Bohemund III of Antioch
Encyclopedia
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade.-Foundation:...
from 1163 to his death. He was a son of Constance of Antioch
Constance of Antioch
Constance of Antioch was the only daughter of Bohemund II of Antioch by his wife Alice, princess of Jerusalem. She was also Princess regnant of the Principality of Antioch from 1130 to her death.-Early life:...
by her first husband Raymond of Poitiers
Raymond of Antioch
Raymond of Poitiers was Prince of Antioch 1136–1149. He was the younger son of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine and his wife Philippa, Countess of Toulouse, born in the very year that his father the Duke began his infamous liaison with Dangereuse de Chatelherault.-Assumes control:Following the...
. His name is sometimes spelled Bohemund.
Early life
Bohemond's father was killed at the Battle of InabBattle of Inab
The Battle of Inab, also called Battle of Ard al-Hâtim or Fons Muratus, was fought on June 29, 1149, during the Second Crusade. The Syrian army of Nur ad-Din Zangi destroyed the Crusader army of Raymond of Antioch and the allied followers of Ali ibn-Wafa.-Background:Nur ad-Din had gained control...
in 1149, and his mother ruled as regent until he was old enough to rule on his own. Constance, however, married a second time, to Raynald of Châtillon
Raynald of Chatillon
Raynald of Châtillon was a knight who served in the Second Crusade and remained in the Holy Land after its defeat...
, who ruled as Prince of Antioch until being taken captive and imprisoned in Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
in 1160 (he remained there until 1176). Bohemond was by now of legal age to succeed, but Constance refused; King Baldwin III of Jerusalem
Baldwin III of Jerusalem
Baldwin III was king of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem, and the grandson of Baldwin II of Jerusalem.-Succession:...
intervened and declared Bohemond ruler of the principality. In 1163 Constance asked the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
for aid in order to maintain her rule; the citizens of Antioch then rioted and exiled her. She died later that year, allowing Bohemond to take full control.
Prince of Antioch
In 1164, Bohemond and Raymond III of TripoliRaymond III of Tripoli
Raymond III of Tripoli was Count of Tripoli from 1152 to 1187 and Prince of Galilee and Tiberias in right of his wife Eschiva.-Early life:...
marched out to relieve Harim, under siege from Nur ad-Din Zengi, but when Nur ad-Din retreated Bohemond led a charge against him. The ensuing battle
Battle of Harim
The Battle of Harim was fought on 12 August 1164 between the forces of Nur ad-Din Zangi and a combined army from the County of Tripoli, the Principality of Antioch, the Byzantine Empire and Armenia...
was a disaster and both Bohemond and Raymond were taken prisoner. King Amalric I of Jerusalem
Amalric I of Jerusalem
Amalric I of Jerusalem was King of Jerusalem 1163–1174, and Count of Jaffa and Ascalon before his accession. Amalric was the second son of Melisende of Jerusalem and Fulk of Jerusalem...
hastened back from his invasion of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to take control of the regency of Antioch; Bohemond was freed, for a large ransom (150,000 dinars), in 1165 with the intervention of Amalric and Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus, his nominal overlord; Manuel was also his brother-in-law, as he was married to Bohemond's sister Maria of Antioch
Maria of Antioch
Maria of Antioch was a Byzantine empress as the wife of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. She was the daughter of Constance of Antioch and her first husband Raymond of Poitiers...
. Nur ad-Din was always wary of Byzantine intervention in Syria, which may explain his quick release of Bohemond. Bohemond then visited Manuel in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, where he agreed to re-establish a Greek Patriarch in Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, Athanasius II. The Latin Patriarch
Latin Patriarch of Antioch
The Latin Patriarch of Antioch was an office created in 1098 by Bohemund, founder of the Principality of Antioch, one of the crusader states....
, Aimery of Limoges
Aimery of Limoges
Aimery or Aymery of Limoges , Aimerikos in Greek and Hemri in Armenian, was a Roman Catholic ecclesiarch in Frankish Outremer and the fourth Latin Patriarch of Antioch from c. 1140 until his death. Throughout his lengthy episcopate he was the most powerful figure in the Principality of Antioch...
