Editing Third Crusade (section)

===Passage through the Balkans===
{{Location map+
| Europe without the extreme north
| width          = 250
| float          =
| border         =
| caption        = Key stops along the route of Barbarossa's crusade from his taking the cross to his death
| alt            =
| places         =
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = Haguenau
    | position = left
    | lat_deg = 48.82
    | lon_deg = 7.78 }}
    {{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = Regensburg
    | position = top
    | lat_deg = 49.01 
    | lon_deg = 12.10 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Mauthausen-->
    | lat_deg = 48.24
    | lon_deg = 14.52 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Vienna-->
    | lat_deg = 48.2
    | lon_deg = 16.37 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Pressburg-->
    | lat_deg = 48.15
    | lon_deg = 17.11 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = Esztergom
    | position = right
    | lat_deg = 47.79
    | lon_deg = 18.74 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = Belgrade
    | position = left
    | lat_deg = 44.81
    | lon_deg = 20.46 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Braničevo-->
    | lat_deg = 44.70
    | lon_deg = 21.54 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Ćuprija-->
    | lat_deg = 43.93
    | lon_deg = 21.38 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Niš-->
    | lat_deg = 43.32
    | lon_deg = 21.90 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Sofia-->
    | lat_deg = 42.70
    | lon_deg = 23.32 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Pazardzhik-->
    | lat_deg = 42.19
    | lon_deg = 24.33 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Philippopolis-->
    | position = bottom
    | lat_deg = 42.14
    | lon_deg = 24.75 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Chirpan-->
    | lat_deg = 42.20
    | lon_deg = 25.32 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Adrianople-->
    | lat_deg = 41.68
    | lon_deg = 26.56 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = Gallipoli
    | position = right
    | lat_deg = 40.41
    | lon_deg = 26.67 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Philadelphia-->
    | lat_deg = 38.35
    | lon_deg = 28.52 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Laodicea-->
    | lat_deg = 37.83
    | lon_deg = 29.11 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Philomelium-->
    | lat_deg = 38.36
    | lon_deg = 31.42 }}
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Iconium-->
    | lat_deg = 37.87
    | lon_deg = 32.49 }}    
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = <!--Laranda-->
    | lat_deg = 37.18
    | lon_deg = 33.22 }}   
{{Location map~ | Europe without the extreme north
    | label = Seleucia
    | position = bottom
    | lat_deg = 36.40
    | lon_deg = 33.86 }}
}}

====Hungary====
Frederick sailed from Regensburg on 11 May 1189, but most of the army had left earlier by land for the Hungarian border. On 16 May, Frederick ordered the village of [[Mauthausen, Upper Austria|Mauthausen]] burned because it had levied a toll on the army. In [[Vienna]], Frederick expelled 500 men from the army for various infractions. He celebrated [[Pentecost]] on 28 May encamped across from Hungarian [[Bratislava|Pressburg]]. During his four days encamped before Pressburg, Frederick issued an ordinance for the good behaviour of the army, a "law against malefactors" in words of one chronicle. It apparently had a good effect.{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=488–489}}

From Pressburg, the Hungarian envoys escorted the crusaders to [[Esztergom]], where King [[Béla III of Hungary]] greeted them on 4 June. He provided boats, wine, bread and barley to the army. Frederick stayed in Esztergom for four days. The king of Hungary accompanied the army to the Byzantine border at [[Belgrade]]. There were incidents during the crossing of the [[Drava]] and [[Tisza]] rivers, but the [[Sava]] was crossed on 28 June without incident. In Belgrade, Frederick staged a tournament, held a court, conducted a census of the army and wrote to the Byzantine emperor [[Isaac II Angelos|Isaac II]] to inform him that he had entered Byzantine territory.{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=489–490}}

====Byzantine Empire====
The army, still accompanied by Béla III, left Belgrade on 1 July, crossed the [[Great Morava|Morava]] and headed for [[Braničevo (Golubac)|Braničevo]], which was the seat of the local Byzantine administration since Belgrade had been devastated in the [[Byzantine–Hungarian War (1180–1185)]] with the Hungarians and Serbs. The head of the Byzantine administration was a ''[[Dux|doux]]'' (duke). At Braničevo, Béla III took leave and returned to Hungary. He gave the crusaders wagons and in return Frederick gave him his boats, since they would no longer be travelling up the Danube.{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=490–491}}

The Burgundian contingent under Archbishop [[Aimo II of Tarentaise]] and a contingent from [[Metz]] caught up with the army at Braničevo. The duke of Braničevo gave the army eight days' worth of provisions. The enlarged army, including a Hungarian contingent, left Braničevo on 11 July following the [[Via Militaris]] that led to Constantinople. They were harassed by bandits along the route. According to crusader sources, some captured bandits confessed that they were acting on the orders of the duke of Braničevo.{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=490–491}}

On 25 July, Frederick was in [[Ćuprija]] when he received word that [[Peter of Brixey]] had arrived in Hungary with the contingent from Lorraine. It was there that the problems of communication between Frederick and Isaac became apparent. Frederick's envoys had reached Constantinople, but Isaac was away besieging rebels in [[Alasehir|Philadelphia]] under a pretender named [[Theodore Mangaphas]]. Nonetheless, John Kamateros wrote to inform Frederick that a market would be available in [[Sofia]].{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=491–492}} It was probably from Ćuprija that Frederick sent another envoy, a Hungarian count named Lectoforus, to Constantinople to see what was going on.{{sfn|Freed|2016|p=494}}

Frederick was welcomed by Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja in Niš with pomp on 27 July. Although the Serbian ruler asked the emperor to [[Investiture|invest]] him with his domains, Frederick refused on the grounds that he was on a pilgrimage and did not wish to harm Isaac as the Serbians rebelled against the Byzantines earlier. A marriage alliance was arranged between a daughter of Duke [[Berthold of Merania]] and a nephew of Nemanja, [[Toljen of Hum|Toljen]]. Frederick also received messages of support from Tsar [[Peter II of Bulgaria]], but refused an outright alliance. Despite Frederick's care not to be drawn into Balkan politics, the events at Niš were regarded by the Byzantines as hostile acts.{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=491–492}}

Before leaving Niš, Frederick had Godfrey of Würzburg preach a sermon on the importance of discipline and maintaining the peace. He also reorganized the army, dividing it into four, because it would be entering territory more firmly under Byzantine control and less friendly. The vanguard of Swabians and Bavarians was put under the command of the Duke of Swabia assisted by [[Herman IV, Margrave of Baden|Herman IV of Baden]] and [[Berthold III of Vohburg]]. The second division consisted of the Hungarian and Bohemian contingents with their separate standard-bearers. The third was under the command of the Duke of Merania assisted by Bishop [[Diepold of Passau]]. The fourth was under Frederick's personal command and Rupert of Nassau was named its standard-bearer ''in absentia''.{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=492–493}}

The crusaders left Niš on 30 July and arrived in Sofia on 13 August. They found the city practically abandoned. There was no Byzantine delegation to meet them and no market. The following day the crusaders left Sofia and the Lorrainers under Peter of Brixey finally caught up with the main army. The [[Gate of Trajan]] was held by a Byzantine force of 500 men. According to Diepold of Passau, the garrison retreated at the sight of Frederick's scouts, but the ''History of the Expedition'' says that it retreated only after being engaged by Frederick and a small group of knights. The army arrived at [[Pazardzhik]] on 20 August, finding an abundance of supplies.{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=493–494}}