Crusading Warfare

Exploring the Military History of the Crusades

William James Hamblin
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Cilician Campaign 3
Adana
AD 1097/9/late - 10/early
Blue boxes reference primary
sources, and provide

Color coded
quotations from primary
sources.

Gold boxes contains

references to secondary
sources.

White boxes are summaries

of primary sources.
text boxes
Green text boxes are my
analysis, notes, commentary,
and explanations.
Philippopolis
Varna
Strategic Situation: Cilician Expedition 1097/09-10
Ardas a
Preslav Sinope Kur
Primary Sources: Cilician Expedition
Adrianople
Western
Albert 3.10-16
Constantinople
Rodosto →William 3.19-25
Trebizond
Caffaro —
is
Nicomedia Canso — ps

ios
am

gar
Civetot Iris Ekkehard — Ac
Neocaesarea

San
Y
Fulcher 1.14.3 h Aras
us Amasya e s ilirm Coru
c Cyzicus Nicaea ak
Sebenkarahisar →Bartolf 9
ani
Abydos Gr Tokat →Malmesbury —Theodosopolis
Teleboas
Sank 1 Gesta 2/10d-e =24-25

dacus
arya

u)
Erzincan

S
Sebastea )→Baldric 2.4c=35-36

at
a Su

ur
Rhyn
Ankyra ar
Divrigi(K →Orderic 9.8i-=65-67

(M
Dorylaeum →Guibert 3.13b=69-70
→Peter 4.2c-f=39-40
k
Pergamum Amorium i rma →Robertnias 3.20-23=116-117 Akhlat
Ha zi l Ars a
lys i
diz K Gilo —
He Ge
rm
us Philomelium Melitene Letters —
Smyrna Ralph 33-44
Comana
Antioch Caesarea Raymond —
William 3.19-25
k
yu

Meander Iconium
Bu

han
Coxon Diyarbakir
Eastern Christian
1 n

Sey
Laodicea y ha Anna —

Ti
Cilician Gates Ce

g
ris
Marash Mathew 2.113=166-167
Heraclea Michael —

s
Saru
Adana s
mu →Bar Hebraeus —
yr2a
P Edessa
1 Syriac —
Attalia
Goksu Tarsis
Mosul
Rhodes Cal
yca
Belen Pass Muslim
dnu
s Antioch AHC —
Studies (Cilician Armenia) Ibn al-Athir —
Seleucia Euphal-Qalanisi
Boase, T. “The History of the Kingdom” The Cilician St Simeon Aleppo Ibn rates {a490} —

Zab
Kingdom of Armenia, ed. T. Boase (1978), 1-33. Studies Kamal al-Din —

ater
Raqqa
Asbridge 140-147 Maqrizi {a490} —
Charanis, P. The Armenians in the Byzantine Empire.

Gre
Latakia Sibt {a490} —Rahba
(1963). France 193-195
•Forse, J. “Armenians and the First Crusade” Journal of Frankopan 149-151 Nicosia
Hama
Medieval History 17 (1991): 13-22 Rubenstein 135-140
Ghazarian, J. The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia During Runciman 1:195-202
Paphos Homs
the Crusades. (2015) Smail — Tripoli
 Vahka ♜
0 10 20 km Welf marches towards Adana 1097/08?
1- {1097/??} A Frankish (crusader?) adventurer
Anti-
3- Notes Tauru
named Welf, with a small band, breaks from s Mts
✝ the main army ahead of Tancred and Baldwin,
1- Constantine I of events in the capture of Adana from
The exact sequence
the Turks is uncertain. Ralph [40] mentions a conquest by
and marches into Cilicia. {1095-1103}
Phrygia stealth by the Armenians, While Albert [3.10]
Pardzerpert ♜ says the city was
Heraclea taken by a rogue crusader named Welf. I here attempt a Marash
Cilician Gates speculative merger of these two sources.
1 2- Welf/Guelf was either a pre-crusade Frankish mercenary Thoros
ains Sis
t in Byzantine service, or a crusader who broke from the main
n
ou army to try his fortune in Cilicia. Kogh
sM 3- Both Welf and the Armenians seem to have claimed that Vasil
uru 2- {1097/??} Welf probably encountered
they had taken and controlled Adana in order to boost their
Ta Armenian followers of Oshin. They
status with Tancred. The reality was that it seems to have been
Oshin march together to attempt to take Adana
a power-sharing condominium.
{1072-1097?}
 We from the Turks by stealth.

