The Battle of Dorylaeum took place during the First Crusade on July 1, 1097, between the crusaders and the Seljuk Turks, near Dorylaeum in Anatolia. The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... Events Edgar I deposes Donald III to become king of Scotland. ... Dorylaeum was an ancient city in Anatolia. ... This article is about the medieval Crusades . ... This article is about the medieval Crusades . ... The Seljuk Turks (Turkish: Selçuk; Arabic: سلجوق SaljÅ«q, السلاجقة al-Salājiqa; Persian: سلجوقيان SaljÅ«qiyān; also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turks and a dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries. ... Bohemund I of Antioch (c. ... Godfrey of Bouillon (c. ... Adhemar (also known as Adémar, Aimar, or Aelarz) de Monteil (d. ... Dawud Kılıj Arslan ibn Süleyman ibn Kutalmish (قلج أرسلان Qïlïj Arslān 1079 - 1107) was the Seljuk sultan of Rüm from 1092 until his death. ... The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims. ... The Peoples Crusade is part of the First Crusade and lasted roughly six months from April 1096 to October. ... The German Crusade of 1096 is that part of the First Crusade in which peasant crusaders, mostly from Germany, attacked not Muslims but Jews. ... The Siege of Nicaea took place from May 14 to June 19, 1097, during the First Crusade. ... The Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098. ... The Siege of Jerusalem took place from June 7 to July 15, 1099 during the First Crusade. ... The Battle of Ascalon took place on August 12, 1099, and is often considered the last action of the First Crusade. ... The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade, actually three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade. ... The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... Events Edgar I deposes Donald III to become king of Scotland. ... This article is about the medieval Crusades . ... The Seljuk Turks (Turkish: Selçuk; Arabic: سلجوق SaljÅ«q, السلاجقة al-Salājiqa; Persian: سلجوقيان SaljÅ«qiyān; also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turks and a dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries. ... Dorylaeum was an ancient city in Anatolia. ... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολή anatolÄ“ or anatolí, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish associated with Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asian portion...

Background

The crusaders had left Nicaea on June 26, with a deep distrust of the Byzantines, who had taken the city without their knowledge after a long siege. In order to simplify the problem of supplies, the Crusader army had had split into two groups: the weaker led by Bohemund of Taranto, his nephew Tancred, Robert Curthose, Robert of Flanders, and the Byzantine general Taticius in the vanguard, and Godfrey of Bouillon, his brother Baldwin of Boulogne, Raymond IV of Toulouse, Stephen, and Hugh of Vermandois in the rear. Nicaea (now İznik) is a city in Anatolia (now part of Turkey) which is known primarily as the site of two major meetings (or Ecumenical councils) in the early history of the Christian church. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centred at its capital in Constantinople. ... The Siege of Nicaea took place from May 14 to June 19, 1097, during the First Crusade. ... Bohemund I of Antioch (c. ... Tancred (1072 - 1112) was a leader of the First Crusade, and later became regent of the Principality of Antioch and Prince of Galilee. ... Robert (called Curthose for his short squat appearance) (c. ... Robert II of Flanders (c. ... Taticius was a Byzantine general during the reign of Alexius I Comnenus. ... Vanguard can mean: A vanguard is the forward division in an army. ... Godfrey of Bouillon (c. ... Baldwin of Boulogne (died 1118), count of Edessa (1098—1100), then the second monarch and first titled king of Jerusalem (1100—1118), was the brother of Godfrey of Bouillon, son of Eustace II of Boulogne. ... Raymond IV of Toulouse (c. ... Stephen II Henry (c. ... Hugh of Vermandois (1053 - October 18, 1101), was son to King Henry I of France and Anne of Kiev, and the younger brother of King Philip I of France. ...

On June 29, they learned that the Turks were planning an ambush near Dorylaeum (Bohemond noticed his army being shadowed by Turkish scouts). The Turkish force, consisting of Kilij Arslan I and his ally Hasan of Cappadocia, along with help from the Danishmendids, led by the Turkish prince Ghazi ibn Danishmend, the Persians, and the Caucasian Albanians, numbered about 150,000 men according to Raymond of Aguilers (Fulcher of Chartres gives the exaggerated number of 360,000). Contemporary figures place this number at between 25,000 - 30,000. June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... Dawud Kılıj Arslan ibn Süleyman ibn Kutalmish (قلج أرسلان Qïlïj Arslān 1079 - 1107) was the Seljuk sultan of Rüm from 1092 until his death. ... Cappadocia in 188 BC In ancient geography, Cappadocia (Greek: Καππαδοκία) was an extensive inland district of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). ... The Danishmend dynasty was a Turcoman dynasty ruling in eastern Anatolia in the 11th and 12th centuries. ... The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Raymond of Aguilers was a chronicler of the First Crusade (1096-1099). ... Fulcher of Chartres (born around 1059 in or near Chartres) was a chronicler of the First Crusade. ...

In addition to large numbers of non-combattants, Bohemond's force probably numbered about 10,000, the majority on foot. Military figures of the time often imply perhaps several men at arms per knight (i.e., a stated force of 500 knights is assumed to contain perhaps 1,500 men at arms in addition), so it seems reasonable that Bohemond had with him approximately 8,000 men at arms and 2,000 Chivalry.

On the evening of June 30, after a three day march, Bohemond's army made camp in a meadow on the north bank of the river Thymbres, near the ruined town of Dorylaeum (Many scholars believe that this is the cite of the modern city of Eskişehir). EskiÅŸehir is the capital of EskiÅŸehir Province, Turkey. ...

