Count Stephen: Honorable Man or Craven

Stephen, Count of Blois and Chartres, was one of the commanders of the First Crusade who

lived from 1045 AD until his death in 1102. He is a figure that is surrounded by mystery and

contradictions. In the pages of history, he is not as important as his son Stephen, King of

England, but he served his purpose, nevertheless. Stephen was the son of Theobald III, count of

Blois, and Chartres of Le Mans. He is first mentioned as approaching William the Conqueror to

ask for and receive the hand of his daughter Adela of Normandy. Adela was a pious and

independent benefactress of Marmoutier who emerged as a major protectress of Marmoutier

and exercised influence over her husband.1 Throughout her life, Adela had an active role in

English politics, and She was famed for endowing churches and monastic institutions. In 1089,

upon the death of his father, Stephen became the Count of Blois and Chartres, although

Theobald had given him the administration of those holdings in 1074. Stephen was one of the

leaders of the First Crusade, leading one of the major armies of the crusade and often writing

enthusiastic letters to his wife about the crusade's progress. He had many Children by his wife

but the most important of them was Stephen2 who became King of England due to death of all

1
Farmer, Sharon. “Marmoutier and the Salvation of the Counts of Blois.” In Communities of Saint Martin: Legend

and Ritual in Medieval Tours, 96–116. Cornell University Press, 1991.

2
Stephen, the only member of the Blois family to rule England and a Count of Boulogne by marriage (circa 1096–25

October 1154), held the throne from 1135 until 1154, when he was succeeded by Henry II, the first of the Angevin

or Plantagenet Kings. The Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival Empress Matilda, whose son succeeded
legitimate male heirs of King Henry.3 Count Stephen of Blois was one of several Crusaders who

made an oath to Emperor Alexius I Comnenus4 vowing to deliver up regions previously held by

the Byzantines in exchange for supplies, guides, and luxury gifts.5 However, if we look at the

outcomes of the First Crusade, we can see that the oath was not exactly fulfilled. Count

Stephen sang the emperor's praises throughout his letter to his wife, Adela, yet according to

several historical accounts, Count Stephen was dubbed a deserter and was not portrayed

favourably by the Greeks. So, my question here is what happened to cause Count Stephen of

Blois's reputation to sink when it should have soared because he embarked on a big and holy

"quest" to liberate the holy land from infidels.

The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first in a line of crusades, or religious warfare, that the

Latin Church of the Middle Ages started, encouraged, and occasionally oversaw. The Holy

Land's liberation from Islamic dominion was the goal Since the seventh century, Christianity and

Islam have been at odds. From the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 632 to the

Stephen as the first of the Angevin kings of England, was a defining feature of his reign.

3
King, Edmund. “Stephen of Blois, Count of Mortain and Boulogne.” The English Historical Review 115, no. 461

(2000): 271–96.

4
Alexius Comnenos was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1081 to 1118 CE. One of the greatest Byzantine

emperors, Alexios restored the Byzantine Empire to its former glory by defeating the Seljuks, the Normans, and the

Pechenegs with the aid of the First Crusaders.

5
Frankopan, Peter, Laura Ashe, Steven Biddlecombe, Peter Frankopan, Damian Kempf, James Naus, Léan Ní

Chléirigh, et al. “Understanding the Greek Sources for the First Crusade.” Chapter. In Writing the Early Crusades:

Text, Transmission and Memory, edited by Marcus Bull and Damien Kempf, 38–52. Boydell & Brewer, 2014.
beginning of the Islamic occupation of Jerusalem and the Levant in 638, Muslim invaders landed

in Spain. By the 11th century, the Reconquista had gradually eroded Islamic control of Spain,

but the situation in the Holy Land had deteriorated. From 969, the Fatimid dynasty ruled North

Africa and swaths of Western Asia, including Jerusalem, Damascus, and parts of the

Mediterranean coastline, but was at peace with the west. That all changed in 1073, when the

Seljuk dynasty took Jerusalem.6

The Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos requested military assistance from the Council of

Piacenza in 1095 so that his kingdom might fight the Seljuk-led Turks. While the Seljuks' hold on

Jerusalem was tenuous (the group eventually lost the city to the Fatimids), returning pilgrims

reported difficulties and Christian oppression. The Byzantine military requirement coincided

with an increase in the willingness of the Western European warrior class to accept papal

military command. Later that year, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II backed the

Byzantine appeal for military help and urged devoted Christians to embark on an armed

pilgrimage to Jerusalem.7 This call drew an enthusiastic reaction from people of all social

backgrounds in Western Europe. Thousands of primarily poor Christians, headed by Peter the