Lampron ♜
2
Ar
2
Aintab

Adana
Mamistra

Tarsus Ravendel ♜

Alexandretta

Belen Pass

Antioch
Sources Aleppo
Seleucia
Albert 3.10b (Yaghi-Siyan)
(Ridwan)
Ralph 40 {1086-1098}
William 3.20c-d
{1095-1113}
Antioch
Aleppo
 Vahka ♜
0 10 20 km Conquest of Adana 1097/08?
Anti-
Tauru
s Mts
Constantine I
{1095-1103}
Phrygia Pardzerpert ♜
Heraclea Marash
1b- Four Environmental/Strategic Zones
Cilician Gates
✝ 1a- {1097/early}
n s
1- Cities
2- Farmland
Thoros
[Ralph 40b] tai Sis
n 3- Pastures
ou served
Oshin: “For although the fields and the valleys
4- Mountains Kogh
M
miserably for a long time subjected to Turkish
s
ru was an
domination, I [Oshin and the Armenians] Turks dominated the pastures and fields; Armenians dominated Vasil
u
inhabitant of the mountains.” Ta the mountains. There was a struggle for control of the cities.
Oshin Only with the cities and mountains firmly in Armenian
{1072-1097?}
 control could the Turks be driven from the pastures and fields.
1
Lampron ♜

We
Aintab
Ar
2
Adana
2- {1097/??} Mamistra
🔥
[Ralph 40c-g]
Oshin (with the help of Welf’s warband?) plots to take 3
Tarsus Ravendel ♜
Adana from the Turks by hiding weapons in carts filled with
hay. Soldiers dressed as peasants brought the hay carts 3- {1097/??}
through the gate, then, taking their weapons from under the [Ralph 40b]
hay, they were able to seize the gate, and permit other The Turkish commander was captured [and held
Armenians soldiers (and Welf’s soldiers?) into the town. for ransom?] but the Armenians attacked “this
confused and mindless crowd [of Turks] and our
swords did not leave a single one alive.”
Alexandretta
3b- Note
According to medieval laws and customs of war—both Muslim
and Christian—when a city is captured Belenby
Pass
assault, the lives and
property of the inhabitants and garrison are forfeit.
If the city surrenders before an assault, then the lives and
Antioch
property of the citizens are protected, although they generally
Sources Aleppo
Seleucia
Albert 3.10b must pay a ransom or tribute. (Yaghi-Siyan)
(Ridwan)
Ralph 40 Specific terms for the surrender of a city{1086-1098}
were negotiated, for
William 3.20c example, what specific ransom was to be paid. If the attacker is {1095-1113}
strong, the terms are harsh; when the attackerAntioch
is weak, or needs a
quick strategic resolution of the siege, the terms are generous. Aleppo
 Vahka ♜
0 10 20 km Tancred invited to Adana 1097/09/late
Anti-
Tauru
Rupenids s Mts
Constantine I
{1095-1103} Pardzerpert ♜
Heraclea Marash
Cilician Gates
Thoros
ains Sis
n t
ou 1- {09/} Turkmen tribes probably continued Kogh
sM Vasil
uru to dominate the countryside, threatening the
Ta city, and perhaps limiting the control of
Oshin Adana to a day or two ride around the city.
{1072-1097?}

Lampron ♜ 1 Tu

Aintab
Ar
Adana
Mamistra
We
2
Tarsus Ta
2a- {09/late} Hearing of the crusader victory Ravendel ♜
Ba at Tarsus, and desiring help against the
Turkmen nomads, the Armenians of Adana
send messengers requesting aid from Tancred.

2b- Armenians already controlled Adana before the arrival of Alexandretta

Tancred. They sought his help because they were concerned
about maintaining control against Turkish power in the Belen Pass
countryside and Mamistra.

Antioch
Sources Aleppo
Albert 10
Seleucia (Yaghi-Siyan)
(Ridwan)
Ralph 39 {1086-1098}
{1095-1113}
William 3.20c
Antioch
Aleppo
 Vahka ♜
0 10 20 km Tancred invited to Adana 1097/09/late
Anti-
Tauru
Rupenids s Mts
Constantine I
{1095-1103} Pardzerpert ♜
Heraclea Marash
Cilician Gates
Thoros
ains Sis
n t
ou Kogh
sM Vasil
uru
Ta
Oshin
{1072-1097?}
 2- {9/late} Tancred is welcomed in Adana
by the Armenians and Welf, The crusaders
Lampron ♜ are provided with gifts and supplies;
Tancred’s army is able to recuperate there
Aintab
Ar 2
Adana
Mamistra
We
1
Tarsus Ta
Ravendel ♜
Ba 1- {1097/09/late}
[Albert 3.10a; +Ralph 37b]
“Although Tancred was sad when he saw Baldwin's
standard put up and his own taken away and thrown
down, he bore it patiently. He realized dissension was
mounting between his and Baldwin's followers because
of this exchange of flags, and because his own side was
weaker in numbers and in weapons he did not want toAlexandretta
waste any more time in this disagreement, but went
across to a neighboring town, called Adana.” Belen Pass

Antioch
Sources Aleppo
Albert 10
Seleucia (Yaghi-Siyan)
(Ridwan)
Ralph 37 {1086-1098}
{1095-1113}
William 3.20c-d
Antioch
Aleppo
 Crusading Warfare
Next = Cilicia 4- Mamistra

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