Captivity of Bohemond I

Background

Gabriel, the Armenian ruler of Melitene, was under Danishmendid pressure and asked Antioch for help. Seeing a chance to extend his influence in the region, Bohemond marched north with a small force. The Danishmend Gümüştegin, meanwhile, was trying to extend his lordship around Sivas and Niksar eastward.

Course of events

In August 1100, near Melitene, Gümüştegin's forces ambushed Bohemond's troop. Bohemond was captured together with his nephew Richard of Salerno; it is said he sent a lock of his hair to Baldwin with a plea for help. Baldwin set out from Edessa but could not catch the Danishmendid forces, and took Melitene under his temporary protection.

Bohemond was held in the fortress of Niksar. One reason the Lombard army of the 1101 crusade turned toward northern Anatolia was the wish to free him; the attempt ended in a great defeat at Merzifon. The Byzantine emperor Alexios also made a high offer to buy his old enemy Bohemond.

Outcome and significance

Bohemond was released in spring 1103 under an agreement that exploited the rivalry between the Danishmendids and Kilij Arslan. Part of the ransom was paid by the Armenian lord Kogh Vasil and the circle of Patriarch Bernard of Antioch; the sum is given in the sources as around 100,000 gold pieces.

During Bohemond's absence his nephew Tancred governed Antioch and extended the principality's borders in Cilicia and Latakia. The captivity is an early and typical example of how a high-ranking prisoner became a bargaining chip in regional diplomacy.

Sources and debates

Albert of Aachen and Fulcher of Chartres report the captivity and ransom from the Latin side, Matthew of Edessa from the Armenian; Ibn al-Athir gives a short note. The amount of the ransom, who paid it and Bohemond's promises of alliance to the Danishmend lord differ between sources. The romantic captivity tale told by Orderic Vitalis is regarded as a later literary layer.