6
Nicholson, Helen J. The Crusades. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2004.

7
English, Brian M. "THE CRUCIBLE OF ANTIOCH." Military History,  01, 2020, 48-55,

https://qe2a-proxy.mun.ca/login?url?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/crucible-antioch/docview/

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Hermit8, a French priest, were the first to respond. The People's Crusade moved through

Germany and were annihilated in a Turkish ambush led by the Seljuk Kilij Arslan 9 at the Battle of

Civetot in October 1096, after leaving Byzantine-controlled territory in Anatolia. Members of

the upper nobles and their followers embarked on the Princes' Crusade in late summer 1096

and arrived at Constantinople between November and April the following year. This was a vast

feudal army led by well-known Western European princes and lords such as Raymond IV of

Toulouse10 and Adhemar of Le Puy11; men from Upper and Lower Lorraine led by Godfrey of

Bouillon and his brother Baldwin of Boulogne12; Italo-Norman forces led by Bohemond of

Taranto13 and his nephew Tancred; as well as various contingents consisting of northern French

and Flemish forces under Robert Curthose, Hugh of Vermandois 14, and Robert II of Flanders.

Count Stephen of Blois was also one of the influential figures mentioned alongside above

figures in crusading army.15 He along with Crusader army went to Constantinople where they

8
Priest of the Roman Catholic faith from Amiens, Peter organised and led the beggars as a spiritually cleansed and
holy band of pilgrims who would be guarded by the Holy Ghost.
9
Kilij Arslan restored the Sultanate of Rum following the death of Malik Shah I of the Seljuk Empire and when he
was still a youngster, he led his horse archers in the first Muslim and Turkish battle against the Crusaders.
10
When the First Crusade was announced, Raymond IV of Toulouse, a strong count from southern France who was
intensely religious and desired to die in the Holy Land, was among the first to take up the cross.
11
Pope Urban II appointed Adhemar of Le Puy as the representative for the trip to the Holy Land. He led knights
and men into battle and fought alongside them, leaving an impression for his skill in combat.
12
One of the First Crusade's leaders, Baldwin of Boulogne (died April 2, 1118) later held the titles of count of
Edessa, second king, and first titled king of Jerusalem. Together with his brothers Godfrey and Eustace III of
Boulogne, he enlisted in the First Crusade in 1096, raising money for his expenses by donating a sizable portion of
his estate to the church.
13
Bohemond was the son of Robert Guiscard and led a group of Normans on the First Crusade as they travelled
eastward. He was the crusade's most seasoned military leader and was familiar with the Byzantine Empire from
earlier campaigns with his father.
14
Hugh was Philip I's younger brother and the younger son of King Henry I of France and Anne of Kiev. He was one
of the First Crusade's leaders and the first Capetian count of Vermandois. He enlisted in the ensuing Crusade of
1101, but he was wounded fighting against the Kilij Arslan-led Turks at the second battle of Heraclea in September,
and he passed away in Tarsus from his wounds in October.

15
Axelrod, Alan, and Charles L. Phillips. "First Crusade." Wars in the Medieval World (600 to 1450). Facts On File,
2015. Accessed March 17, 2023.
met with Emperor Alexius who gave them numerable gifts and supplies for the crusade. From

there crusading army sent to Nicaea where they laid siege to city which was occupied by the

Seljuks. They fought with a reinforcing army led by Kilij Arslan and defeated the Turks. On 19

June 1097 city of Nicaea surrendered. This the same context that we understood from Count

Stephen’s letter to his wife and this not only proves letter’s validity but also the next target of

crusaders which was Antioch.16

The city of Nicaea fell very easily but Antioch was anything but easy. This was a complete

opposite experience of siege of Nicaea where the crusades held overwhelming odds instead

here crusaders were facing numerous problems from lack of food supply to deserting of

soldiers. According to Stephen’s letter what he would have experience in Antioch would have

been very dark and miserable compared to siege of Nicaea. In the sixth century, the Eastern

Roman Emperor Justinian17 ordered the construction of Antioch's massive walls, which were

repaired by Byzantine engineers in the tenth century. The walls ran along marshy ground

adjacent to the south bank of the Orontes River in the north. The walls ascended the slopes of

Mount Silpius to the east and west, eventually converging on a citadel at its summit, 1,440 feet

above the city. The Turks could only take Antioch in 1085 because a traitor opened a gate for

them.18 Instead, they attempted to blockade as much of it as possible without spreading their
16
“A Westerner in the Holy Land: Stephen of Blois, Letter to His Wife (March 1098),” in Reading the MiddleAges:
Sources from Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic World, vol. 2: From c. 900 to c. 1500, 2nd ed., ed. Barbara
Rosenwein (North York: University of Toronto Press, 2014), 271-273.

