Count Tancred of Lecce

Timeline

1. c. 1078–1096Lecce, Apulia · ApuliaTancred was born around 1078 as a cadet-branch member of the Hauteville family in southern Italy, related to Bohemond as a cousin. He grew up in the Norman domains of Apulia, received a knight's education, and as an adult followed Bohemond in military activities. His year of birth coincided with the historical moment when the Normans completed the unification of southern Italy.
2. 1096–1099Antioch, Syria · Northern SyriaTancred joined the First Crusade with Bohemond and won repeated distinction in the campaigns through Asia Minor and Syria. He took part in the Siege of Antioch in 1097–1098 and the capture of Jerusalem in 1099. His reputation for bravery and fighting skill was preserved through the chronicle Gesta Francorum and contemporary annals.
3. 1099–1112Tiberias, Galilee · GalileeAfter the Crusade ended, Tancred was granted the title Prince of Galilee. During Bohemond's captivity in 1100 and on several later occasions, Tancred administered the Principality of Antioch, independently resisting Byzantine and Muslim military pressure on multiple occasions and consolidating the Crusader foothold in northern Syria. He died of illness around 1112.