HWC, First Crusade

First Crusade - Page 13 of 21

Antioch

In northern Syria, twelve miles inland from the coast, stands the city of Antioch. It was a powerful fortress, with four hundred towers along its miles of walls, and a citadel that stood a thousand feet above the town. The crusaders reached the city late in 1097 and settled in for a siege. Antioch was vital to any advance further south; despite its strength, it had to be taken.

Even with such a clear danger, and even with the crusaders firmly fixed in one spot, the Turks could not quiet their internal rivalries long enough to do the Franks in. Instead, month after month dragged by. Both besiegers and besieged faced starvation, but in June 1098 the city finally fell when the Franks were able to bribe someone on the inside to leave a gate open.

The city was a shambles after the long siege, and there was still no food. The crusaders barely had time to get themselves organized before a new Turkish army showed up, under the command of Kerbogha. Now the crusaders were the besieged.

Their position was immediately desperate. The entire surrounding countryside had long been scoured clean of supplies. They city itself of course was empty of food. The walls stood and the gates held, but the defenders themselves had little hope.

History of Western Civilization

Boise State University
Last Revised 17 August 1995