Deeds of the Franks, Book 9, Chapter 29

After a complete fast lasting three days, and celebratory processions from one church to the another, they confessed their sins and faithfully took the communion of Christ's body and blood. And after they gave alms, they celebrated mass. Then, they set up six unwavering battle lines beyond the city. In the first line, was the most important, namely Hugo the Great (brother of the king of France) with the Frankish people and the Count of Flanders. In the second was Duke Godfrey with his own army. In the third was Robert the Norman with his knights. In the fourth was the Bishop of Le Puy carrying with him the lance of our Savior with his own people and with the army of Raymond, Count of St. Giles, who had remained above to guard the citadel for fear of the Turks that they not descend into the city. In the fifth line was Tancred, with his own people. In the sixth was Bohemond, with his knights. Our bishops, priests, clerics, and monks, having put on their sacred vestments, exited with us, begging and praying to the Lord that he would save us and guard us and deliver us from all evil. Others were standing on the wall by the gate, holding sacred crosses in their hands, making the sign of the cross and blessing us. Thus we were arranged, and protected by the sign of the cross, and we exited through the gate which was before the mosque.

Afterwards Curbara saw the battle lines of the Franks exit so beautifully arranged one after the other, said: "Allow them to exit so that we would better have them in our power." After we were outside the city and Curbara saw the people of the Franks, he was greatly afraid. So he ordered his own emir, who had all under his care, that if he would see a rising fire at the head of the host, on the spot he should have this heralded, and all the army should withdraw, knowing the Turks to have lost the battle.

Without delay, Curbara began to withdraw back towards the mountain, and our men pursued them little by little. Then the Turks divided and one part went towards the sea and the other part stood there, reckoning to pin us between the two. Our men, seeing this, did the same. Then there were seven battle lines arranged, from the line of Duke Godfrey and of the count of Normandy and the head of this last was Count Raynald. They were sent out to meet the Turks, who were coming from the direction of the sea. Moreover the Turks battled with them and many of our men were killed with arrows. And there was another troop arranged by the river all the way to the mountain, which stood apart by two milestones. Troops began to come out from both parts and surrounded our men on both sides, throwing missiles, firing arrows and wounding them.

Also from the mountains, an uncountable army came out, having white horses and the standards they were carrying were all of white. Our men, seeing this army, were not knowing what this was and who they were, then they recognized the aid of Christ, whose generals were saints, St. George, St. Mercurius and St. Demetrius. These words must be believed since many of our men saw this.

Then the Turks, who were standing on the side of the sea, seeing that they were not able to endure more, set fire to the grass so that those, who were with the tents, seeing this, fled. And those, recognizing this signal, seized all honorable spoils and fled. Our men were soldiering little by little to where the greatest strength of them was, that is by their tents. Duke Godfrey, the Count of Flanders and Hugo the Great were riding next to the water where the strength of them was. These men, fortified with the sign of the cross, jointly attacked them first. The other battle lines, seeing this, similarly attacked the others. But the Persians and the Turks were crying out. And thus we, invoking the living and true God, rode against them and we began the battle in the name of Jesus Christ and the Sacred Sepulcher, and with God aiding us, we defeated them.

Then the Turks, trembling, took flight, and our men pursued them up to their tents. These soldiers of Christ loved to hunt down the Turks more than to seek spoils. And they pursued them all the way to the Iron Bridge, and then all the way to Tancred's Castle. They threw away their tents, gold, silver, many ornaments, also sheep and cattle, horses and mules, camels and asses, grain and wine, white and many other things which were necessary to us.

The Armenians and Syrians, who were living in those parts, hearing that we had defeated the Turks, came running to the mountains to attack them, and however many of them they captured, they killed. We however, returning to the city with great joy, praised and blessed God, who gave this victory to his own people.

The emir, who was guarding the citadel, seeing Curbara and all the others fleeing from the field before the army of Franks, was more afraid. Immediately with a great hurry, he was seeking the standard of the Franks. Therefore the Count of St. Giles, who was standing in front of the citadel, ordered his own standard to be carried to him. The emir accepted it and carefully placed in on a tower. Immediately the Longobards said, who were standing there with him: "This standard is not Bohemond's." He asked them: "Whose is it?" They said: "Count of St. Giles." The emir went and got it, and taking down the standard, returned to the count. At that very hour, the venerable Bohemond came and gave him his own standard. He moreover received it with great joy and entered into an agreement with Lord Bohemond so that the pagans who wished to receive Christian would be with him(Bohemond) and those who wished to go away, would be permitted to leave whole and unhurt. Bohemond agreed to whatever the emir proposed and immediately sent his servants into the citadel. The emir was baptized after not many days, with his people who preferred to recognize Christ. Those who wanted to hold to their own laws, Lord Bohemond had given safe conduct to the land of the Saracens.