Battle

On July 1 Bohemund's force was surrounded outside Dorylaeum by Kilij Arslan. Godfrey and Raymond had separated from the vanguard at Leuce, and the Turkish army attacked at dawn, taking Bohemond's army (not expecting such a swift attack) entirely by suprise, firing arrows into the camp. Bohemond's knights had quickly mounted but their sporadic counter-attacks were unable to deter the Turkish. The Turks were riding into camp, cutting down non-combattants and unarmored foot soldiers, who were unable to outrun the Turkish horses and were too disoriented and panic-stricken to form lines of battle. To protect the unarmored foot and non-combattants, Bohemond ordered his knights to dismount and form a defensive line, and with some trouble gathered the foot-soldiers and the non-combatants into the centre of the camp; the women acted as water-carriers throughout the battle. While this formed a battle line and sheltered the more vulnerable men at arms and non-combattants, it also gave the Turkish free reign to maneuver on the battlefield. The Turkish mounted archers attacked in their usual style - charging in, firing their arrows, and quickly retreating before the crusaders could counterattack. The archers did little damage to the heavily armoured knights, but they inflicted heavy casualties on the horses and unarmoured foot soldiers. Bohemond had sent messengers to the other Crusader army and now struggled to hold on until help arrived, and his army was being forced back to the bank of the Thymbris river. The marshy riverbanks protected the Crusaders from mounted charge, as the ground was too soft for horses, and the armored knights formed a circle protecting the foot-soldiers and non-combattants from arrow fire, but the Turkish kept their archers constantly supplied and the sheer number of arrows was taking its toll, reportedly more than 2,000 falling to horse-archers. Bohemond's knights were impetuous - although ordered to stand ground, small groups of knights would periodically break ranks and charge, only to be slaughtered or forced back as the Turkish horses fell back beyond range of their swords and arrows, while still firing at them with arrows, killiing many of the knights horses out from under them. And although the knights armor protected them well (the Turks called them 'men of iron') the sheer number of arrows meant that some would find unprotected spots and eventually, after so many hits, a knight would collapse from his wounds. A silver statue of an armoured knight, created as a trophy in 1850 For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ...

Just after mid-day, Godfrey arrived with a force of 50 knights, fighting through the Turkish lines to reinforce Bohemond. Through the day small groups of reinforcemends (also from Raymond, and Hugh, as well as Godfrey) arrived, some killed by the Turks, others fighting to reach Bohemond's camp. As the Crusader losses mounted, the Turks became more aggressive and the Crusader army found itself forced from the marshy banks of the river into the shallows. But the Crusaders held on, and after approximately 7 hours of battle, Raymond's knights arrived (unclear if Raymond was with them, or if they arrived ahead of Raymond), lauching a vicious suprise attack across the Turkish flank that turned them back in disarray and allowed the Crusaders to rally. The Crusaders had formed a line of battle with Bohemund, Tancred, Robert of Normandy, and Stephen on the left wing, Raymond, Robert of Flanders in the centre and Godfrey, Robert of Flanders, and Hugh on the right, and they rallied agains the Turks, proclaiming "hodie omnes divites si Deo placet effecti eritis" ("today if it pleases God you will all become rich"). Although the ferocity of the Norman attack took the Turkish by suprise, they were unable to dislodge the Turks until a force led by Bishop Adhemar of Le Puy, the Papal legate, arrived in mid-afternoon, perhaps with Raymond in the van, moving around the battle through concealing hills and across the river, outflanking the archers on the left and suprising the Turkish from the rear. Adhemar's force fell on the Turkish camp, and attacked the Turkish from the rear. The Turkish were terrified by the sight of their camp in flames, and by the ferocity and endurance of the knights, since the knights armor protected them from arrows and even many sword cuts, and they promptly fled, abandoning their camp and forcing Kilij Arslan to withdraw from the battlefield. Adhemar (also known as Adémar, Aimar, or Aelarz) de Monteil (d. ...

Aftermath

The crusaders did indeed become rich, at least for a short time, after capturing Kilij Arslan's treasury. The Turks fled and Arslan turned to other concerns in his eastern territory, and the crusaders were allowed to march virtually unopposed through Anatolia on their way to Antioch. It took almost three months to cross Anatolia in the heat of the summer, and in October they began the siege of Antioch. The city of Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern Antakya; Greek Αντιόχεια) is located in what is now Turkey. ... The Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098. ...

Second battle of Dorylaeum

The second Battle of Dorylaeum took place at Dorylaeum on October 25, 1147, during the Second Crusade. Conrad III, running out of provisions, stopped there to rest, and his army was annihilated by the Turks. The Germans were unable to continue the Crusade, and Conrad made his way to the army led by Louis VII of France, although the Crusade eventually failed completely. October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... Events King Afonso I of Portugal and the Crusaders capture Lisbon from Muslims First written mention of Moscow. ... The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year. ... Conrad III (1093-1152), the first German king of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia. ... Louis VII the Younger (French: Louis VII le Jeune) (1120 – September 18, 1180) was King of France from 1137 to 1180. ...

Sources

• Albert of Aix, Historia Hierosolymitana
• Fulcher of Chartres, Historia Hierosolymitana
• Gesta Francorum
• Hans E. Mayer, The Crusades. Oxford, 1965.
• Raymond of Aguilers, Historia francorum qui ceperunt Jerusalem
• Jonathan Riley-Smith, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading. Philadelphia, 1999.
• Steven Runciman, The First Crusaders, 1095-1131. Cambridge University Press, 1951.
• Kenneth Setton, ed., A History of the Crusades. Madison, 1969-1989 (available online).