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Although this map (above) shows what the Kingdom of Cilicia looked like from 1199 – 1375, this map is meant to show what the landscape — minus the political boundaries — looked like in 1097.
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Once the crusaders had regained all of their energy, they departed Dorylaeum. It was early July 1097. The Turkish threat in Asia Minor had been severely weakened, but the crusaders faced a new problem: thirst and starvation. The land between Dorylaeum and Iconium was devoid of vegetation and water. The Gesta Account provides a good insight into the struggles of the crusaders as they travelled through this stretch of territory. “Hunger and thirst pinched us on all sides, and there was absolutely nothing for us to eat, unless by chance, tearing and grinding grain with our hands, we continued to exist on such food as wretchedly as possible.”
Many crusaders died on that journey, but when they entered Iconium – present day Konya – they discovered, much to their greatest relief, that the city was situated on fertile land. The locals welcomed them, gave them all of the food they needed and also provided them with plenty of water, cautioning the crusaders that the land south of Iconium held no water for a stretch of one day’s march.
Prepared and well equipped, the crusaders divided their army. This time, however, the Byzantine guards marched ahead of the Frankish army to Heraclea. There, they discovered a large gathering of disgruntled Turks who were plotting a surprise attack on the Franks. The crusaders were, once again, prepared to confront the Turks in battle. “The Knights of the Almighty God found and boldly attacked these Turks.” They drove the Turks from the city, then then remained there for four days.
Before departing Heraclea, the crusaders divided their army once again. Tancred departed with a small forced of one hundred knights and two hundred infantry and rode south towards coastal Cilicia with the ultimate goal of obtaining there a kingdom for himself. Baldwin of Boulogne, determined to accomplish the same thing as Tancred and afraid of losing his advantage to the younger prince, left his wife and children with the main army and followed Tancred with a larger force. Baldwin was accompanied by his cousin, Baldwin of Le Bourg.
Ever since the siege of Nicaea, Baldwin had been interested in Armenia, particularly in Cilicia. Rivers and streams crisscrossed through the Cilician plains, making the land in that region fertile. Cilicia’s close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea would make it easy for Baldwin to secure trade with Europe. Also, the Armenians living in that region were Christian and they were eager for the crusaders’ aid against the Turks. Baldwin had every intention of using these circumstances to his advantage.
The ideal opportunity came to him at Nicaea: Baldwin had befriended an Armenian, Bagrat, brother of Kogh Vasil. When Bagrat learnt of Baldwin’s ambitions, he joined forces with the Frank, eager to strengthen Armenian principalities near the Euphrates River, east of Cilicia and bordering Syria. But a region’s location was of no concern to Baldwin. It was quite likely he thought about expanding his yet to be conquered Cilician Kingdom east to encompass all of the Armenian principalities along the Euphrates River.
But Baldwin was faced with a threat: Tancred. Baldwin realized that Tancred, although young, was no weak rival either. Tancred was equally fierce, a lion in battle. He could effortlessly take control of vast territories in Cilicia. For that reason, Tancred had to be stopped, even if it meant for Baldwin to aggress Tancred’s force, fellow crusaders.
Sources Used:
Krey, August C. The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eye-Witnesss and Participants. Princeton; Princeton University Press, 1921.
Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades: The First Crusade. Vol.1. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press, 1951.
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