Towards the end of the year 1204, the same in which the Latins captured Constantinople, Geoffrey Villehardouin, a French knight of a noble family in Champagne, and nephew of the Marshal of Romania of that name, whose chronicle has already been mentioned, was returning from Palestine, whither he had proceeded as a crusader, independently of the main expedition, on hearing of the successes of the Franks in overthrowing the Eastern Empire. Owing to stress of weather, however, he was forced to take refuge in the harbour of Modon (Methone) at the south-west angle of the Peloponnese, and while he was kept wind-bound at that place, entered into communication with one of the Messenian nobles, John Cantacuzenus, who was connected by marriage with the imperial family of Angelus, the successors of the Comneni, and conceived in connection with him a scheme for subduing this province of Greece. The circumstances of the country were in many ways favourable to such an undertaking, for the centralising policy of the Byzantine government, which feared nothing so much as revolt, had from time immemorial discouraged all organisation for purposes of self-defence on the part of the provincials, and that government itself had for the moment been destroyed. The prize, moreover, was a tempting one, for this portion of Greece had for several centuries been comparatively undisturbed by attacks from without and by internal struggles, and consequently was carefully cultivated and possessed a considerable amount of accumulated wealth. The alliance of Villehardouin with a native chieftain caused a prepossession among the Greek inhabitants in his favour, and this was afterwards strengthened, when they found that he was disposed to respect their privileges. In this way he with no great difficulty made himself master of the western coast of Messenia, the rich plain of Elis with its capital Andravída, and even the important city of Patras. But early in the following year John Cantacuzenus died, and his son Michael, discovering that the French leader was aiming merely at his own aggrandisement, broke off the alliance with him, and summoned the Greeks to arms in order to expel the invaders. Villehardouin perceived that he would soon be reduced to great straits owing to the smallness of the force at his disposal.