1097
Crusaders reach Antioch
The Crusader armies arrived before the walls of the great Syrian city of Antioch and began a long siege that would nearly destroy them. The garrison of Yaghi-Siyan held out through a winter of starvation. Men ate their horses, then roots, then the leather of their own shields. The eight-month ordeal killed more Crusaders through hunger and disease than any battle they had yet fought.
Crusaders cross Bosphorus
Alexios I ferried the main crusader armies from Constantinople to Asia Minor after extracting oaths of loyalty and promises that captured lands would return to Byzantine control. The emperor provided food, guides, and a contingent of his own troops. His alliance with the Latin armies was uneasy from the start.
Crusaders besiege Nicaea
The main Crusader armies united with Byzantine forces and laid siege to the Seljuk capital of Nicaea in Bithynia. Kilij Arslan's attempts to relieve the city failed. Alexios I negotiated a secret surrender so that his Byzantine troops entered the gates first, denying the Crusaders their expected plunder. The resulting bitterness between Latin and Greek allies set a pattern of mutual suspicion that would poison Crusader-Byzantine relations.
Battle of Dorylaeum
On the Anatolian plateau, Kilij Arslan's mounted archers encircled Bohemond's vanguard and inflicted terrible damage until the main Crusader force arrived and drove the Turks off. The victory secured the Crusader march across Anatolia but cost many horses and lives to heat, thirst, and harassment from the Turks. Knights who had ridden from France in full armor now walked, their precious warhorses dead from exhaustion.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1097?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1097. The most significant is Crusaders reach Antioch: The Crusader armies arrived before the walls of the great Syrian city of Antioch and began a long siege that would nearly destroy them.
What era was 1097 part of?
1097 falls within the High Middle Ages (1000-1300). Crusades, cathedrals, and the slow waking of Europe.
Which regions saw notable events in 1097?
The curated events from 1097 span Middle East.