Principality of Antioch
In 1100, Zardana was briefly under the control of the Principality of Antioch, a Crusader state based in Antioch near the Mediterranean coast. In June of that year, Bohemond I of Antioch defeated the Muslim leader Ridwan of Aleppo with the help of Crusader forces based in Zardana. Zardana, which was a strategic fortress between Antioch and Aleppo, was apparently reoccupied by the Muslims soon after. However, in 1110, Tancred easily captured the town from the Muslims after the successful siege he laid against nearby Atarib. The two towns subsequently marked the eastern frontier of the Principality of Antioch. A few years later both towns suffered severe damage as a result the 1138 Aleppo earthquake. From the time of its conquest by the Crusaders, Robert fitz-Fulk, served as the lord of Zardana, and due to the town's strategic value, became a powerful figure in the Principality of Antioch.