← Explore on the interactive map
Succession Crisis of the Principality of Antioch
In 1130 Bohemond II fell in battle against the Turks, leaving one-year-old heiress Constance as nominal ruler of Antioch with her mother Alice as reg…
Timeline
- 1130–1133Antioch · LevantBohemond II was killed in 1130 fighting the Turks on the Cilician frontier, leaving his young daughter Constance. Her mother Alice took power as regent, and the principality fell into a vacuum without an adult male ruler, with noble factions and outside powers intervening.
- 1133–1135Antioch · LevantFacing pressure from Zengi and surrounding Muslim powers, Alice at one point tried to betroth Constance to the Muslim ruler of Aleppo or Damascus in exchange for peace. This caused an uproar in the crusader world, seen as a betrayal of the Christian cause, and both the court of Jerusalem and the nobles of Antioch rose in opposition.
- 1135–1137Antioch · LevantIn 1135 Fulk marched north, deposing Alice's regency and placing her under house arrest. In 1136 Raymond of Poitiers arrived in Antioch, married Constance, and became the new prince. The succession crisis was largely resolved, but the principality remained militarily weak and soon faced Byzantine Emperor John II's suzerainty claims.
Sources
- The Crusader States — Malcolm Barber (2012)
- A History of the Crusades, Volume I: The First Hundred Years — Kenneth M. Setton (ed.) (1969)