, protested this and imposed an interdict
Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholic canon law, an interdict is an ecclesiastical censure that excludes from certain rites of the Church individuals or groups, who nonetheless do not cease to be members of the Church.-Distinctions in canon law:...
on the city. He did not return until Athanasius died in 1170.
In 1166 the future emperor Andronicus Comnenus, then only governor of Cilicia, arrived in Antioch, having heard of the beauty of Bohemond's sister Philippa
Philippa of Antioch
Philippa of Antioch was the younger daughter of Constance, Princess of Antioch and her first husband Raymond of Poitiers. She was Lady of Toron by her marriage to Humphrey II of Toron and she was a mistress of Andronikos I Komnenos, who had seduced her while he was a guest at her stepfather's...
. Their subsequent affair angered both Bohemond and Manuel, as Philippa was the sister of Manuel's wife and thus the relationship was considered incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous by the church. Andronicus was forced to flee to Jerusalem, where he also seduced Queen Theodora Comnena, an even closer relative.
In 1172 Bohemond invaded Armenia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
, in response to Mleh of Armenia
Mleh of Armenia
Mleh I , also Meleh I, was the eighth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” .The accomplishments during the reign of his elder brother, Thoros II placed Cilicia on a firm footing...
's alliance with Nur ad-Din. In 1177, along with Raymond III and Philip, Count of Flanders
Philip, Count of Flanders
Philip of Alsace was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. He succeeded his father Thierry of Alsace.-Count of Flanders:...
, who had arrived on pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
, Bohemond besieged Harim, but they could not recapture it and the siege was abandoned.
In 1180 Bohemond and Raymond attempted to intervene in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, which was at the time ruled by their kinsman Baldwin IV
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem , called the Leper or the Leprous, the son of Amalric I of Jerusalem and his first wife, Agnes of Courtenay, was king of Jerusalem from 1174 to 1185. His full sister was Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem and his nephew through this sister was the child-king Baldwin V...
, a leper
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
. Because Baldwin could have no heirs, it was vital that his sister Sibylla
Sibylla of Jerusalem
Sibylla of Jerusalem was the Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon from 1176 and Queen of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1190. She was the eldest daughter of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes of Courtenay, sister of Baldwin IV and half-sister of Isabella I of Jerusalem, and mother of Baldwin V of Jerusalem...
be married to a suitable candidate for the kingship. After the death of her first husband, William of Montferrat
William of Montferrat, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon
William of Montferrat , also called William Longsword , was the Count of Jaffa and Ascalon, the eldest son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg...
, Baldwin had been trying to negotiate another foreign marriage for her. Raymond and Bohemond, both firsts cousin of Baldwin and Sibylla, brought their forces into the kingdom with the intention of marrying her to one of their supporters, Baldwin of Ibelin
Baldwin of Ibelin
Baldwin of Ibelin, also known as Baldwin III of Ramla , was an important noble of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. He was the second son of Barisan of Ibelin, and was the younger brother of Hugh of Ibelin and older brother of Balian of Ibelin...
. The king pre-empted them by marrying her off to Guy of Lusignan
Guy of Lusignan
Guy of Lusignan was a Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of the prominent Lusignan dynasty. He was king of the crusader state of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194...
.
Excommunication
Around this time Bohemond left his wife TheodoraTheodora Komnene (Antioch)
Theodora Komnene was a niece of Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor, a possible daughter of John Komnenos and of Maria Taronitissa, and the second wife of Bohemond III, prince of Antioch.She was the mother of :* Constance...
, a niece of the recently-deceased Emperor Manuel, and married a woman named Sibylla, "who had the reputation of practicing evil arts" according to William of Tyre
William of Tyre
William of Tyre was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from a predecessor, William of Malines...