This battle had been fought on the fourth day before the Kalends of July, on the vigil of the apostles Peter and Paul, reigning by the Lord, our Jesus Christ, to whom is honor and glory in eternal ages. Amen.

Gustave Dore made a number of really nice illustrations for some book on the Crusades. The above illustration is called 'Bohemond and Tancred in Battle'. Nice to see that the Crusaders could be merciful, seeing what happens in Jerusalem. Maybe Bohemond should have been there to prevent the slaughter.

Deeds of the Franks, Book 9, Chapter 28

Then, hearing the words of he who carried back the revelation through words of the apostle of Christ,hurrying we immediately went to that place in the church of St. Peter that he had shown him. And thirteen men dug there from morning until evening, and thus that man found the lance just as he indicated. And they accepted it with great joy and fear, and a great happiness had arisen in the whole city. From that hour, we accepted among ourselves the plan to fight. After this our leaders got an assembly together, seeing that they would send a messenger to the Turks, the enemies of Christ, who would argue through an interpreter with them through carefully chosen words asking how they could intrude so very arrogantly into the land of Christians, and why they have encamped there, and why they would kill and harass the servants of Christ. And when they were done speaking, they found two men, namely Peter the Hermit and Herluin and said this to them: "Go to the accursed army of the Turks and carefully tell them about all this, asking them why they so daringly and most arrogantly intrude on the land of Christians and our own."

This being said, the messengers withdrew and came to that profane assembly, saying all the words that had been sent to Curbara and the others thus: "Our leaders and siegneurs wonder greatly enough at how rashly and most arrogantly you intrude on the land of Christians and their own. We reckon and believe that perhaps as you have therefore come here, you wish above all to be baptized as Christians, or perhaps you have come here to punish the Christians? Therefore they ask you that you all quickly withdraw from the land of God and Christians, which blessed Peter the Apostle formerly now by his preaching turned back to Christ. But they would permit this to you that you take away your things, such as mules, horses, asses, and camels, also your sheep and cattle and all other items with you as you will be willing to bear."

Then Curabara, the prince of the army of the Sultan of Persia, with all others, responded full of arrogance and ferocity by this speech: "We do not desire or want your God or your Christianity, and we reject you and all with you. Now we will come against you, because we wonder greatly how your seigneurs and leaders, whom you call to mind, can call this land to be their own which we have taken away from an effeminate people? Therefore, go back as fast as you can and say to your leaders, if they desire above all to be baptized as Turks, that they wish to deny their god to whom they incline their necks and reject your laws, we will give them this land and more as well, and the city and citadel. Moreover none of your men will remain foot soldiers but they will be all knights just as we are and we will always have the greatest friendship with them. If otherwise, let them know they would all undergo the sentence of death, or be lead in chains to Corrozana in perpetual captivity, where they will serve us and our children for all time."

Our messengers quickly returned to our men, bearing all that they had said to those cruelest of people. It was reported Herluin had known the other language, and was interpreter to Peter the Hermit. Meanwhile our army was trembling for two reasons because they did not know what was going on; on the one hand a tortuous hunger was squeezing us, fear of the Turks was constricting them on the other.

Deeds of the Franks, Book 9, Chapters 26 & 27

26. Then the Turks who were above us in the citadel began to constrain us amazingly so that they hemmed in three of our knights in a tower which was in front of the citadel. The gentiles exited and rushed against them so bitterly that they were unable to endure the attack. Two of the knights left the tower, wounded, and the third manfully defended himself against the attack of the Turks all day so well that on that day he razed two Turks down above the entrance with broken spears. For he had three broken spears in his hands that day. His name was Crazy Hugo, from the army of Godfrey of Mont Scabioso.

The venerable Bohemond, seeing that he was not able to lead his people as far as the citadel to fight - for they were locked up in the houses, some fearing famine and others for fear of the Turks - he was very angry and immediately ordered that the city be set on fire, in that part where Cassianus had his palace. Seeing this, those who were in the city abandoned the houses and everything they had and fled, some into the citadel, others to the gate with the Count of St. Giles, other to the gate of Duke Godfrey, each one to his own people. Then, too great a storm arose with a sudden wind, so that no one was able to keep to a straight course. The wise Bohemond was very fully sad at this, fearing for the church of St. Peter and St. Mary and other churches. This wrath lasted from the third hour all the way to the middle of the night. Nearly two thousand churches and homes had been burned. However when the middle of the night arrived, suddenly all fires diminished in ferocity.

