Battle of Dorylaeum (1097)

Battle of Dorylaeum

The Battle of Dorylaeum

Date	July 1, 1097
Location	Dorylaeum
Result	Crusader victory

Belligerents

Crusaders

Sultanate of Rûm

Commanders and leaders

Bohemond of Taranto
Godfrey of Bouillon
Adhemar of Le Puy

Kilij Arslan I

Danishmend Gazi

Strength

Bohemond (vanguard):
~20,000
Main force:
~ 30,000 (not all engaged)

~ 6,000-8,000

Casualties and losses

~ 4,000

~ 3,000

^*Perhaps 2,000 knights and 8,000 men at arms, no more than 3,000 knights and 12,000-foot.

The Battle of Dorylaeum took place during the First Crusade on July 1, 1097, between the crusaders and the Seljuk Turks, near the city of Dorylaeum in Anatolia.

The crusaders had left Nicaea on June 26, with a deep distrust of the Byzantines, who had taken the city without their knowledge after a long siege. In order to simplify the problem of supplies, the Crusader army had split into two groups; the weaker led by Bohemond of Taranto, his nephew Tancred, Robert Curthose, Robert of Flanders, and the Byzantine general Tatikios in the vanguard, and Godfrey of Bouillon, his brother Baldwin of Boulogne, Raymond IV of Toulouse, Stephen II, and Hugh of Vermandois in the rear.

On June 29, they learnt that the Turks were planning an ambush near Dorylaeum (Bohemond noticed that his army was being shadowed by Turkish scouts). The Turkish force, consisting of Kilij Arslan I and his ally Hasan of Cappadocia, along with help from the Danishmendids, led by the Turkish prince Danishmend Gazi, the Persians, and the Caucasian Albanians. Contemporary figures place this number between 25,000-30,000, more recent estimates are between 6,000 and 8,000 men. Back then numbers were mentioned absurdly high in order to give it a heroic twist, 150,000 men according to Raymond of Aguilers, which was not possible due lack of logistic support, men and since Turks fought a hit and run guerrilla-tactic indicating a small army. Fulcher of Chartres gives the exaggerated number of 360,000.

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