Bohemond I of Antioch Bohemond I ( also spelled Bohemund or Boamund ) ( – 3 March 1111 ) , Prince of Taranto and Prince of Antioch , was one of the leaders of the First Crusade . The Crusade had no outright military leader , but instead was ruled by a committee of nobles . Bohemond was one of the most important of these leaders . Early life . Bohemond was born in San Marco Argentano , Calabria , as the eldest son of the Norman nobleman Robert Guiscard , Duke of Apulia and Calabria , and his first wife Alberada of Buonalbergo . He was christened " " Mark " " at his baptism , but was nicknamed Bohemond ( after the legendary giant " Buamundus gigas " ) , by his father due to his size as an infant . The Norman monarchy he founded in Antioch survived those in both England and Sicily . According to the " Breve Chronicon Northmannicum " , Bohemond was in 1079 in command of a unit of his father ’ s army . Byzantine wars . Bohemond served under his father in the great attack on the Byzantine Empire ( 1080 – 1085 ) and commanded the Normans during Guiscard ' s absence ( 1082 – 1084 ) , penetrating into Thessaly as far as Larissa , but being eventually repulsed by Alexius I Comnenus . This early hostility to Alexius had a great influence in determining the course and policy of the Empire from the time of Bohemond ( whom his father had destined for the throne of Constantinople ) to that of Roger II of Sicily . It seems that Guiscard left his son with orders to continue the advance into the Byzantine west and perhaps as far as possible , even to Constantinople . Accordingly , in Spring 1082 , Bohemond left Kastoria and besieged Ioannina . In the region around Ioannina were settled Vlach " foederati " of the empire and Bohemond made peace with them , probably garnering their military support , for he left behind him many fortified places still in the hands of the Greeks . Alexius met Bohemond in battle in the environs of Ioannina , which the Norman had been ravaging . Both generals altered their strategies in light of prior engagements , but Bohemond was victorious and again near Arta a short while later . These defeats deeply hurt Byzantine prestige in the region and even Ochrid , seat of the Bulgarian archbishopric , submitted to the Normans . Bohemond stayed at Ochrid , though he could not take the citadel , and from there began organising the defence of his conquests . Alexius responded to Bohemond ' s ascendance by sowing dissension among his top officers . Bohemond then advanced on Larissa , where he intended to winter . The siege lasted six months until Alexius forced the Normans to retreat in the spring . Bohemond returned to Kastoria and was there besieged until the city fell in October or November 1083 . In 1084 , Guiscard and his other sons , Roger Borsa and Guy , arrived with a new army in Greece . In winter , Bohemond was ill and returned to Italy . Apulian succession crisis . When Robert Guiscard died on 17 July 1085 , Bohemond inherited his father ' s Adriatic possessions , which were soon lost to the Byzantines , while his younger half - brother Roger inherited Apulia and the Italian possessions . Happily for him , Bohemond was in Salerno at the time of the Guiscard ' s death while Roger was still in Greece . Roger and his mother Sichelgaita quickly returned to the peninsula . According to Orderic Vitalis , Bohemond fled to Capua in fear that Sichelgaita , who was rumoured to have poisoned Guiscard , would poison him . A better suggestion is that he wished to ally himself with Prince Jordan I of Capua in light of the alliance between Roger and his uncle , Count Roger I of Sicily , who had secured his nephew ' s recognition as duke in September . Bohemond , with Capuan support , rebelled against his brother and took Oria , Otranto , and Taranto . The brothers , however , made peace in March 1086 and acted as effective co - rulers . In late Summer 1087 , Bohemond renewed the war with the support of some of his brother ' s vassals . He surprised and defeated Roger at Fragneto ( Province of Benevento ) and retook Taranto . The war was finally resolved by the mediation of Pope Urban II and the award of Taranto and other possessions to Bohemond . Though Bohemond received a small principality ( an allod ial possession ) for himself in the heel of southern Italy , as compensation from Sichelgaita after renouncing his rights to the Duchy , he sought a greater status for himself . The chronicler Romoald of Salerno said of Bohemond that " he was always seeking the impossible . " First Crusade . In 1096 , Bohemond , along with his uncle Roger I of Sicily the great count of Sicily , was attacking Amalfi , which had revolted against Duke Roger , when bands of crusaders began to pass , on their way through Italy to Constantinople . The zeal of the crusader came upon Bohemond ; it is possible , however , that he saw in the First Crusade nothing more than a chance to carve for himself an eastern principality . Geoffrey Malaterra bluntly states that Bohemond took the Cross with the intention of plundering and conquering Greek lands . He gathered a Norman army , perhaps one of the finest in the crusading host , at the head of which he crossed the Adriatic Sea , and penetrated to Constantinople along the route he had tried to follow in 1082 – 1084 . He was careful to observe a " correct " attitude towards Alexius , and when he arrived at Constantinople in April 1097 he did homage to the emperor . He may