Siege of Antioch

Siege of Antioch
Part of the First Crusade
The Siege of Antioch, from a 15th-century miniature painting
Date 21 October 1097 – 2 June 1098 Location Antioch Result Decisive Crusader victory Antioch captured by the Crusaders Principality of Antioch is formed
Belligerents
Crusaders Byzantine Empire	Seljuk Turks Antioch Damascus Aleppo Mosul
Commanders and leaders
Bohemond of Taranto Raymond IV of Toulouse Adhemar of Le Puy Godfrey of Bouillon Robert II of Normandy Robert II of Flanders Stephen of Blois Tancred of Hauteville Hugh of Vermandois Tatikios	Yaghi-Siyan† Duqaq Toghtekin Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan Kerbogha
Strength
Crusaders: ~40,000 total at the start of the siege (includes non-combatants) ~20,000 during the second siege against Kerbogha Byzantines: 2,000 peltasts (withdrew in February 1098)	Antioch garrison: 5000 Duqaq's relief force: ~10,000 Radwan's relief force: ~12,000 Kerbogha's relief force: ~35,000
Casualties and losses
Heavy Thousands died to starvation, disease or in battle Nearly all the horses	Heavy Entire garrison slain Every relief force destroyed and routed

Decisive Crusader victory

Seljuk Turks

Crusaders:
~40,000 total at the start of the siege (includes non-combatants)
~20,000 during the second siege against Kerbogha

Heavy

Heavy

The Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098. The first siege, by the crusaders against the Muslim-held city, lasted from 21 October 1097 to 2 June 1098. Antioch lay in a strategic location on the crusaders' route to Palestine. Supplies, reinforcements and retreat could all be controlled by the city. Anticipating that it would be attacked, the Muslim governor of the city, Yaghi-Siyan, began stockpilling food and sending requests for help. The Byzantine walls surrounding the city presented a formidable obstacle to its capture, but the leaders of the crusade felt compelled to besiege Antioch anyway.

The crusaders arrived outside the city on 21 October and began the siege. The garrison sortied unsuccessfully on 29 December. After stripping the surrounding area of food, the crusaders were forced to look farther afield for supplies, opening themselves to ambush and while searching for food. On the 31 December, a force of 20,000 crusaders encountered a relief army led by Duqaq of Damascus heading to Antioch, however defeated them. As the siege went on, supplies dwindled and in early 1098 one in seven of the crusaders was dying from starvation, and people began deserting. A second relief force, this time under the command of Ridwan of Aleppo, advanced towards Antioch, arriving on 9 February. Like the army of Duqaq before, it was defeated. Antioch was captured on 3 June, although the citadel remained in the hands of the Muslim defenders. Kerbogha began the second siege, against the crusaders who had occupied Antioch, which lasted from 7 June to 28 June 1098. The second siege ended when the crusaders exited the city to engage Kerbogha's army in battle and succeeded in defeating them. On seeing the Muslim army routed, the defenders remaining in the citadel surrendered.

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