Changes

After a hard march to the Holy Land, the army captured invested Nicaea in 1097.  By a combination of skillful fighting and skillful diplomacy, Alexius arrange for the surrender of the city to him after a successful Crusader-Byzantine assault on the outer walls.  The Crusaders were upset at Alexius' refusal to give them permission to sack the city.

After a hard march to the Holy Land, the army captured invested Nicaea in 1097.  By a combination of skillful fighting and skillful diplomacy, Alexius arrange for the surrender of the city to him after a successful Crusader-Byzantine assault on the outer walls.  The Crusaders were upset at Alexius' refusal to give them permission to sack the city.

The Crusaders continued to the southeast in parallel columns, without any one commander in charge.  After fighting the inconclusive [[Battle of Dorylaeum]], the army split in half. Tancred and Baldwin, brother of Godfrey of Lorraine and future King of Jerusalem, went east took the Armenian fortress-city of [[Edessa]] - an action that destroyed the support of many local Armenian Christians for the Crusade, and weakened its internal bonds, as Balwin and Tancred's men clashed over possession of the city, with Baldwin emerging triumphant. The main body of the army continued onward and besieged [[Antioch]].  The city was surrounded for 8 months from October 21, 1097 to June 3, 1098.  Two relieving armies were driven off in the [[Battles of Harenc]] in December and February.  Due to poor arrangements for supplies, the Crusading army was actually close to starvation, but was saved by the fortuitous arrival of English and Pisan flotillas which seized two nearby ports and brought provisions.  Bickering among the Crusader leaders, especially [[Bohemund]] and [[Raymond]] was rampant.  The initiative of Bohemund led to the capture of Antioch just 2 days before a relieving army of 75,000 strong under the atabeg of Mosul, [[Kerboga]] would arrived, delayed itself after a fruitless three-week long attempt to dislodge Baldwin from Edessa.

The Crusaders continued to the southeast in parallel columns, without any one commander in charge.  After fighting the inconclusive [[Battle of Dorylaeum]], the army split in half. Tancred and Baldwin, brother of Godfrey of Lorraine and future King of Jerusalem, went east took the Armenian fortress-city of [[Edessa]] - an action that destroyed the support of many local Armenian Christians for the Crusade, and weakened its internal bonds, as Baldwin and Tancred's men clashed over possession of the city, with Baldwin emerging triumphant. The main body of the army continued onward and besieged [[Antioch]].  The city was surrounded for 8 months from October 21, 1097 to June 3, 1098.  Two relieving armies were driven off in the [[Battles of Harenc]] in December and February.  Due to poor arrangements for supplies, the Crusading army was actually close to starvation, but was saved by the fortuitous arrival of English and Pisan flotillas which seized two nearby ports and brought provisions.  Bickering among the Crusader leaders, especially [[Bohemund]] and [[Raymond]] was rampant.  The initiative of Bohemund led to the capture of Antioch just 2 days before a relieving army of 75,000 strong under the atabeg of Mosul, [[Kerboga]] would arrived, delayed itself after a fruitless three-week long attempt to dislodge Baldwin from Edessa.

Now it was the Crusaders turn to be trapped inside the city as Kerboga sieged Antioch from June 5, to June 28, 1098.  The Crusaders were cut off from supplies and again near starvation.  A Byzantine army was coming to take the city as agreed, but hearing that the Crusaders were doomed, turned back to Constantinople.  It was then the 'Holy Lance' was discovered; the weapon said to have pierced Jesus' side.  While few historians or theologians believe this miraculous discovery was valid, it energized the Crusader army at just the time they needed it.  The [[Battle of the Orontes]] was fought on June 28 where 15,000 Crusaders left Antioch to battle and drove off the entire Moslem army and broke the siege, helped in part by the decision of several of the local emirs serving under Kerbogha to abandon him during the battle, fearing that he coveted their territory.

Now it was the Crusaders turn to be trapped inside the city as Kerboga sieged Antioch from June 5, to June 28, 1098.  The Crusaders were cut off from supplies and again near starvation.  A Byzantine army was coming to take the city as agreed, but hearing that the Crusaders were doomed, turned back to Constantinople.  It was then the 'Holy Lance' was discovered; the weapon said to have pierced Jesus' side.  While few historians or theologians believe this miraculous discovery was valid, it energized the Crusader army at just the time they needed it.  The [[Battle of the Orontes]] was fought on June 28 where 15,000 Crusaders left Antioch to battle and drove off the entire Moslem army and broke the siege, helped in part by the decision of several of the local emirs serving under Kerbogha to abandon him during the battle, fearing that he coveted their territory.