17
Justinian I served as emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565.He is most well-known for his work as a
legislator and codifier. During his rule, Justinian restructured the Byzantine Empire's government and put forth
several changes to improve accountability and lower corruption in Byzantium. He also sponsored the codification
of laws known as the Codex Justinianus (Code of Justinian) and directed the construction of several important
cathedrals, including the Hagia Sophia.
18
English, Brian M. "THE CRUCIBLE OF ANTIOCH." Military History, 01, 2020, 48-55,
https://qe2a-proxy.mun.ca/login?url?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/crucible-antioch/docview/
2385757478/se-2.
forces too thin, hoping that the defenders would eventually capitulate or get betrayed. Yaghi-

Siyan19, Antioch's governor for the past decade, settled for ambushing enemy foraging parties

while waiting for a Muslim relief army.20

Food was plentiful at first, so the Christians had little trouble feeding themselves. By Christmas,

however, they had depleted the valley's staples. On New Year's Eve, a large foraging party led

by Bohemond and Robert of Flanders fought against a Muslim relief army from Damascus.

Despite their victory, the Crusaders returned empty-handed, leaving the men in camp on

starvation rations until January 1098. One in every seven Crusaders died of starvation, and their

horses died in even greater numbers. As a result of the misery, an increasing number of men

deserted the siege. At some point either before or at the beginning of the Siege of Antioch in

October 1098, he was chosen as 'leader' of the army, a function that seems to not have gone

much beyond presiding over the assemblies of the leaders as well as provisioning and

housekeeping duties for the armies. An English fleet arrived in early March, carrying food, and

building materials for the camp. To complete their encirclement of Antioch, the Crusaders

immediately set to work erecting siege engines and fortifications. With the city's great gates

closed, they were free to scavenge and receive supplies once more. The siege continued, and at

the end of May 1098 a Turkish army from Mosul under the command of Kerbogha 21

approached Antioch. This army was much larger than the previous attempts to relieve the

19
In the eleventh century, Yaghi-Siyan, a Seljuk Turkish commander and governor of Antioch, was said to be the
son of Malik Shah and grandson of Alp Arslan, the Seljuk Turkish state's founder.
20
Nicholson, Helen J. The Crusades. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2004.

21
During the First Crusade, Kerbogha served as the Atabeg of Mosul and was a renowned warrior. During the Battle
of Antioch, he committed a grave tactical error that helped the Crusaders prevail.
siege. Weeks earlier, Bohemond had secretly established contact with someone inside the city

named Firuz, an Armenian guard who controlled the Tower of the Two Sisters. Firuz, an

Armenian who had converted to Islam, resented Yaghi-Siyan for punishing him for hoarding.

Bohemond's promised riches in exchange for unlocking the city to him. Bohemond then

addressed the other crusaders and promised them entry to the city via Firuz in exchange for

making Bohemond Prince of Antioch. Raymond was enraged and urged that the city should be

handed up to Alexius, as they had agreed when they left Constantinople in 1097, but in the face

of a difficult position, Godfrey, Tancred, Robert, and the other leaders caved in to Bohemond's

demand. Despite this, Stephen of Blois and a few other crusaders fled the army on June 2. The

city was captured and reinforcing army of Kerbogha was defeated but nevertheless Stephen

retreated from the day before the capture of the city, leaving his comrades behind in a difficult

situation as a superior Turkish army under Kerbogha was approaching. 22

Count Stephen was singing praises of Emperor Alexius and respected him so why would he

leave just before the capture of city which belonged to Byzantines. One of the reasons could be

the unjustified demand of Bohemond which as mentioned above was making Bohemond the

prince of Antioch when in fact it was promised that Antioch would have been returned to

Emperor Alexius. He did not want to betray Alexius, and this is particularly good reason and

show the loyal character of Count Stephen. Other reason could be that he believed even if

Antioch was reclaimed, crusaders would not be able to defeat the reinforcing Turk army

because that is a valid fact as odds were not in favors of crusaders. The only reasons crusaders

