For other uses, see Siege of Nicaea (disambiguation)

The Siege of Nicaea took place from May 14 to June 19, 1097, during the First Crusade. Combatants Christendom, Catholicism West European Christians, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Seljuks, Arabs and other Muslims The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the dual goals of liberating the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslims and freeing the Eastern Christians from Muslim... Combatants Byzantine Empire Crusader States Seljuq Turks Strength Potential to raise 100,000 c. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Edgar I deposes Donald III to become king of Scotland. ... Iznik ceramic pitcher with flower decoration from ca. ... The Crusaders (formerly the Canterbury Crusaders) are a New Zealand Rugby Union team based in Christchurch, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14 (formerly the Super 12). ... Byzantine redirects here. ... The Sultanate of Rûm was a Seljuk sultanate in Anatolia from 1077 to 1307. ... Bohemund I of Antioch (c. ... Raymond IV of Toulouse (c. ... Godfrey of Bouillon, from a tapestry painted in 1420 Godfrey of Bouillon (c. ... Dawud Kılıj Arslan ibn Süleyman ibn Kutalmish (in Turkish Kılıç Arslan, قلج أرسلان Qïlïj Arslān d. ... Combatants Christendom, Catholicism West European Christians, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Seljuks, Arabs and other Muslims The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the dual goals of liberating the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslims and freeing the Eastern Christians from Muslim... 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. ... Combatants Crusaders Seljuk Turks Commanders Raymond of Toulouse Godfrey of Bouillon Bohemund of Taranto Yaghi-Siyan Kerbogha Strength 25,000[1] 75,000[2] Casualties Unknown Unknown For other uses please see Siege of Antioch (disambiguation) The Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098. ... Combatants Crusaders Fatimids Commanders Raymond of Toulouse Godfrey of Bouillon Iftikhar ad-Dawla Strength 1,500 knights 12,000 infantry 1,000 garrison Casualties Unknown At least 40,000 military and civilian dead The Siege of Jerusalem took place from June 7 to July 15, 1099 during the First Crusade. ... Combatants Kingdom of Jerusalem Fatimids Commanders Godfrey of Bouillon al-Afdal Shahanshah Strength Possibly 10 000 Possibly 50 000 Casualties Unknown Possibly 10-12 000 For the siege and capture of Ascalon in 1153, see Battle of Ascalon (1153) The Battle of Ascalon took place on August 12, 1099, and... Combatants Byzantine Empire Crusader States Seljuq Turks Strength Potential to raise 100,000 c. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Seljuk Turks Commanders Byzantine emperor Leader of the Seljuk Turks & Sultanate of Rum Strength Capable of raising 100,000 troops with theme system 30,000-40,000 of horsemen Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Caesarea occurred in 1064 when the Seljuk Turks under Alp Arslan attacked... Combatants Byzantine Empire Great Seljuk Sultanate Commanders Romanus IV #, Nikephoros Bryennios, Theodore Alyates, Andronikos Doukas Alp Arslan Strength ~ 20,000 [1] (40,000 initial) ~ 20,000 [2] - 70,000[1] Casualties ~ 8,000 [3] Unknown The Battle of Manzikert, or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuk Turkic... Combatants Byzantine Empire Seljuk Turks Commanders Byzantine emperor Leader of the Seljuk Turks Strength Unknown but assumed less than Seljuk Turks Unknown, but assumed more than Byzantine empire Casualties Unknown Unknown For other uses, see Siege of Nicaea (disambiguation) After the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Seljuk Turks had... Combatants Byzantine Empire Great Seljuk Sultanate Commanders Byzantine garrison Commander Malik Shah I Strength unknown unknown Casualties unknown unknown In 1071 the Seljuk Turks, originating from central Asia, had dealt a crushing defeat to the Byzantine Empire at Manzikert. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Sultanate of Rum Strength Unknown Unknown Following the success of the First Crusade and the failure of the Crusade of 1101, the Turks resumed their offensive operations against the Byzantines. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Sultanate of Rum Commanders Alexios I Komnenos Sultan Malik Shahr Strength Unknown Unknown Following the success of the First Crusade and the failure of the Crusade of 1101, the Turks resumed their offensive operations against the Byzantines. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Sultanate of Rüm Commanders Manuel I Comnenus Baldwin of Antioch † John Cantacuzenus Andronicus Vatatzes † Kilij Arslan II Strength About 25,000 (possibly 50,000?) 70,000 Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Myriokephalon, also known as the Myriocephalum, or Miryakefalon Savaşı in Turkish, was a battle... Combatants Seljuq Turks Commanders Unknown Sultan Kilij Arslan II Strength Unknown Unknown The siege of Cotyaeum was the successful capture of the city by Seljuk Turk forces from the Byzantines. ... Combatants Empire of Nicaea Sultanate of Rum Commanders Unknown Sultan Kai-Khusrau Strength Unknown Unknown The siege of Antalya was a successful Turkic capture of a southern-western port in Asia Minor. ... Combatants Empire of Nicaea Sultanate of Rum Commanders Unknown Sultan Kai-Khusrau Strength Unknown Unknown The Siege of Nicaea in 1210 was an unsuccessful attempt to take the capital of the Nicaean Empire by the Sultanate of Rum. ... Combatants Empire of Nicaea Sultanate of Rum Commanders Unknown Unknown Strength Unknown Unknown Sometime before 1231, the Nicaean Empire succeeded in driving back the Turks from the Meander valley and thus reestablishing Christian rule over some parts of Anatolia that had been lost after 1180. ... Siege of Nicaea may refer to: Siege of Nicaea (1097), part of the First Crusade. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Edgar I deposes Donald III to become king of Scotland. ... Combatants Christendom, Catholicism West European Christians, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Seljuks, Arabs and other Muslims The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the dual goals of liberating the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslims and freeing the Eastern Christians from Muslim...

