Siege of Antioch

The Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098, on the crusade's way to Jerusalem through Syria. Two sieges took place in succession; the first siege, by the crusaders against the city held by the Seljuk Empire, lasted from 21 October 1097 to 2 June 1098. The second siege, of the crusader-held city by a Seljuk relieving army, lasted three weeks in June 1098. On that day was the Battle of Antioch, in which the crusaders defeated the relieving army led by Kerbogha. The crusaders then established the Principality of Antioch, ruled by Bohemond.

Antioch lay in a strategic location on the crusaders' route to Palestine through the Syrian Coastal mountain range. Supplies, reinforcements and retreat could all be controlled by the city. Anticipating that it would be attacked, the Seljuk governor of the city, Yağısıyan, began stockpiling 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.

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