Stephen of Blois on the Palestine Campaigns, Crusades

(12th c.)

Stephen of Blois

Source

Whatever the religious, political, or economic rationalizations for the Crusades, they were exceedingly bloody affairs, as this excerpt testifies. Given the deep misunderstandings between the Arab world and the West today, this account of the Crusader campaigns in Palestine givse ample evidence to the long-standing enmity between these civilizations.

III. The Campaigns in the Holy Land as described in the Letters of the Crusaders

Count Stephen to Adele, his sweetest and most amiable wife, to his dear children, and to all his vassals of all ranks—his greeting and blessing:

You may be very sure, dearest, that the messenger whom I sent to you left me before Antioch safe and unharmed and, through God’s grace, in the greatest prosperity. And already at that time, together with all the chosen army of Christ, endowed with greater valor by him, we had been continuously advancing for twenty-three weeks toward the home of our Lord Jesus. You may know for certain, my beloved, that of gold, silver, and many other kinds of riches, I now have twice as much as you, my love, supposed me to have when I left you. For all our princes, with the common consent of the whole army, though against my own wishes, have made me, up to the present time, the leader, chief, and director of their whole expedition.

You have assuredly heard that after the capture of the city of Nicæa we fought a great battle with the perfidious Turks and, by God’s aid, conquered them. Next we conquered for the Lord all Romania and afterwards Cappadocia. And we learned that there was a certain Turkish prince, Assam, dwelling in Cappadocia; thither we directed our course. All his castles we conquered by force and compelled him to flee to a very strong castle situated on a high rock. We also gave the land of that Assam to one of our chiefs, and in order that he might conquer the above-mentioned Assam, we left there with him many soldiers of Christ. Thence, continually following the wicked Turks, we drove them through the midst of Armenia, as far as the great river Euphrates. Having left all their baggage and beasts of burden on the bank, they fled across the river into Arabia. The bolder of the Turkish soldiers, indeed, entering Syria, hastened by forced marches night and day, in order to be able to occupy the royal city of Antioch before our approach. The whole army of God, learning this, gave due praise and thanks to the omnipotent Lord. Hastening with great joy to the aforesaid chief city of Antioch, we besieged it and had many conflicts there with the Turks. Seven times we fought with the citizens of Antioch and with the innumerable troops coming to their aid; we rushed to meet them and we fought with the fiercest courage under the leadership of Christ; and in all these seven battles, by the aid of the Lord God, we conquered, and mist assuredly killed an innumerable host of them. In those battles, indeed, and in very many attacks made upon the city, many of our brethren and followers were killed, and their souls were borne to the joys of paradise.

We found Antioch a very great town, fortified with incredible strength and almost impregnable. In addition, more than five thousand bold Turkish soldiers had entered the city, not counting the Saracens, Publicans, Arabs, Turcopolitans, Ayrians, Armenians, and other different races, of whom an infinite multitude had gathered together there. In fighting against these enemies of God and of our own we have, by God’s permission, endured many sufferings and innumerable evils up to the present time. Many also have already exhausted their resources in this very holy passion. Very many of our Franks, indeed, would have met a temporal death from starvation, if the clemency of God, and our money, had not succored them. Moreover before the above-mentioned city of Antioch we suffered for our Lord Christ, throughout the whole winter, from excessive cold and enormous torrents of rain. What some say about the impossibility of bearing the heat of the sun throughout Syria is untrue, for the winter there is very similar to our winter in the west.

When Caspian [Bagi Seian], the emir (i.e. prince and lord) of Antioch, perceived that he was hard pressed by us, he sent his son, Sensadolo by name, to the prince who holds Jerusalem, and to the prince of Calep Rodoam, and to Docap, prince of Damascus. He also sent into Arabia to Bolianuth, and into Caranthia to Hamelnuth. These five emirs, with twelve thousand picked Turkish horsemen, suddenly came to aid the inhabitants of Antioch. We, ignorant of all this, had sent many of our soldiers away to the other cities and fortresses;—for there are one hundred and sixty-five cities and fortresses throughout Syria which are in our power. But a little before they reached the city we attacked them, at three leagues distance, with seven hundred soldiers, on a certain plain, near the “Iron Bridge.”

God fought for us, his faithful servants, against them; for on that day, fighting in the strength that God gives, we conquered them and killed an innumerable multitude—God continually fighting for us—and we also carried back to the army more than two hundred of their heads, in order that the people might rejoice on that account. The emperor of Babylon also sent Saracen messengers to our army with letters, and through these he established peace and concord with us.

I am glad to tell you, dearest, what happened to us during Lent. The city of Antioch is about five leagues distant from the sea. Our princes had commanded a fortress to be built before one of the city gates which was between our camp and the sea; for the Turks, issuing daily from the gate, killed some of our men on the way to the sea. For this reason they sent the excellent Bohemond and Raymond, count of St. Gilles, down to the sea, with only sixty horsemen, in order that they might bring mariners to aid in this work. When, however, they were returning to us with those mariners, the Turks collected and army, fell suddenly upon our two leaders, and forced them to a perilous flight. In that unexpected flight we lost more than five hundred of our foot soldiers—to the glory of God. Of our horsemen, however, we lost only two, for certain. [..]

Our men, full of fury at these most evil tidings, prepared to die for Christ, and, deeply grieved for their brethren, rushed upon the sacrilegious Turks. They, enemies of God and of us, hastily fled before us and attempted to enter their city. But by God’s grace the affair turned out very differently; for when they attempted to cross a bridge built over the great river Moscholum, we followed them as closely as possible, killed many before they reached the bridge, forced many into the river, all of whom were killed, and we also slew many upon the bridge and very many at the narrow entrance to the gate. I am telling you the truth, my beloved, and you may rely upon it, that in this battle we killed thirty emirs (that is, princes) and three hundred other Turkish nobles, not counting the remaining Turks and pagans. Indeed, the number of Turks and Saracens killed is reckoned at twelve hundred and thirty, while of our own troops we did not lose a single man.

On the following day (Easter), while my chaplain, Alexander, was writing this letter in great haste, a party of our men, lying in wait for the Turks, fought a successful engagement with them and killed sixty horsemen, whose heads they brought to the army.

I can write to you only a few, dearest, of the many things which we have done. Although I am not able to tell you all that is in my mind, I trust that all is going well with you, and urge you to watch carefully over your possessions and to treat as you ought your children and your vassals. You will certainly see me just as soon as I can possibly return to you. Farewell.

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