22
English, Brian M. "THE CRUCIBLE OF ANTIOCH." Military History, 01, 2020, 48-55,
https://qe2a-proxy.mun.ca/login?url?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/crucible-antioch/docview/
2385757478/se-2.
won was because of the idiocy of enemy commander Kerbogha. In” Crusade, memory and

regional politics in twelfth-century Amboise” Count Stephen was portrayed extremely in bad

light due to his flight from Antioch. The story of Stephen's flight from Antioch is well known in

the West and appears in numerous narrative interpretations of the First Crusade, but it takes

on a sarcastic political component in the Amboise family history. 23 Hugh's valour is contrasted

with Stephen's cowardice in the subsequent depiction of his crusading career. Stephen on his

way met with Alexius in Asia minor. Alexius, who had set out to assist in the siege as promised,

now convinced Stephen that Antioch's cause was hopeless and returned. Alexius' move may

have been tactically reasonable at the time, but it was a massive diplomatic blunder. When the

other crusaders learnt of his choice, they felt relieved that crusaders were not obligated to

return Antioch to him. Alexius subsequent choice to turn around contributed to the crusaders'

persistent scepticism of the Byzantines, as well as to eventual disputes between crusaders and

Byzantium. Why would Alexius not support crusaders in time of their need? The answer behind

this can be found in “The Alexiad” written by Emperor Alexius’s daughter, Anna Comnenos 24.

The author of the Alexiad carefully explains why her father did not advance: for one thing, there

were reports of yet another Balkan onslaught; for another, the emperor was still concerned

about being too far from the capital, considering his own recurrent uneasiness at home. Both

would have been valid reasons for not venturing deeper into the interior. However, as Anna

explains, the report delivered by Stephen of Blois was decisive. He claimed that as he left

23
Paul, Nicholas L. “Crusade, Memory and Regional Politics in Twelfth Century Amboise.” Journal of Medieval
History 31, no. 2 (2005): 127–41.

24
Emperor Alexius I Comnenos' daughter Anna Comnenos was a Byzantine historian. She is well known for her
"Alexiad," a biography of her father's life and reign that served as a major source for pro-Byzantine accounts of the
early Crusades. The First Crusade's leaders as well as other individuals Anna had direct contact with are described
in the Alexiad's character sketches, which are invaluable.
Antioch, the crusaders were on the verge of annihilation; it was almost likely that they had

already were crushed.25 Stephen returned in disgrace, having failed to fulfil his vows and

abandoning his comrades, and met with his wife. Adela, William the Conqueror's youngest

daughter, was far from a political failure. Adela is famous for two reasons. She played a crucial

dynastic role in that her fourth son, Stephen, was able to win the throne of England through her

in 1135. When her husband, Count Stephen of Blois, abandoned the First Crusade at Antioch

and fled to France in shame, Adela berated him constantly, even during their lovemaking,

urging him to return to the Holy Land, until he eventually obeyed her. The notion of the

Conqueror's daughter encouraging her easygoing husband to repair his name via action has

become popular among historians attempting to account for both crusader impulses and

Adela's son, King Stephen's, flaws.26 Adela pressured him to make a second pilgrimage, and he

joined the ensuing Crusade of 1101 among others who had also come home prematurely. He

took part in the disastrous Anatolian campaign to release Bohemond from prison, and

subsequently sailed from Constantinople to St Simeon, from which he travelled to Jerusalem,

fulfilling his vows. Already on his way home in 1102, he was persuaded to fight in the Second

Battle of Ramla against the Fatimids by King Baldwin of Jerusalem. On May 19, he was taken

captive and executed, in Ascalon.27

25
Frankopan, Peter, Laura Ashe, Steven Biddlecombe, Peter Frankopan, Damian Kempf, James Naus, Léan Ní
Chléirigh, et al. “Understanding the Greek Sources for the First Crusade.” Chapter. In Writing the Early Crusades:
Text, Transmission and Memory, edited by Marcus Bull and Damien Kempf, 38–52. Boydell & Brewer, 2014.

26
LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067-1137). Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007.

27
Brundage, James A. “An Errant Crusader: Stephen of Blois.” Traditio 16 (1960): 380–95.
doi:10.1017/S0362152900006139.
Even if he was executed, Count Stephen reclaimed his honor by participating in now failed

crusade of 1101. Still to this date history do not know the truth behind his desertion from siege

of Antioch. It cannot be cowardice as shown in his willingness to fight in Second Battle of Ramla

as in that battle he faced much greater odds than in siege of Antioch. All the other reasons

given by historians are just speculation as there is no single proven reason. Nevertheless, he has

a significant place in history as if Stephen did not warn Alexius about the coming Turk army,

then Alexius would have reclaimed Antioch alongside crusaders which would have increased his

trust with crusaders. The Christian army would have had stronger base in Levant during 11 th

century and a Republic of Jerusalem would have been a country in present time. Examining his

letter to his wife and other secondary sources we can speculate that Stephen was an honorable

person and did not have any personal ambitions to conquer and claim his own land in Levant by

betraying the trust of Emperor Alexius. But this cannot be said about rest of the crusaders like

Bohemond who promised crusaders entry to the Antioch via Firuz in exchange for making him

