In the fall of 1097, the crusading army marched on to the city of Antioch, a Muslim-held city located near the Syrian border (in southeastern Turkey). The crusaders could have easily negotiated a truce with the Muslim garrison and passed through the Antiochene countryside unharmed. But that was one chance they were not willing to take. The crusaders knew that if they left Antioch in Muslim control, they would cut themselves off from their allies, thus giving the Turks the upper hand in strategy. The crusaders needed help from Emperor Alexius I Comnenus and, whether they liked it or not, they were still bound to the oath of allegiance to him.
Antioch had at one time belonged to the Byzantine Empire. The city fell to the Muslims during the first Muslim expansion in the seventh century. The Byzantines recaptured the city in 969, but they didn’t keep it for long. The Seljuk Turks, advancing from the east, conquered Antioch in 1085.
Alexius coveted Antioch. He dreamt of the day when it would once again be the cornerstone of the Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire). Antioch’s close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea would allow for maritime trade, one that would profit Alexius and his empire greatly.
Antioch also held great spiritual significance for Greeks and Latins alike. According to the Bible, the Apostle Peter (later canonized St. Peter) founded the first Christian Church in Antioch. In fact, a large Basilica had been built there, dedicated to St. Peter.
Alexius, unfortunately, had a powerful rival: his arch enemy, Bohemond of Taranto. Bohemond wanted Antioch for himself and he was determined to have it even if it meant for him to break his oath of allegiance to Alexius. Bohemond was undoubtedly supported by his own troops and by other crusaders, including his own nephew, Tancred. Although, not every crusader supported Bohemond’s cause: Raymond of Toulouse firmly believed that Antioch, should they capture it, be handed over to the emperor as promised. Raymond schemed to thwart Bohemond’s plans to claim Antioch.
It is quite possible that Raymond wanted a principality for himself – even though he didn’t want Antioch – and he certainly didn’t want Bohemond, a lesser yet equally formidable rival, obtain access to land and wealth before he did. Regardless, this clash of interest within the crusading army drove the wedge between them deeper.
Unbeknownst to Alexius as to what Bohemond was really up to, he was ready and willing to help the Franks. Alexius had prepared to send a contingent of Greek warriors by sea to defend them. The crusaders themselves had maintained communication with the west. Those Latin warriors, who didn’t take up the cross in late 1095 and early 1096, now did so with the desire to aid their brethren at Antioch.
Confident that this help would come, the crusaders secured safe passage through the Belen Pass, the quickest, most direct route from Asia Minor to Syria. They arrived at the walls of Antioch in late October.
Sources Used:
Asbridge, Thomas. The Crusades: The Authoritative History of The War For The Holy Land. Ecco; New York, 2011.
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