spoke up, 'Forgive me, lords, if I speak where I ought to pursue silence. But as I have voiced my support for Godfrey of Bouillon, I would hear his answer to the questions posed before us.'

'Indeed! Indeed!' shouted the noble assembly. 'What say you, Godfrey? On your feet, man!'

The Duke of Bouillon rose and smiled at his questioners, and at Raymond, too, to show there were no hard feelings on his part. 'Again, I am honoured that my fellows and peers should consider me worthy to occupy the most important seat of government in all Christendom. Therefore, let me reassure any who, through no fault of their own, were unable to reach Jerusalem in time to aid in its liberation, that I recognize their invaluable contribution to the crusade. Out of appreciation and gratitude for the unity of our purpose, I would see that selfsame unity extend to the apportioning of the plunder.'

He inclined his head towards the bishop, and resumed his seat to the acclaim of his supporters. To any who yet wavered in their convictions, it quickly became apparent that the question of who should sit on the throne of Jerusalem would only be answered by including Bohemond and Baldwin in the allotment. For their part, both noblemen professed themselves well-pleased with the conquest, and loudly lamented the fact that they had not been able to reach Jerusalem in time to aid in the city's release from Muhammedan domination; and, of course, neither saw any reason why, as recognized leaders of the crusade, they should not extract a generous portion of the spoils.

Raymond remained stoutly against the latecomers' inclusion, resisting all suggestions that the city's plunder should be shared by any who did not actively aid in making possible its acquisition. Much to his surprise, this position did not enhance his position among the noblemen. When placed aside the wider generosity of Godfrey, the Count of Toulouse seemed grasping and mean-spirited.

In a last desperate attempt at winning the favour of the undecided peers, Raymond proposed a compromise which advocated that, as the cost in men and arms had been borne by those who freed the city, this cost should be repaid first, and the remainder of the treasure divided up equally, as they had all agreed in Constantinople.