Prince of Antioch. Even if Behemond betrayed his trust, Stephen went participated in the failed

campaign in Anatolia to free Bohemond from prison. Many of the Crusaders had personal goals

and ambitions beyond the religious objective of reclaiming the Holy Land. Some sought to gain

wealth and prestige, while others hoped to secure land and power for themselves. Some were

also motivated by a desire to escape their current circumstances or to seek adventure and

glory. For example, some nobles saw the Crusades as an opportunity to gain new territories and

increase their power, while younger sons of nobles saw it as a chance to gain wealth and status

that they would not otherwise have. Merchants also saw the Crusades as an opportunity to

expand their trade networks and gain access to new markets. Additionally, many common
people were attracted to the Crusades as a means of escaping poverty and social oppression, or

to atone for sins and gain salvation. While religious motivations played a significant role in

driving the Crusades, the personal goals and ambitions of the Crusaders cannot be ignored in

understanding the complex motivations behind this historic event. The First Crusade was a

significant event in medieval history that had a profound impact on Europe, the Middle East,

and the world. Despite its religious origins, the First Crusade was also driven by political,

economic, and social factors that shaped its outcome. The Crusaders' successful capture of

Jerusalem and the establishment of Christian kingdoms in the Levant had a lasting impact on

the region and shaped the course of European and Middle Eastern history for centuries to

come.28 The impact of the First Crusade on people was complex and varied. On one hand, it

brought a sense of unity and purpose to the Christian world and renewed their faith in the

Church. The success of the crusade also brought glory to the leaders who participated, and the

newfound lands and wealth brought benefits to the individuals who took part in the conquest.

However, the Crusade also brought significant suffering and devastation, especially to the

people of the Levant. The Crusaders’ indiscriminate violence and pillaging led to the loss of

countless lives and the destruction of entire cities, and the establishment of Crusader states

brought prolonged conflict and instability to the region. Moreover, the Crusade contributed to

the creation of a lasting divide between Christians and Muslims, exacerbating existing tensions

and setting the stage for future conflicts. While the First Crusade had significant and lasting

28
Horowitz, Michael C. “Long Time Going: Religion and the Duration of Crusading.” International Security 34, no. 2
(2009): 162–93.
effects on the people of the time, its legacy continues to be felt today, both in the West and in

the Middle East.29

Bibliography

Primary Sources:

“A Westerner in the Holy Land: Stephen of Blois, Letter to His Wife (March 1098),” in Reading

the MiddleAges: Sources from Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic World, vol. 2: From c. 900 to

c. 1500, 2nd ed., ed. Barbara Rosenwein (North York: University of Toronto Press, 2014), 271-

273.

Secondary Sources:

 Nicholson, Helen J. The Crusades. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2004.

 Farmer, Sharon. “Marmoutier and the Salvation of the Counts of Blois.” In Communities

of Saint Martin: Legend and Ritual in Medieval Tours, 96–116. Cornell University Press,

1991.
29
Axelrod, Alan, and Charles L. Phillips. "First Crusade." Wars in the Medieval World (600 to 1450). Facts On File,
2015. Accessed March 17, 2023.
 English, Brian M. "THE CRUCIBLE OF ANTIOCH." Military History, 01, 2020, 48-55,

https://qe2a-proxy.mun.ca/login?url?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/

crucible-antioch/docview/2385757478/se-2.

 LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067-1137). Dublin: Four

Courts Press, 2007.

 Frankopan, Peter, Laura Ashe, Steven Biddlecombe, Peter Frankopan, Damian Kempf,

James Naus, Léan Ní Chléirigh, et al. “Understanding the Greek Sources for the First

Crusade.” Chapter. In Writing the Early Crusades: Text, Transmission and Memory,

edited by Marcus Bull and Damien Kempf, 38–52. Boydell & Brewer, 2014.

 Horowitz, Michael C. “Long Time Going: Religion and the Duration of Crusading.”

International Security 34, no. 2 (2009): 162–93.

 Axelrod, Alan, and Charles L. Phillips. "First Crusade." Wars in the Medieval World (600

to 1450). Facts On File, 2015. Accessed March 17, 2023.

 Paul, Nicholas L. “Crusade, Memory and Regional Politics in Twelfth Century Amboise.”

Journal of Medieval History 31, no. 2 (2005): 127–41.

 King, Edmund. “Stephen of Blois, Count of Mortain and Boulogne.” The English

Historical Review 115, no. 461 (2000): 271–96.

 Brundage, James A. “An Errant Crusader: Stephen of Blois.” Traditio 16 (1960): 380–95.

doi:10.1017/S0362152900006139.