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PRINCIPALITY OF ANTIOCH
The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First
Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria.
The Principality of Antioch was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the
Kingdom of Jerusalem. It extended around the northeastern edge of the
Mediterranean, bordering the County of Tripoli to the south, Edessa to the east,
and the Byzantine Empire or the Kingdom of Armenia to the northwest, depending
on the date. It had roughly 20,000 inhabitants in the 12th century, most of whom
were Armenians and Greek Orthodox Christians, with a few Muslims outside the
city itself. Most of the crusaders who settled there were of Norman origin or from
southern Italy, as were the first rulers of the principality, who surrounded
themselves with their own loyal subjects. Few of the inhabitants apart from the
Crusaders were Roman Catholic even though the city was turned into a Latin
Patriarchate in 1100.
While Baldwin of Boulogne and Tancred headed east from Asia Minor to set up the
County of Edessa, the main army of the First Crusade continued south to besiege
Antioch. Bohemond of Taranto commanded the siege which commenced in
October 1097. With over four hundred towers, the city's defenses were formidable.
The siege lasted throughout the winter causing much attrition among the Crusader
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