Background

Nicaea, located on the eastern shore of Lake Ascanius, had been captured from the Byzantine Empire by the Seljuk Turks in 1077, and formed the capital of the Sultanate of Rüm. In 1096, the People's Crusade, the first stage of the First Crusade, had plundered the land surrounding the city, before being destroyed by the Turks. As a result, Sultan Kilij Arslan I initially felt that the second wave of crusaders were not a threat. He left his family and his treasury behind in Nicaea and went east to fight the Danishmends for control of the Melitene. Iznik ceramic pitcher with flower decoration from ca. ... Byzantine redirects here. ... The Seljuk coat of arms was a double headed eagle The Seljuk Turks (also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq; in modern Turkish Selçuklular; in Persian سلجوقيان SaljÅ«qiyān; in Arabic سلجوق SaljÅ«q, or السلاجقة al-Salājiqa) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turks and a dynasty that ruled parts of... Events January 26 - Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor visits Pope Gregory VII as a penitent, asking him remove sentence of excommunication Robert Curthose instigates his first insurrection against his father, William the Conqueror Seljuk Turks capture Nicaea Süleyman I of Rüm becomes the leader of the Sultanate of... The Sultanate of Rûm was a Seljuk sultanate in Anatolia from 1077 to 1307. ... Events Bernhard becomes Bishop of Brandenburg First documented teaching at the University of Oxford Beginning of the Peoples Crusade, the German Crusade, and the First Crusade Vital I Michele is Doge of Venice Peter I, King of Aragon, conquers Huesca Phayao, now a province of Thailand, is founded as... The Peoples Crusade is part of the First Crusade and lasted roughly six months from April 1096 to October. ... Dawud Kılıj Arslan ibn Süleyman ibn Kutalmish (in Turkish Kılıç Arslan, قلج أرسلان Qïlïj Arslān d. ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... The Danishmend dynasty was a Turcoman dynasty ruling in eastern Anatolia in the 11th and 12th centuries. ... Malatya is a city in south-eastern Turkey, and the capital of Malatya Province. ...

Crusader siege

The crusaders began to leave Constantinople at the end of April 1097. Godfrey of Bouillon was the first to arrive at Nicaea, with Bohemund of Taranto, Bohemond's nephew Tancred, Raymond IV of Toulouse, and Robert II of Flanders following him, along with Peter the Hermit and some of the survivors of the People's Crusade, and a small Byzantine force under Manuel Boutoumites. They arrived on May 6, severely short on food, but Bohemund arranged for food to be brought by land and by sea. They put the city to siege beginning on May 14, assigning their forces to different sections of the walls, which were well-defended with 200 towers. Bohemund camped on the north side of the city, Godfrey on the east, and Raymond and Adhemar of Le Puy on the south. This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... Godfrey of Bouillon, from a tapestry painted in 1420 Godfrey of Bouillon (c. ... Bohemond looks on as a fellow Frank climbs the ladder, in an engraving by Gustave Doré. Bohemond I (also spelled Bohemund or Boamund; c. ... Tancred (1072 - 1112) was a leader of the First Crusade, and later became regent of the Principality of Antioch and Prince of Galilee. ... Raymond IV of Toulouse (c. ... Robert II of Flanders (c. ... Peter the Hermit shows the crusaders the way to Jerusalem. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A mitred Adhemar carrying the Holy Lance in battle. ...

