Crusading Warfare

Exploring the Military History of the Crusades

William James Hamblin
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Gold boxes contains

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White boxes are summaries

of primary sources.
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Green text boxes are my
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place and location names
 1/11- Antioch Campaign
2e- Battle of the Iron Bridge
1097 October 20
Mamistra
Strategic Situation 1097/09/19-21
Jerablus

s
Mt
s
aeu
Am
Ayas
Cyrrhus
Primary Sources:
EdessaEuExpedition
phr
a
te s

Western
Azaz Albert 3.33-35
Alexandretta
→William 4.8
Darbsak Manbij ♜
Caffaro —

asu
♜ Qalat al-Najm

Kar
Canso —
Syrian Ekkehard —
Gates
Fulcher —
♜ →Bartolf —
Baghras rin
→Malmesbury —
Af
Gesta 5/12
→Baldric —
Lake
Antioch →Orderic 9.8m
Artah →Guibert 4.3
→Peter —
Onr
ante
1 ✝ Aleppo →Robert 3.29
Antioch YS
s
Iron Harim Aleppo (Ridwan) Gilo 5.1-5
⚔ Bridge {1095-1113} Letters 3e
Atharib Ralph —
s

Raymond —
te
an
nr

St Simeon William 4.8 ←Albert

O

Antioch Eastern Christian

(Yaghi-Siyan) Anna (G) —
Qinnasrin Mathew (A) — Eu
{1086-1098} ph
Michael (S) — ra
te
s
→Bar Hebraeus —
Syriac (S) —
Balis
Studies Muslim
Jisr Asbridge 158 AHC —
al-Shughur Asbridge, Antioch 26 Ibn al-Athir —
France 206-8 Ibn al-Qalanisi {a490} —
Frankopan — Kamal al-Din —
tes

Rubenstein — Maqrizi {a490} —

Onran

Runciman 1:179 Sibt {a490} —

 Main Crusader army arrives; Turks withdraw 1097/10/19

3- {10/20}
The main crusader army follows
Robert’s advanced force
2- {10/20} Robert of Normandy
with the Vanguard pursues the Turks
to the Iron Bridge. [AA 3.33a]
3

2
RN ✝ Artah
Orantes 1 2
Tu
Iron 1
Bridge
♜

1 1- {10/19}The Turkish army abandons

the siege of Artah and withdraws across
the Iron Bridge to Antioch. [AA 3.32]
Ora
nte
s

Harim
Or
an
tes
 Battle of the Iron Bridge 1097/09/20

Karasu
3- {10/20} Robert of Normandy
advances to the Iron Bridge with an
vanguard of two thousand infantry,
and an unspecified number of
knights. [AA 3.33d→WT 4.8b]

3 RN
Iron

s
te
Bridge

an
nr
♜

O
Tu
2

2- {10/20} Turkish force of 100 men

garrisons the fortress at the Iron Bridge,
[AA 3.33c-d]

On
♜

ran
YS 1- {10/19} Turks prepare for siege of Antioch

tes
[AA 3.35g] The Turks’ countless forces, who, having fled
[before the Crusader army] from the mountains and all Rum
[Anatolia], had hastened for defence to the city of Antioch,
which was unassailable …
s
te

[AA 3.32c] All the enemies of the Christian name, Turks,

an
nr

Saracens, Arabs [= bedouins], have come together, fleeing

O

before us out of the mountains of Rum and from every direction.

 Battle of the Iron Bridge: Opposing Forces 1097/09/20

1- {10/20} Robert of Normandy’s force

numbers 2000 infantry (and perhaps
1 400-500 cavalry). [AA 3.33d]

RN

Tu
2
1- {10/20} The Turks have 100 men
defending the bridge towers [AA
3.33d], and 700 cavalry supporting
them defending the fords across the
Orantes [AA 3.34a→WT 4.8c].
 Battle of the Iron Bridge: Blocking the Fords 1097/09/20
1a- {10/20} Crusaders assault the bridge fortifications
[AA 3.33d→WT 4.8e]
3
A company of two thousand infantry followed after these distinguished men,
and they also took up position at the bridge, not being allowed to cross. For
⚔
the Turks, of whom a hundred or so had been posted in the bridge towers to
defend them, were fighting back vigorously with bows and a hail of arrows
against those who were wanting to cross; they struck the horses with
RN frequent wounds, they pierced with flying arrows very many of the horses'
riders through the covering of their hauberks.
1
3
♜ 1b-Note
⚔ Turkish archery can wound horses and
♜ pierce Crusader mail.
Tu
2- {10/20} The Turks have 100 men 2
defending the bridge tower [AA 3.33d], 3

3
⚔

3- {10/20} Turks Defend the Fords

[AA 3.34a]
Seven hundred Turks, who had been summoned and had come out from
Antioch, seeing their men's steadfastness and defence on the bridge, galloped
up on swift horses, very excited by the battle, and took possession of the
fords to stop any of the Christians from being able to cross.
 Battle of the Iron Bridge: Battle of the Fords 1097/09/20

1
1- {10/20} Crusaders assault the Fords
[AA 3.34b]
⚔ The Christian cavalry and infantry, seeing the forces of armoured
Turks spread out for defence on the river banks, themselves spread
2 out widely on the other bank, and, as on both sides arrows were
RN twisted and loosed in bold endeavour, the struggle was a long one.

