The second siege of Antioch brought the Crusade to its knees. Antioch’s defenses had been severely undermined because the citadel on Mount Silpius was still held by the Muslims. The crusaders desperately hoped that the Emperor Alexius would arrive soon with his army and relieve them. Alexius had planned to go to their aid, but he was preoccupied in Asia Minor, re-conquering land that had been held by the Turks. Though, Stephen of Blois ended all prospects of relief.
Believing that the Crusade was doomed as well as everyone who continued to take part in it, Stephen decided to flee Antioch. On the night of 2-3 June, while Bohemond schemed with Firuz the tower commander, Stephen slipped through a vacant gate. He rode north across Asia Minor where he came across the Emperor Alexius encamped at Philomelium with his army. According to a witness, Stephen told the Emperor; “you should know that Antioch has been captured though the citadel has not been captured yet; all our men are under a state of heavy siege and I think by now they have been killed by the Turks. So go back home as fast as you can, in any case they find you and your army.”
Not only did Stephen put the Crusade in deep jeopardy, he ruined Greco-Latin relations. But, rather than blame Stephen of Blois for his treachery, the crusaders pinned it all on Alexius and the Greeks. They never forgave the Emperor for turning his back on them in their time of greatest need. As for Stephen, he returned home, unwelcomed and disgraced. Even his wife branded him as a coward.
Meanwhile, at Antioch, the crusaders were struggling to come up with a strategy to defeat the equally formidable Kerbogha.
Kerbogha had not merely come to Antioch to relieve Yaghi Siyan and to oust the Franks. He had much greater ambitions: to unite all of Syria under his rule. Geographically, Antioch was in a strategic position: it was the gateway to Syria. Should Kerbogha capture the city, he would sweep down south and conquer all of the neighboring principalities with ease and while maintaining a strong garrison at Antioch.
Great things take time and much preparation, though, and in the Middle Ages, there was no exception to military campaigns. Kerbogha spent the six months leading up to his siege of Antioch planning his strategy and building an army. In that short amount of time, he had amassed large army. Warriors from all of Syria, Mesopotamia and even Damascus rallied to his call to arms. The interesting thing is; these Turkish warriors did not offer their allegiance to Kerbogha because they hated the Christians or because they were moved by religious zeal. They did so because they feared Kerbogha. Kerbogha was a man of immense military prowess, but he was also ruthless.
Kerbogha’s calculating nature manifested itself in the carefully organized strategy he deployed at Antioch. He actually camped his army a few miles away from the city walls, but established connections with the Muslims at the Mount Silpius citadel. He then deployed troops to blockade the eastern wall and the Gate of St. Paul on the city’s north side. From those positions, he planned to launch a frontal assault against the Franks.
To be continued…
Sources Used:
Asbridge, Thomas. The Crusades: The Authoritative History of The War For The Holy Land. Ecco; New York, 2011.
Various contributors. Chronicles of the Crusades: Eye-Witness Accounts of The Wars Between Christianity and Islam. Bramley Books; Portugal, 1997.
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