have negotiated with Alexius about a principality at Antioch ; if he did so , he had little encouragement . From Constantinople to Antioch , Bohemond was the real leader of the First Crusade ; and it says much for his leadership that the First Crusade succeeded in crossing Asia Minor , which the Crusade of 1101 , the Second Crusade in 1147 , and the Third Crusade in 1189 failed to accomplish . The Emperor ' s daughter , Anna Comnena , leaves a good portrait of him in her Alexiad ; she met him for the first time when she was fourteen , and was quite fascinated by him . She left no similar portrait of any other Crusader prince . Of Bohemond , she wrote : Now [ Bohemond ] was such as , to put it briefly , had never before been seen in the land of the Romans [ that is , Greeks ] , be he either of the barbarians or of the Greeks ( for he was a marvel for the eyes to behold , and his reputation was terrifying ) . Let me describe the barbarian ' s appearance more particularly - - he was so tall in stature that he overtopped the tallest by nearly one cubit , narrow in the waist and loins , with broad shoulders and a deep chest and powerful arms . And in the whole build of the body he was neither too slender nor overweighted with flesh , but perfectly proportioned and , one might say , built in conformity with the canon of Polycleitus . . . His skin all over his body was very white , and in his face the white was tempered with red . His hair was yellowish , but did not hang down to his waist like that of the other barbarians ; for the man was not inordinately vain of his hair , but had it cut short to the ears . Whether his beard was reddish , or any other colour I cannot say , for the razor had passed over it very closely and left a surface smoother than chalk . . . His blue eyes indicated both a high spirit and dignity ; and his nose and nostrils breathed in the air freely ; his chest corresponded to his nostrils and by his nostrils . . . the breadth of his chest . For by his nostrils nature had given free passage for the high spirit which bubbled up from his heart . A certain charm hung about this man but was partly marred by a general air of the horrible . . . He was so made in mind and body that both courage and passion reared their crests within him and both inclined to war . His wit was manifold and crafty and able to find a way of escape in every emergency . In conversation he was well informed , and the answers he gave were quite irrefutable . This man who was of such a size and such a character was inferior to the Emperor alone in fortune and eloquence and in other gifts of nature . A politique , Bohemond was resolved to engineer the enthusiasm of the crusaders to his own ends ; and when his nephew Tancred left the main army at Heraclea Cybistra , and attempted to establish a footing in Cilicia , the movement may have been already intended as a preparation for Bohemond ' s eastern principality . Bohemond was the first to get into position before Antioch ( October 1097 ) , and he took a great part in the siege of the city , beating off the Muslim attempts at relief from the east , and connecting the besiegers on the west with the port of St Simeon and the Genoese ships which lay there . The capture of Antioch was due to his connection with Firouz , one of the commanders in the city ; but he would not bring matters to an issue until the possession of the city was assured him ( May 1098 ) , under the terror of the approach of Kerbogha with a great army of relief , and with a reservation in favour of Alexius , if Alexius should fulfill his promise to aid the crusaders . But Bohemond was not secure in the possession of Antioch , even after its surrender and the defeat of Kerbogha ; he had to make good his claims against Raymond of Toulouse , who championed the rights of Alexius . He obtained full possession in January 1099 , and stayed in the neighbourhood of Antioch to secure his position , while the other crusaders moved southward to the capture of Jerusalem . He came to Jerusalem at Christmas 1099 , and had Dagobert of Pisa elected as Patriarch , perhaps in order to check the growth of a strong Lotharingian power in the city . It might seem that Bohemond was destined to found a great principality in Antioch , which would dwarf Jerusalem ; he had a fine territory , a good strategic position and a strong army . But he had to face two great forces — the Byzantine Empire , which claimed the whole of his territories and was supported in its claim by Raymond of Toulouse , and the strong Muslim principalities in the north - east of Syria . Against these two forces he failed . Wars between Antioch and the Byzantine Empire . The town of Malatia , which guarded one of the Cilician Gates through the Taurus Mountains in the period after the First Crusade , had been by 1100 captured by an Armenia n soldier of fortune . Reports were received that the Malik Ghazi Danishmend ( Danishmend Emir ) , Ghazi Gümüştekin of Sivas , was preparing an expedition to capture Malatia , and the Armenians sought help from Bohemond . Afraid to weaken his forces at Antioch , but not wishing to avoid the chance to extend his domain northwards , Bohemond in August 1100 , marched north with only 300 knights and a small force of foot soldiers . Failing to send scouting parties they were ambushed by the Turks , and completely encircled at the Battle of Melitene . Bohemond managed to send one soldier to seek help from Baldwin