The Battle of Antioch (1098) was a military engagement fought between the French forces of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

and a Muslim coalition led by

Kerbogha Qiwam al-Dawla Kerbogha ( tr, Kürboğa), known as Kerbogha or Karbughā, was atabeg of Mosul during the First Crusade and was renowned as a soldier. Early life Kerbogha was a Seljuk Turk who owed his success to his military talent. He suppo ...

atabeg of Mosul This is a list of the rulers of the Iraqi city of Mosul. Umayyad governors * Muhammad ibn Marwan (ca. 685–705) * Yusuf ibn Yahya ibn al-Hakam (ca. 685–705) * Sa'id ibn Abd al-Malik (ca. 685–705) * Yahya ibn Yahya al-Ghassani (719–720) * ...

. Kerbogha's goal was to reclaim Antioch from the Crusaders and affirm his position as a regional power.

The conflict begins

As the starving and outnumbered Crusaders emerged from the gates of the city and divided into six regiments, Kerbogha's commander, Watthab ibn Mahmud, urged him to immediately strike their advancing line. However, Kerbogha was concerned a preemptive strike might only destroy the Crusader's front line and may also significantly weaken his own forces disproportionately. However, as the French continued to advance against the Turks, Kerbogha began to grasp the severity of the situation (he previously underestimated the size of the Crusading army), and attempted to establish an embassy between him and the Crusaders in order to broker a truce. However, it was too late for him, and the leaders of the Crusade ignored his emissary.

Battle manoeuvres

Kerbogha, now backed against a corner by the advancing French, opted to adopt a more traditional Turkish battle tactic. He would attempt to back his army up slightly in order to drag the French into unsteady land, while continuously pelting the line with horse archers, meanwhile making attempts to outflank the French. However,

Bohemond of Taranto Bohemond I of Antioch (5 or 7 March 1111), also known as Bohemond of Taranto, was the prince of Taranto from 1089 to 1111 and the prince of Antioch from 1098 to 1111. He was a leader of the First Crusade, leading a contingent of Normans on the qu ...

was ready for this, and he created a seventh division of Crusaders led by

Rainald III of Toul Rainald III (died before 1124) was the count of Toul in Upper Lotharingia in the late 11th century. He was the son of Frederick I, count of Astenois. Biography He participated in the First Crusade in the army of his kinsman Duke Godfrey of Bouil ...

to hold off the attack. Soon, many Emirs began to desert Kerbogha. Many of the Crusaders were also encouraged by the presumed visions of

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

, St. Mercurius, and

Saint Demetrius Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki, Thessalonica ( el, Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, (); bg, Димитър Солунски (); mk, Свети Димитрија Солунски (); ro, Sfântu ...

among their ranks. Finally,

Duqaq Dukak or Duqaq may refer to: * Tuqaq Tuqaq, tr, Dukak bey, tk, Dukak beg or ''Dukak Temür Yalïgh'' is described as the father of Seljuq, the founder of the eponymous dynasty, in the Maliknamah tradition. Sources Maliknamah The Malikna ...

, ruler of Damascus, deserted, spreading panic among the ranks of the Turks. Sökmen and the emir of Homs,

Janah ad-Dawla Janah ad-Dawla was the Seljuq emir of Homs during the First Crusade. He was the atabeg of Ridwan who took control of Aleppo after the death of Ridwan's father Tutush I in 1095. He later joined Kerbogha's army during the second siege of Antioch in ...

, were the last loyal to Kerbogha, but they too soon deserted after realizing the battle was lost. The whole Turkish army was now in complete disarray, all fleeing in different directions; the Crusaders chased them as far as the Iron Bridge, slaying many of them. Kerbogha would go on to return to Mosul, defeated and stripped of his prestige.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Cite book , last=Rubenstein, first=Jay, title=Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse, publisher=Basic Books, year=2011, location=New York First Crusade 1098 in Asia History of Antioch Conflicts in 1098