Defeat of Kilij Arslan

On May 16, the Turkish defenders sallied out to attack them, but they were defeated in a skirmish with the loss of 200 men. The Turks sent messages to Kilij Arslan begging him to return, and when he realized the strength of the crusaders he quickly turned back. An advance party was defeated by troops under Raymond and Robert of Flanders on May 20, and on May 21, the crusader army defeated Kilij in a pitched battle which lasted long into the night. Losses were heavy on both sides but in the end the Sultan retreated, despite the pleas of the Nicaean Turks. The rest of the crusaders arrived throughout the rest of May, with Robert Curthose (accompanied by Ralph de Guader) and Stephen of Blois arriving at the beginning of June. Meanwhile Raymond and Adhemar built a large siege engine, which was rolled up to the Gonatas Tower in order to engage the defenders on the walls while sappers mined the tower from below. The tower was damaged but no further progress was made. is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert II (called Curthose for his short squat appearance) (c. ... Ralph de Guader (otherwise Radulf Waders or Ralph Wader) (c. ... Stephen II Henry (c. ... Replica battering ram at Château des Baux, France. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Undermining. ...

Byzantine arrival

Byzantine emperor Alexius I chose not to accompany the crusaders, but marched out behind them and made his camp at nearby Pelecanum. From there, he sent boats, rolled over the land, to help the crusaders blockade Lake Ascanius, which had up to this point been used by the Turks to supply Nicaea with food. The boats arrived on June 17, under the command of Manuel Boutoumites. The general Tatikios was also sent, with 2000 footsoldiers. Alexius had instructed Boutoumites to secretly negotiate the surrender of the city without the crusaders' knowledge. Taticius was instructed to join with the crusaders and make a direct assault on the walls, while Boutoumites would pretend to do the same to make it look as if the Byzantines had captured the city in battle. This was done, and on June 19 the Turks surrendered to Boutoumites. This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus Alexius I (1048–August 15, 1118), Byzantine emperor (1081–1118), was the third son of John Comnenus, the nephew of Isaac I Comnenus (emperor 1057–1059). ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Tatikios or Taticius (died after 1099) was a Byzantine general during the reign of Alexius I Comnenus. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

When the crusaders' discovered what Alexius had done, they were quite angry, as they had hoped to plunder the city for money and supplies. Boutoumites, however, was named dux of Nicaea and forbade the crusaders from entering in groups larger than 10 men at a time. Boutoumites also expelled the Turkish generals, whom he considered just as untrustworthy (and indeed, these men tried to take their Byzantine guides hostage on their way to meet with the emperor). Kilij Arslan's family went to Constantinople and were eventually released without ransom. Alexius gave the crusaders money, horses, and other gifts, but the crusaders were not pleased with this, believing they could have had even more if they had captured Nicaea themselves. Boutoumites would not permit them to leave until they had all sworn an oath of vassalage to Alexius, if they had not yet done so in Constantinople. As he had in Constantinople, Tancred at first refused, but he eventually gave in. Look up vassal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Aftermath

The crusaders left Nicaea on June 26, in two contingents: Bohemond, Tancred, Robert of Flanders, and Taticius in the vanguard, and Godfrey, Baldwin of Boulogne, Stephen, and Hugh of Vermandois in the rear. Taticius was instructed to ensure the return of captured cities to the empire. Their spirits were high, and Stephen wrote to his wife Adela that they expected to be in Jerusalem in five weeks. On July 1, they defeated Kilij at the Battle of Dorylaeum, and by October they reached Antioch; they would not reach Jerusalem until two years after leaving Nicaea. is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Adela of Blois (c. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Antakya. ...

Foot notes

Sources

• Anna Comnena, Alexiad
• Fulcher of Chartres, Historia Hierosolymitana
• Gesta Francorum (anonymous)
• Raymond of Aguilers, Historia francorum qui ceperunt Jerusalem
• Hans E. Mayer, The Crusades. Oxford, 1965.
• Jonathan Riley-Smith, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading. Philadelphia, 1986.
• Steven Runciman, The First Crusaders, 1095-1131. Cambridge University Press, 1951.
• Kenneth Setton, ed., A History of the Crusades. Madison, 1969-1989 (available online).
• Warren Treadgold, A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, 1997.
• David Nicolle, The First Crusade 1096-1099: Conquest of the Holy Land, Osprey Publishing, 2003.
• John H. Pryor, Logistics of Warfare in the Age of the Crusades, Ashgate Publishing Ltd. 2006.