 Robert's account of the crusade is especially valuable because of his status as a lower vassal; most other eyewitness accounts are from the leadership of the crusade, such as nobles like Villehardouin.Robert's descriptions often shed light on some of the crusader activities that are otherwise glossed over by the nobler sources.Robert's brother, Aleaumes, was an armed cleric who distinguished himself during the final siege of Constantinople, when the usurping emperor Alexius V "Murzuphlus" Ducas was routed by the crusaders.