Martin was urged to join the crusade by Pope Innocent III. He was responsible for preaching the crusade all along the Upper Rhine. He began his preaching tour in Basel Cathedral no later than September 1201, when he was at Cîteaux to receive leave from the head of his order to go on crusade. At the beginning of 1202, he had an army of 1,200 men from the region. Before setting out he committed it to the protection of the Virgin Mary. Unarmed himself, he led the army via Innsbruck across the Brenner Pass and via Trent to the rendezvous at Venice. Owing to the delay of the crusade's scheduled departure, he stayed in Verona for eight weeks in May-June 1202. He arrived in Venice shortly before 13 August.