♜
⚔
♜

Tu

2a- {10/20} Turks Hold the Fords

[AA 3.34c]
Very many men and horses were shot on both banks and, fatally
wounded, were falling and failing. At last when the Turks were 2 1
emerging very much the winners, and were outdoing and
outlasting in the accuracy and effectiveness of their arrows, ⚔

2b-Note
1- Turkish soldiers are armored =
professional ‘askar from Antioch.
2- Turkish archery is more accurate
and effective than Crusader
3- Archery can “fatally wound” both
men and horses
 Battle of the Iron Bridge: Arrival of Main Army 1097/09/20

✝
2- Bishop Le Puy harangues the
Crusaders, reviving their failing
courage. [AA 3.35a] 1

1- Main Crusader Army arrives

2 [AA 3.34d→WT 4.8]
✝ The [main] army of the faithful [Crusaders from
Artah], provided with weapons and horses, came
LP
quickly from all parts to the assistance of the
♜ comrades they had sent in advance.
But even then the Turks did not retreat from the
♜ bank; they preferred to die rather than to yield,
resisting those who wanted to cross with an
Tu
unceasing assault of arrows.
 Battle of the Iron Bridge: Capture of the Bridge 1097/09/20

1- Reinforcements
Reinforcements from the main Crusader army
join the assault on the bridge
2- Knights dismount and join the assault
3- The Crusaders now substantially outnumber
the 100 Turks on the bridge fortifications

1 2- Assault on the Bridge

[AA 3.35b]
A shield roof was made [facta scutorum testudine],
heads were protected by helmets [galea], breasts by
hauberks [lorica], and they attacked the bridge boldly.

⚔
2

3a- Turks Abandon the Bridge

[AA 3.35b]
The enemy [Turks] withdrew their lances from the
[fortifications on the] bridge and took flight.
3

3b- Turkish Flight

1-The Turkish garrison at the bridge now realized that
they faced thousands of crusaders, and had no ultimate
hope for victory.
2- The Turks at the bridge probably saw Crusaders
fording the river elsewhere [see next slide], meaning that
they would soon be surrounded if they didn’t flee quickly.
 Battle of the Iron Bridge: Capture of the Fords 1097/09/20
2

1- Crusader infantry and

dismounted knights form “testudo”
and assault Iron Bridge fortifications
⚔ (see previous slide). [AA 3.35b]

✝
⚔
♜
1
♜

Tu

2 2a- Crusaders attack through the fords

[AA 3.35c]
⚔ Some Christians, seeing that the whole army had come to
their aid, put too great reliance on them and they entered
the fords and swam their horses across;
others, discovering the fords on foot, made haste to cross
the waters because they were keen to wage war; although
they sustained wounds from bows and slingshots, they
attacked the Turks in a blind assault and put them to flight
from their position, then they stationed themselves on dry
land on the other side of the river.

2b- Turkish Defeat

With the arrival of the entire crusader army the
800 Turks are now outnumbered at least 10 or 20
to one. With thousands of Crusaders attacking
hundreds of Turks at the fords, they were unable
to protect the fords by archery as they had earlier.
 Battle of the Iron Bridge: Turkish Flight 1097/09/20

⚔
✝
1

♜
2 ♜

Tu 1- Intense Melee
[AA 3.35d]
Walo, steward of the king of France, attacked the Turks
1 with horse and lance. Rainald of Beauvais, a very rough
recruit, took very little notice of the archers' shafts, and
2 ⚔
hurried on ahead into the midst of the enemy with lance
and sword, engaging in very brutal massacres.
The divisions of faithful and infidels were completely
mixed up in the violent attack, and they grew hot with the
exertion of battle; the slaughter and massacre grew worse.

2- Turks Flee to Antioch

[AA 3.35e]
Bohemond, Godfrey, Raymond, Robert, and Roger governed
the battle order and the war standards, which were of many
colours and very beautiful,
until the Turks, taking flight on swiftest horses, turned back
to Antioch, speeding their way through the steep mountain
slopes and places known to them.
 Crusading Warfare
Next = 1/11/3a: Background on Antioch

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