The Turks, living in the citadel, were fighting beyond the city with our men day and night, and not anything could separate us from our arms. Our men, seeing this, because they were not able to endure this for a long time, since those who had bread had no time to eat it and those who had water had no time to drink, they built a wall between them and us from rocks and clay and they built a fort and machines so that they would be safe. A part of the Turks remained in the citadel to fight us, others were camped near a fort in a valley.

Since night fell, a fire appeared in the sky coming from the West, and approaching fell in the midst of the army of the Turks. From this, our men and the Turks were amazed. Moreover after this happened, on the next day, trembling Turks fled all equally for fear of the fire to before the gate of Lord Bohemond and camped there. The rest who were in the citadel were conducting war with us day and night, by firing arrows and wounding or killing. Others were besieging the city so that none of us dared to enter or exit the city unless at night and in secret. Thus we were truly besieged and oppressed by them, whose numbers were uncountable. Thus those unclean enemies of God were holding us so shut up in the city of Antioch that many were dead of hunger, since a small bread was being sold for one besant. We will not speak of wine. And they were eating the meat of horses and asses and selling it as well. They were selling a cock for fifty solides, an egg for two solides, one nut for one denaria, for everything was very dear. They were cooking and eating leaves of fig trees, vines and thistles and all trees, there was such an immense hunger. They were boiling the dried leather of of nags, camels and asses as well as cattle or buffalo and eating this. These and many worries and straits we endured in the name of Christ and the pilgrimage to the Sacred Sepulcher that must be freed. We endured such tribulations, hunger and fear for twenty-six days.

27. Then the foolish Stephen Count of Carnotensis(de Blois) who all our nobles had chosen so that he would be our leader, had greatly contrived to be weighed down with infirmity before Antioch had been captured and had disgracefully withdrawn to a fort which was called Alexandretta. We were expecting him to come every day to aid us who were shut up in the city and destitute in healing aid. Afterwards he heard the Turks had surrounded and besieged us, he secretly climbed up and nearby mountain where he could stand near Antioch and saw uncountable tents and a seized by a violent fear of capture, he quickly fled with his own army. Moreover, coming to his own fort, he looted it and quickly went back by the same route he came. Afterwards he went out to meet the emperor at Philomena, and called him apart in secret to say: "You should know again since Antioch has been captured and the citadel has not in the least been captured, our men are besieged with grave pressure, so that I reckon they had already been killed by the Turks. Therefore, you should return as quickly as you are able and the Turks will not find you and these people that you lead with you." Then the emperor, shook with fear, secretly called Guy, the brother of Bohemond (a half brother who was a mercenary in Alexius' army) and others, and said to them: "Sirs, what should we do? Behold, all of our men are beset and drawn apart by a siege, and perhaps in the very hour, all are dead at the hands of the Turks or are being lead into captivity just as this unpleasant count who is shamefully fleeing tells us. If you wish, we will turn back by the quick route, so that we shall not die in what manner of sudden death as even they have died."

When Guy, a most honorable knight, heard such a thing, he began to wail with everyone and to strike a most vehement howl. All were saying with one voice: "O true God, in one and the trinity, for what reason do you permit this to be done? Why did you permit your people following you and wishing to liberate the path to you and the Sacred Sepulcher, to fall into the hands of the enemies? Certainly if the truth is this word which we are unable to hear from this notorious man, we and other Christians will wholly forsake you, nor will we call you to mind, and none of us will dare to invoke your name beyond this." And he made this speech very greatly dejected with the entire force so that none of them either bishops or abbots, clerks or laity, would dare to invoke the name of Christ for many days. For no one was able to console Guy, wailing and smiting himself with his own hands, breaking his fingers and saying: Alas for me Lord, my Bohemond, pride and honor of the whole world, whom all the world fears and loves! (What about his nephew Tancred? :-( ) Alas sad me! I sorrowing earned not to see your most honorable aspect which I was desiring to see more than any thing. Who would give to me that I would die for you, sweetest friend and lord? (Oh lord!) Why did I not immediately die upon leaving my mother's womb? (a bit over the top really) Why did I come to this mournful day? Why was I not drowned in the sea? (yeah, why?) Why did I not fall from my horse and break my neck (yawn) so that I would receive a hasty destruction? If only I would receive happy martyrdom and witness you receive your most glorious end!" When everyone had run to him to console him, so that he would give lamenting an end, he said to them again: "Perhaps you will believe this of that half-gray, unwise knight, I never heard anyone speak about soldiering, that he would do the same as this one. But he withdrew dishonorably and shamefully, just as we are unwilling and unhappy to do and anyone whom I call a wretch, you know to be false."

