c. 1054–1111 · Leader of the First Crusade and Prince of Antioch
Bohemond I
Other names · Bohemond I of Antioch · Bohemund of Taranto
Bohemond I (c. 1054–1111) — Leader of the First Crusade and Prince of Antioch. This dossier combines the biographical record with dated events and the listed primary and secondary sources.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Bohemond was a son of the Norman commander Robert Guiscard and had already gained experience in Balkan warfare against Byzantium before the crusade. He led the south-Italian Norman contingent east and swore an oath to Alexios at Constantinople, but his ambitions at Antioch soon brought him into conflict with the emperor.
Career during the Crusading era
During the siege of Antioch Bohemond exploited contact with Firuz inside the city and secured recognition of his claim to rule it. Danishmendid forces captured him near Melitene in 1100; he remained a prisoner until his release for a large ransom in 1103. The Treaty of Devol in 1108 defined him as a Byzantine subordinate, although its terms were not effectively imposed in Antioch.
Documented activity: a chronological record
On 1096 (late)–May 1097, Bohemond I appears in the atlas record “Princes' armies assemble at Constantinople” at Constantinople. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 1 July 1097, Bohemond I appears in the atlas record “Battle of Dorylaeum” at Eskişehir region. The event is documented through Gesta Francorum, Anna Komnene, Alexiad, TDV İA, ‘Kılıcarslan I’.
On 20 October 1097 – 28 June 1098, Bohemond I appears in the atlas record “Siege of Antioch” at Antioch. The event is documented through Gesta Francorum, Raymond d’Aguilers, İbnü’l-Esîr. On July 1098, Bohemond I appears in the atlas record “Foundation of the Principality of Antioch” at Antioch. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’.
On 1100 – 1103, Bohemond I appears in the atlas record “Captivity of Bohemond I” at Melitene – Niksar. The event is documented through Albertus Aquensis, Urfalı Mateos, İbnü’l-Esîr.
Allies, opponents and geographical range
Bohemond I appears in the same records as Alexios I Komnenos, Godefroy de Bouillon, Kilij Arslan I, Yağısıyan, Kürboğa, Danishmend Gazi. Co-occurrence does not always indicate alliance: the connection may involve command, dynastic rivalry, captivity, negotiation or direct conflict.
The principal geographical range represented in the atlas is Constantinople; Eskişehir region; Antioch; Melitene – Niksar. These places record not only presence but also the supply lines, diplomatic contacts and limits of authority relevant to the biography.
Results of recorded decisions
The “Princes' armies assemble at Constantinople” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Battle of Dorylaeum” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Siege of Antioch” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Foundation of the Principality of Antioch” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
Sources and historiography
Latin chronicles and dynastic narratives make the person's role visible, while charters, treaties, letters and Arabic, Greek, Armenian or Syriac accounts provide independent controls. Later heroic portraits are evidence for memory and reception, not contemporary biography.
Names and titles vary between languages; Bohemond I of Antioch, Bohemund of Taranto should be searched together in catalogues and texts. Approximate dates remain marked as such, and later literary or visual fame is separated from contemporary testimony.
Biographical statements are tied to the sources listed on this page and to the connected event dossiers. Approximate or disputed dates remain marked; missing information is not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual representations are not treated as contemporary portraits.