. He was excommunicated by Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
, and Antioch was placed under an interdict, but "to this...he paid slight attention. On the contrary, he continued on his wicked course with redoubled energy." He imprisoned Patriarch Aimery and other bishops and looted their churches. Opposition to Bohemond was led by Reynald Masoir. Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem
Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem
Heraclius or Eraclius , was archbishop of Caesarea and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.Heraclius was from the Gévaudan in Auvergne, France. Like his later rival William of Tyre he studied law at the University of Bologna: his contemporaries and friends included Stephen of Tournai and Gratian...
was sent to mediate in 1181, with Raynald of Châtillon, Raymond III of Tripoli, Arnold of Torroja, and Roger des Moulins, but Bohemond refused to acquiesce, and expelled the mediators as well as a number of his own nobles.
Collapse of Jerusalem
In 1183 Antioch was harassed by SaladinSaladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, with whom Bohemond then negotiated a peace treaty. He also sold Tarsus
Tarsus (city)
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
to Ruben III of Armenia
Ruben III of Armenia
Ruben III , also Roupen III, Rupen III, or Reuben III, was the ninth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” .Roupen remained always friendly to the Crusaders in spirit...
, in order to make Antioch more easily defensible. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Baldwin IV was becoming more and more incapacitated, and Raymond III had Sibylla's son from her first marriage, Baldwin V
Baldwin V of Jerusalem
Baldwin V of Jerusalem was the son of Sibylla of Jerusalem and her first husband, William of Montferrat...
, crowned co-king. He was supported in this by the nobles' party, including Bohemond. However, Baldwin IV died in 1185 and Baldwin V died as a child soon afterwards. Bohemond, Raymond, and the nobles could not prevent Guy and Sibylla from succeeding to the throne in 1186. Their reign was disastrous. The Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
was all but destroyed by Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
at the Battle of Hattin
Battle of Hattin
The Battle of Hattin took place on Saturday, July 4, 1187, between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the forces of the Ayyubid dynasty....
in 1187; Bohemond was not present, but his son Raymond was in the vanguard and escaped with Raymond of Tripoli. Saladin invaded Antioch afterwards, but Bohemond was able to defend his territory with help from a Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
fleet. Raymond of Tripoli died soon after Hattin, and had named Bohemond's elder son Raymond as his successor, but Bohemond ignored this and instead installed his second son, Bohemond IV, as count.
Later life and death
In 1190 Bohemond met the remnants of the German contingent arriving on the Third CrusadeThird Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
; Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
, had died on the way and some of his remains were buried in Antioch. He otherwise played little role in the crusade, preferring to remain neutral to avoid provoking Saladin. In 1194 Bohemond was captured by Leo II of Armenia
Leo II of Armenia
Leo II , also Leon II, Levon II or Lewon II was the tenth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” , and the first king of Armenian Cilicia .During his reign, Leo succeeded in establishing Cilician Armenia as a powerful and a unified Christian...
. Leo had seized the castle of Bagras
Bagras
Bagras or Baghras is the name of a town and nearby castle in İskenderun district of present-day Turkey, in the Amanus Mountains.The castle, properly known as Gastun provided a base for a force to cover the Syrian Gates, the passes between İskenderun and Antioch...
, on the northern border of Antioch, which had been captured by Saladin in 1189. Bohemond and the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, its original owners, demanded its return. Leo lured Bohemond to Bagras under pretense of a parley
Parley
Parley is a discussion or conference, especially one between enemies over terms of a truce or other matters. The root of the word parley is parler, which is the French verb "to speak"; specifically the conjugation parlez "you speak", whether as imperative or indicative.Beginning in the High Middle...
, captured him, and imprisoned him in Sis
Kozan, Adana
Kozan is a city in Adana Province, Turkey, 68 km north of the city of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of Kozan district. The Kilgen Stream, a tributary of the Ceyhan River , flows through Kozan crossing the plain south into the Mediterranean Sea....
. Under duress, Bohemond was compelled to cede the Principality to Leo. Bohemond was subsequently released through the mediation of Henry II of Champagne
Henry II of Champagne
Henry II of Champagne was count of Champagne from 1181 to 1197, and King of Jerusalem from 1192 to 1197, although he never used the title of king.- Early Life and Family :...