Meanwhile, the emperor ordered his own men saying: "Go and lead these people to that land in Bulgaria and explore and destroy all places that harbor Turks so that they will be able to find nothing." Our men, turning around, had wanted and not wanted to return, sorrowing most bitterly unto death, there were many dead among the pilgrims, too feeble and unwell to follow the soldiers. They were falling dead on the road. All the rest returned to Constantinople.

In case you wonder why I sneer at the grief of Guy, this is the same fellow who climbed over the walls of Antioch and ran away when the fighting got fierce in Chapter 23 following the first onslaught of Kerbogha(Curbara).

Deeds of the Franks, Book 9, Chapters 24 & 25

24. One day, our leaders were standing above the citadel, sad and sorrowing, when a certain priest came to them and said: "Seigneurs, if it pleases you to hear a certain thing, which I saw in a vision. When it was night, I was lying down in the church of St. Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of our world appeared to me with his mother and his main apostle St. Peter; and he stood before me and said to me: 'Do you know me? To which I responded: 'No' Again therefore, he asked me: "'Do you know me?' I said to him: 'I do not know you by any means; unless by that cross which I see above your head, you are our Savior.' To which he said: 'I am.' Immediately I fell at his feet, asking humbly that he would fight for us against the violence of those who have a larger force than we do. The Lord responded: 'I have well helped you and I will help you from this time forward. I permitted you to capture the city of Nicea, and to defeat all in battle and I conducted you here and consoled you in your sorrows that you endured in the siege of Antioch. Behold, by timely aid, I sent you safe and sound into the city and see many depraved and wanton people working with Christians and the depraved pagan women, from which a great stench has risen unto heaven. Then the gracious Virgin and St. Peter fell to his feet, asking him and praying that in this trial, he would aide his own people. And St. Peter said: 'Lord, the pagan people had held my home for this whole time, in which many unspeakable evils had been done. Only expel the enemies from here, Lord, and the angels will rejoice in heaven.' And the Lord said to me: 'Go then and tell my people let them return to me, and I will return to them, and after five days I will send great aid to them. And let them daily chant this response "We are united" the whole and the verse. Seigneurs, if you do not believe this to be the truth; permit me only to climb this tower and throw me off of it, if I am unharmed, you will believe this to be the truth. If however I have endured any injuries, cut off my head and throw me into the fire."

Then the Bishop of Le Puy ordered that Bible and a cross be brought, on the spot he swore that this was the truth. Our leaders deliberated at that hour, so they all should swear an oath that none of them would flee neither for death or for life, so long as they were alive. The first to have spoken this oath was Bohemond, then the Count of St. Giles, Robert the Norman, Duke Godfrey, and the Count of Flanders. Tancred swore and promised this as well for however long he had forty knights with him, he would not only not withdraw from this battle but not withdraw from the journey to Jerusalem. The Christian assembly rejoiced greatly at this, hearing of the oath.

25. However, there was a certain pilgrim among our army whose name was Peter, to whom St. Andrew the apostle had appeared before we entered the city, saying: "Where do you go, good man?" To whom, Peter responded: "Who are you?" The apostle said to him: "I am Andrew the apostle. Know, my son, that as you would enter the villa, going to the church of St. Peter there you with find the lance of our Savior Jesus Christ, with which he was wounded as he was hanging from the cross." Having said this, the apostle immediately withdrew.

However, fearing to reveal the advice of the apostle, he was unwilling to reveal this to our pilgrims. He was thinking to have seen this vision himself. And he said to him: "Lord, who will believe this?" In that very hour, St. Andrew received him and carried him all the way to the place where the lance was hidden in the earth.

When we were thus so that we were said to be overcome again, St. Andrew came again and said to him: "Why do you not lift up the lance from the ground as I told you to? You know again, that anyone who carries this lance into war, will never be overcome by an enemy." Peter immediately revealed this mystery of the apostle to our men. However the people did not believe him but denied this saying: "For what should we believe this?" For all were trembling from fear and were expecting to die soon. He approached and swore this all to be most truthful, since St. Andrew twice appeared to him in a vision, and said to him: "Rise up! Go and tell the people of God not to fear, but believe with their whole heart in one true God and they will be victorious everywhere. And the Lord was sending to them after five days such a thing from whence they would remain happy and joyful, and if they wished to fight, so that they would go united to war. Their enemies would be completely defeated and no one would stand against them." Hearing that their enemies would be completely defeated by them, they immediately began to revive and comforted each other in turns saying: "Be alert and be strong and careful everywhere. Since God will be near to us in aid, and will be the greatest refuge for his own people who he sees remaining in sorrow.