the first smyrniote crusade began with the naval victory of the battle of pallene and ended with an assault on smyrna, capturing the harbour and the citadel but not the acropolis, on 28 october 1344. in a gesture of over-confidence, on 17 january 1345 henry of asti attempted to celebrate mass in an abandoned structure which he believed had been the cathedral of the metropolitan. in the middle of the service umur beg swept down on the congregation and the leaders of the crusade were killed, including the patriarch, martino zaccaria, commander of the papal galleys and the venetian commander, pietro zeno.