Quite apart from these stereotypes, there were more concrete reasons for distrust. Alexius feared the presence of large unruly armies in his capital. These rough 'guests' behaved abominably, and did not respect Alexius' authoritah. Meanwhile, the crusaders were having difficulty obtaining supplies. The influx of huge numbers of men requiring food and equipment inevitably pushed up local prices, but the crusaders, rather than blaming market forces, thought the Greeks were trying to rip them off, and wondered aloud whether Alexius did not secretly wish for the crusade to fail. Some of the leaders even considered storming the city.
Alexius decided to allowed the crusade leaders into the city in small, manageable, groups to obtain supplies. The crusaders followed the usual tourist rituals of shopping and sightseeing; there were no cities in the west that even began to compare with the size, opulence, and sophistication of Constantinople. The crusaders were awe-struck by the palaces and churches of the Byzantine capital, and made a mental note that this place would be worth plundering some day. As he was controlling their movements and food supplies, Alexius was able to make the crusade leaders swear allegiance to him, an oath which they took reluctantly.
Relations between the two parties were strained, but not broken, and in June 1097 Byzantines and crusaders together captured the city of Nicaea, capital of the Seljuk Turkish sultanate of Rum, in the interior of Anatolia (roughly, modern Turkey). Even this successful joint-venture led to arguments, however; the Byzantine commnder negotiated the surrender of the city with his Turkish counterpart, thereby denying the crusaders the opportunity to sack the city. This was not simply a question of the westerners wanting to sate their blood-lust; they required booty to fund their expedition. They muttered again about Byzantine treachery, but the Greeks did not wish to wreck their newly-reconquered city, or to gratuitously offend a Turkish Sultan who they would have to live alongside long after the crusaders had moved on. Nevertheless, the victory at Nicaea raised morale sky-high. Stephen, count of Blois, wrote home to his wife, saying that they would be in Jerusalem in five weeks. In fact, it would take two years.
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