, King of Jerusalem, but was forced to abandon all claims to the suzerainity of Armenia. In addition, the two entered into a marital alliance in 1195: Bohemond's son Raymond married Alice of Armenia, the daughter of Leo's brother Ruben III.
Bohemond died in 1201, and the succession was disputed between his son Bohemond IV and Raymond-Roupen
Raymond-Roupen of Antioch
Raymond-Roupen of Antioch or Raimond Rupen de Poitiers was Prince of Antioch between 1205 and 1208 and between 1216 and 1219/1221 and "Rex Iunior" of Armenia between 1199 and 1221/1222....
, son of Raymond and Alice.
Family and children
- Orguilleuse d'Harenc (married 1168/1169/1170, died aft. March 1175, perhaps divorced ca 1175)
- Raymond IV of TripoliRaymond IV of TripoliRaymond IV of Tripoli was the count of Tripoli and prince regent of Antioch . He was the son of Bohemond III of Antioch and Orgueilleuse d'Harenc....
(died 1199), who married Alice (daughter of Ruben III of ArmeniaRuben III of ArmeniaRuben III , also Roupen III, Rupen III, or Reuben III, was the ninth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” .Roupen remained always friendly to the Crusaders in spirit...
) and was the father of Raymond-Roupen of AntiochRaymond-Roupen of AntiochRaymond-Roupen of Antioch or Raimond Rupen de Poitiers was Prince of Antioch between 1205 and 1208 and between 1216 and 1219/1221 and "Rex Iunior" of Armenia between 1199 and 1221/1222.... - Bohemond IV of Antioch (1172–1233).
- Raymond IV of Tripoli
- Theodora ComnenaTheodora Komnene (Antioch)Theodora Komnene was a niece of Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor, a possible daughter of John Komnenos and of Maria Taronitissa, and the second wife of Bohemond III, prince of Antioch.She was the mother of :* Constance...
, daughter of John Comnenus Ducas, Duke of Cyprus, and Maria Taronitissa (married 1175/1176/1177, divorced in 1180)- Constance de Poitiers, died young
- Manuel de Poitiers (1176 – 1211), unmarried and without issue
- Sibylle N (married 1180/1181, probably divorced ca 1199)
- Alix de Poitiers (died 1233), married 1204 Guy I Embriaco, lord of Gibelet (d. ca 1233)
- Guillaume de Poitiers, fl.FloruitFloruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1194
- Isabelle N (married ca 1199)
- Bohemond de Poitiers, Lord Consort of Boutron (died 1244), married N Plivane, the Heiress and Lady of Boutron, and had issue (they adopted their mother's title de Boutron as surname):
- Jean de Boutron (d. in prisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
aft. October 18, 1244 - Guillaume de Boutron, Lord of Boutron, Constable of Jerusalem, fl.FloruitFloruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1262, married Agnes de Sidon-Sagette, daughter of Balian of Sidon, and had issue, one son:- Jean de Boutron, Lord of Boutron (d. 1277) (1258–1277), married c. 1258 Lucie Embriaco de Giblet, without issue
- Jacques de Boutron, married Clarence Hazart, and had:
- Rostain de Boutron, Lord of Boutron (1282)
- Guillaume de Boutron
- Alix de Boutron, married Guillaume de Farabel, Seigneur de Puy, Constable of Tripoli (1282)
- Isabelle de Boutron, married Meillour de Ravendel, Lord of Makaclee
- Jean de Boutron (d. in prison
- Bohemond de Poitiers, Lord Consort of Boutron (died 1244), married N Plivane, the Heiress and Lady of Boutron, and had issue (they adopted their mother's title de Boutron as surname):
Sources
- Steven RuncimanSteven RuncimanThe Hon. Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman CH — known as Steven Runciman — was a British historian known for his work on the Middle Ages...
, A History of the Crusades, vols. II-III. Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1952-54. - William of TyreWilliam of TyreWilliam of Tyre was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from a predecessor, William of Malines...
, A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea, trans. E.A. Babcock and A.C. Krey. Columbia University PressColumbia University PressColumbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, history, social work, sociology,...
, 1943.