Early on Monday 28 June, Bohemond divided the army into six contingents: the French and Flemish commanded by Hugh of Vermandois and Robert of Flanders; the Lotharingians led by Godfrey; the Normans of Normandy under Robert of Normandy; the Provencals and Toulousans under Bishop Adhemar’s command; the Normans of Italy headed by Bohemond and Tancred. Two hundred men were ordered to defend the city. They were under the leadership of Count Raymond.
Shortly before the battle commenced, Bishop Adhemar made sure the army’s spiritual needs were met: ritual processions, confessions and communion were undertaken. This was done because many crusaders genuinely believed they were marching out to their death and, understandably, they wanted to make sure their hearts were pure. Yet, their spirits were high.
Strategically, Kerbogha was in to better position. In fact, he was more at a disadvantage than the crusaders were. The majority of his troops were encamped with him miles north of the city. The contingent of warriors he had deployed to surround Antioch wasn’t large enough to effectively repel a counter-attack from the Franks. So, when Bohemond rode out of the Bridge Gate at the helm of his force to confront the Turks guarding the plains across the Orontes River, those Turkish warriors were unable to beat them off. Meanwhile, at the city walls, an advance guard of archers let loose a volley of arrows, forcing the Turks to retreat, opening the way for their fellow Christian knights.
Since most of the knights had lost their horses, they marched out of the city on foot or riding atop of donkeys or mules. They believed they were guided by the Holy Spirit simply because the Holy Lance was with them; it was carried by the historian, Raymond d’Aguilers.
The Crusaders marched across the field, forming a semi-circle as they advanced; Bohemond held the rearguard.
When Watthab ibn Mahmud, Kerbogha’s Arab commander, saw the Franks approach, he urged Kerbogha to attack at once. But Kerbogha hesitated. He decided to wait until the Franks were closer at which point he would order the attack. His strategy was to swiftly surround the Franks and crush them. However, when he saw how determined they were, he became fearful. Kerbogha sent a herald to settle a truce with the Franks, but they ignored his herald and marched on. Desperate for victory, Kerbogha resorted to the traditional method of Turkish warfare: he and his army feigned retreat, luring the Franks into the hills. Then, at once, Turkish warriors let loose a hail of arrows upon the crusaders. Meanwhile, Kerbogha sent a force to attack the Christian army’s left flank. Bohemond, though, was prepared for this: he quickly organized a seventh force under Rainald of Toul. The fighting was fierce. Several men died on both sides, including Adhemar’s own standard bearer.
As hard and valiantly as they fought, the Turks were unable to repel the Franks. The Franks pressed on encouraged by visions of saints riding on white horses and waving white banners, rushing to their aid. Victory was theirs to have, not because of heavenly visions, but because of the dismantling of the Turkish army. In the heat of battle, several emirs deserted Kerbogha. With Duqaq of Damascus at the helm, they rode off the field. Their going spread panic amongst the ranks and quickly the Turkish army broke up. Many were pursued by the Franks all the way to the Iron Bridge and massacred. Many more Turks were slain in the countryside by the Syrians and Armenians. Only Kerbogha and a small force survived. They fled to Mosul, Kerbogha’s power and reputation shattered forever.
At Antioch, Ahmed ibn Merwan, the commander of Mount Silpius Citadel, had watched the entire battle from his post. When he saw his fellow Turks brutally defeated, Ahmed sent a herald to negotiate terms of surrender with Bohemond. The herald was escorted to Count Raymond’s tent instead and both men came to an agreement.
Immediately following Raymond’s meeting with the Turkish messenger, Raymond had one of his banners raised high over the citadel tower. But it appeared as if Ahmed had made some sort of arrangement with Bohemond because when he discovered that the banner was not Bohemond’s, he refused to open his gates until Bohemond arrived and until the banner was removed.
When Bohemond did arrive at Mount Silpius Citadel, he made sure that the Turkish garrison left unharmed. Bohemond must have treated them with humility and kindness because some of the Turks, including Ahmed, converted to Christianity and joined forces with him.
Sources Used:
Asbridge, Thomas. The Crusades: The Authoritative History of The War For The Holy Land. Ecco; New York, 2011.
Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades: The First Crusade. Vol.1. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press, 1951.
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