of Edessa , but was captured and laden with chains , was confined in prison in Neo - Caesarea ( modern Niksar ) . He languished in prison until 1103 . Hearing of Bohemond ' s capture , Alexius I , incensed that Bohemond had broken his sacred oath made in Constantinople and kept Antioch for himself , offered to redeem the Norman commander and ransom Bohemond for 260 , 000 dinars , if Ghazi Gumushtakin would hand the prisoner over to Byzantium . When Kilij Arslan I , the Seljuk overlord of the Emir , heard of the proposed payment , he demanded half , or threatened to attack . Bohemond proposed instead a ransom of 130 , 000 dinars paid just to the Emir . The bargain was concluded and Ghazi and Bohemond exchanged oaths of friendship . Ransomed in 1103 by Baldwin of Edessa , he returned in triumph to Antioch in August 1103 . His nephew Tancred , who for three years and taken his uncle ' s place , had during that time attacked the Byzantines and added Tarsus , Adana and Massissa in Cilicia , but was now deprived of his lordship by Bohemond ' s return . Buoyed by Bohemond ' s return , the northern Franks over the summer of 1103 attacked Ridwan of Aleppo in order to gain supplies and compelled him to pay tribute . Meanwhile Raymond had established himself in Tripoli with the aid of Alexius , and was able to check the expansion of Antioch to the south , and so early in 1104 , Baldwin and Bohemond passed Aleppo to move eastward and attack Harran . But in heading an attack on Harran he was severely defeated at Balak , near Rakka on the Euphrates ( see Battle of Harran ) . The defeat was decisive ; it made impossible the great eastern principality which Bohemond had contemplated . It was followed by a Greek attack on Cilicia ; and despairing of his own resources , in late 1104 Bohemond returned to Europe for reinforcements in order to defend his position . It is a matter of historical debate how far his ' crusade ' to be directed against the Byzantine empire was to gain the backing and indulgences of pope Paschal II . Either way he enthralled audiences across France with gifts of relics from the Holy Land and tales of heroism while fighting the infidel , gathering a large army in the process . Henry I of England famously prevented him from landing on English shores , so great was his pull expected to be on the English nobility . His newfound status won him the hand of Constance , the daughter of the French king , Philip I . Of this marriage wrote Abbot Suger : Bohemond came to France to seek by any means he could the hand of the Lord Louis ' sister Constance , a young lady of excellent breeding , elegant appearance and beautiful face . So great was the reputation for valour of the French kingdom and of the Lord Louis that even the Saracens were terrified by the prospect of that marriage . She was not engaged since she had broken off her agreement to wed Hugh , count of Troyes , and wished to avoid another unsuitable match . The prince of Antioch was experienced and rich both in gifts and promises ; he fully deserved the marriage , which was celebrated with great pomp by the bishop of Chartres in the presence of the king , the Lord Louis , and many archbishops , bishops and noblemen of the realm . Dazzled by his success , Bohemond resolved to use his army of 34 , 000 men , not to defend Antioch against the Greeks , but to attack Alexius . He did so ; but Alexius , aided by the Venetians , proved too strong , and Bohemond had to submit to a humiliating peace ( the Treaty of Devol , 1108 ) , by which he became the vassal of Alexius , consented to receive his pay , with the title of " sebastos " , and promised to cede disputed territories and to admit a Greek patriarch into Antioch . Henceforth Bohemond was a broken man . He died six months later without returning to the East , and was buried at Canosa in Apulia , in 1111 . Bohemond I in literature and media . The anonymous " Gesta Francorum " is written by one of Bohemond ' s followers ; and " The Alexiad " of Anna Comnena is a primary authority for the whole of his life . A 1924 biography exists by Yewdale . See also the Gesta Tancredi by Ralph of Caen , which is a panegyric of Bohemond ' s second - in - command Tancred . His career is discussed by B von Kugler , " Bohemund und Tancred " ( 1862 ) ; while L von Heinemann , " Geschichte der Norniannen in Sicilien und Unteritalien " ( 1894 ) , and R . Röhricht , " Geschichte des ersten Kreuzzuges " ( 1901 ) , and " Geschichte das Königreichs Jerusalem " ( 1898 ) , may also be consulted for his history . The only major biography that exists in English is " Tancred : a study of his career and work in their relation to the First Crusade and the establishment of the Latin states in Syria and Palestine " by Robert Lawrence Nicholson . Details of his pre - crusade career can found in Geoffrey Malaterra ' s " Deeds of Count Roger . . . " . " Count Bohemund " by Alfred Duggan ( 1964 ) is an historical novel concerning the life of Bohemund and its events up to the fall of Jerusalem to the crusaders . Bohemond also appears in the historical novel " Silver Leopard " by F . Van Wyck Mason ( 1955 ) , the short story " The Track of Bohemond " in the collection " The Road of Azrael " by Robert E . Howard ( 1979 ) , and in the fantastical novel " Pilgermann " by Russell Hoban ( 1983 ) . The historical fiction novel " Wine of Satan " ( 1949 ) written by Laverne Gay gives an embellished accounting of the life of Bohemond .