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First Crusade Part 6: From Antioch to Jerusalem
Immediately after the rout of Kerbogha on June 28, 1098, the crusaders found themselves in a position of strength, their greatest since the fall of Nicaea and the battle of Dorylaeum.
Antioch and the surrounding territories, including the crucially important seaports of St. Symeon and Latakia, were firmly in crusader possession. To the north, Baldwin of Boulogne held the city and territories that would become the County of Edessa; to the west, Bohemond and Tancred held important strategic positions in Cilicia. With the wealth in coin and precious objects, food and essential supplies, weapons and armor, and horses taken in the wake of Kerbogha's hasty retreat added to those now more freely available, the previous problems of starvation and lack were over. The surviving Franks had evolved into a hardened, professional, and efficient fighting force, with a widespread reputation among the Muslims for fearsome prowess and cold brutality. After an improbable victory, highly charged with elements of the supernatural, the crusaders truly believed that God had preordained them to regain Jerusalem for Christendom.
Despite all of these hard-gained advantages, questionable decisions and unforeseen calamities soon joined with existing tensions, creating conditions which would lead to a set of complex circumstances, delaying the final march to Jerusalem for another ten months.
A council of princes was held on July 3rd, at which the leaders decided that the armies would recuperate and wait until November 1st and cooler weather for the final march to Jerusalem. Notably, chronicler Raymond of Aguilers recorded the reasons for his own disapproval. (Asbridge, p. 242) In any case, this decision set the stage for a leadership crisis involving Bohemond and Raymond of Toulouse.
- By virtue of Bohemond's proven abilities, the leaders' previous agreement to let him 'have' Antioch if his plans succeeded and Alexios didn't show up to make a claim, as well as the need for a capable governor to hold the city, Bohemond held the highest ground.
- The only leader who didn't agree was Raymond, who quite probably used his stated loyalty to Alexios to both cover and further his own ambitions. His wealth, military strength, and entrenched positions within Antioch, as well as his status as the foremost promoter of the cult of the Holy Lance made him a formidable challenger to Bohemond.
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