1144–1201 · Prince of Antioch (1163–1201)
Bohemond III
Prince of Antioch captured at Harim in 1164 who balanced Byzantine, Armenian and crusader politics in a long reign.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Bohemond III was a son of Raymond of Poitiers and Constance of Antioch. He assumed government of the principality at a young age and navigated changing relations with the patriarch of Antioch, the Byzantine emperor and the Armenian rulers of Cilicia. Dynastic disputes and ecclesiastical conflicts repeatedly affected his authority.
Role in the Crusades
Nur al-Din captured him at Harim in 1164, but diplomatic and financial support from Emperor Manuel helped secure his relatively early release. After Hattin he preserved Antioch from immediate destruction and offered only limited support to the Third Crusade. His long reign was also marked by disputes over succession and regional alliances.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.