c. 1099–1149 · Prince of Antioch (1136–1149)
Raymond of Poitiers
Prince of Antioch defeated and killed by Nur al-Din at the Battle of Inab in 1149.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Raymond came from the ducal house of Aquitaine and became prince of Antioch by marrying the heiress Constance. His government had to operate between the Byzantine claim to overlordship in Antioch and the growing pressure of the Zengid state centred at Aleppo. Relations with both local Latin nobles and visiting western rulers were politically important.
Role in the Crusades
During the Second Crusade Raymond asked Louis VII to support operations toward Aleppo, but the French king declined. On 28 June 1149 Raymond fought Nur al-Din near Inab with an outnumbered force and was killed. His severed head was sent as a sign of victory, while the defeat sharply weakened the eastern frontier of Antioch.
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.