By the spring of 1098, the crusaders had managed to cut off Yaghi Siyan’s connection to the outside world even though they had only maintained a partial blockade of the city. Turkish aggression against the crusaders also came to a halt. The Muslims were now on the defensive, faced with the same hardships as the Christians had endured since the fall of 1097: isolation, starvation and the fear of impending defeat.
The crusaders, though, did not continue the siege without trepidation. They despaired over the prospect of a large, unified, fierce Muslim army, marching on Antioch to Yaghi Siyan’s aid. Should that happen, the crusaders would be trapped between two enemies, severely outnumbered and unable to defend themselves.
Meanwhile, they took the advice of Alexius Comnenus and used the schism between Sunnis and Shi’ites to their advantage. In the summer of 1097, the crusaders had established friendly connections with the Shi’ite Fatimids of Egypt. When the vizier al-Afdal of Egypt learnt that the Latins were at Antioch, he sent an embassy to negotiate terms of settlement with them. Their visit was not short: the Fatimid embassy remained in the crusader camp for about a month. Both Christians and Muslims seemed to enjoy each other’s company even though they never reached an agreement. Regardless, the Muslims offered the Christians “promises of friendship and favorable treatment,” a pact the crusaders eagerly embraced.
An alliance with the Fatimids of Egypt did open up the road to Jerusalem, but it did not dispel the threat posed by the Turks. In May 1098, the crusaders’ worst fear became a reality: news spread throughout the camp that Kerbogha, the Sultan of Baghdad, had raised a large army and was marching on Antioch to crush the Latin threat once and for all. The princes hastily convened a council meeting and discussed a course of action. They came to the conclusion that their army was in no way prepared to confront that of Kerbogha’s. Not only were the crusaders outnumbered, they had lost many of their valuable warhorses, the only means for them to mount a strategic defensive on the battlefield.
The Christians were in dire peril. The Crusade was in jeopardy. The princes must have felt helpless and terrified. Except for Bohemond. Bohemond believed that all was not lost: they could capture Antioch, but they would have to do it quickly because Kerbogha was less than one week’s march from Antioch. He proposed to the other princes that whoever could engineer Antioch’s fall should have right to claim the city as his. The other men, especially Raymond of Toulouse, vehemently protested his idea. But after a brief debate, they came to an agreement: Antioch would be handed over to the Emperor Alexius if he came to claim it. Thus began the game of treachery, a game Bohemond was determined to win.
To be continued on Wednesday, May 15th.
Sources Used:
Asbridge, Thomas. The Crusades: The Authoritative History of The War For The Holy Land. Ecco; New York, 2011.
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