n October 20th, 1097, the Crusade
troops laid siege to Antioch. At that time, it was not possible to ensure
the siege's success because Antioch was full of provisions and could be supplied
with soldiers, food, and weapons by its allies at any time. Moreover, the
Christians foolhardily spent their provisions and came to starvation in less
than two months. For these reasons, the siege represented a meaningless
enterprise despite the Crusaders' strength. Winter used to be hard at that
region, but it was specially harsh that year. Cold and torrential storms
turned the Christian camp into a big mud pond. Dirty, wet, hungry, and sick
the fighters were suffering and dying.
nside Antioch, on the other hand,
Yaghi-Syan, the lord of the city, was organizing the defense, recruiting
more soldiers and appealing to other Muslim princes like Dukak and Kurbuka,
from whom he obtained promises of reinforcement. Everything seemed to be
turning into a disaster...
he siege came to its third month under
the worst of conditions. All the Crusaders could expect was the arrival of
an even stronger Turkish army to defend the city and a humilliating withdrawal,
apart from the risk of being massacred on their way home. Tired, sick, and
hopeless, the Christians were strong enough to sustain the siege. Little
by little and supplied through the sea, they could blockade almost the entire
city. However, the Turkish army did not lose their courage; besides, Kurbuka,
the undefeated warrior, was coming with his entire army to reinforce the
city's defense.
n unique opportunity arose. Firuz,
an agent from Antioch, contacted a Crusade leader (Bohemond) and offered
him the possibility of invasion by betrayal. He accepted the offer and Antioch
fell under Christian control more easily. However, since Kurbuka arrived
just one day after the taking, the Crusaders had time to invade the city
but not to get organized.
et, far away from a victory, the Christian
army faced a even more critical situation than the taking: their men were
exhausted, almost decimated and with no provisions. Furthermore, Kurbuka
insisted on his hard attacks. The Crusaders were in such a distress that
they refused to get off their quarters. Desertions occurred frequently, the
desertors spread panic. The retaking of Antioch by the Turkish prince seemed
imminent.
he worst desertions were those of
the great baron Itienne and Guilherme de Grandsmesnil altogether with their
troops. Both went back and took refuge with Alex Comeno, the Byzantine emperor
and Christian ally, who was marching to Antioch with his army. The barons
told Comeno that the Crusade was over. It would be wasteful to continue,
they said, as the rest of the Crusaders were probably dead. Therefore, it
would be better for Comeno to stay in a safe position.
The emperor stopped his march. The
Christians in Antioch, not knowing what the desertors had done, believed
that Comeno had abandoned them. Desperation laid over the Christians. At
that moment only a miracle could save ``God's Army''. The soldiers refused
to execute any order and only got out of their accomodations when Bohemond
set fire on them. Scared with the smoke and the fire, there had no choice
but to fight and defend the city. But, an unusual event saved them. And it
was something that all historians believe to be a miracle regardless of their
different beliefs.
he miracle's author was so unimportant
until that moment that Muslim historicians cannot precise his identity. His
name was Peter Barthelemy and he was neither a monk nor a soldier, but simply
a servant of a poor burgess. He had such a terrible reputation that his
colleagues considered him immoral. He said, however, he had been visited
by Saint Andrew and Jesus in his dreams.
arthelemy became so obsessed by these
dreams that he insisted to tell them to the Christian leaders. In these
`fantasies'', Jesus and Saint Andrew ordered Peter to tell the Crusaders
that their immoral relationship with pagan women brought God's anger.
Nevertheless, God was ready to forgive their sins by sending a sign of His
pardon. God revealed the location of the Holy Spear, which had been used
against Jesus during the Crucifixion. According to Peter's dreams, the spear
was buried under the Church of Antioch. It was known that the authentic spear
was in Constantinople. However, the Crusaders' state of mind provoked the
appearance of other phenomena. Many other soldiers had visions, or dreams
in such a wave that the Christian barons allowed Peter to look for the spear
under the Saint Jacques' Church.
he spear was just a rusty piece of
iron found under the old church. When Peter came out of the hole with the
``spear'', everybody fell to their knees and cried. The bishop of Puy had
to, against his will, admit the possibility of having found the real spear.
Morover, the barons thought it was clever not to disappoint the soldiers.
There is no explanation for the incredible transformation on the soldiers'
enthusiasm. Desperate men became mighty warriors, ready to kill a much better
and numerous enemy. The Crusaders then decided to leave small troops to defend
the city and perform a massive attack in the field -- a desperate enterprise.
Kurbuka made the mistake of letting them prepare formation in the battlefield;
he wanted to kill them all, with one shot.
nder the Christian's attack, Kurbuka
and his men scattered, leaving all the treasure behind. But, following Peter's
instructions, the Crusaders did not lose time in pillage. Instead, they went
after the enemy and killed the most part of Kurbuka's army. The Turkish prince
returned to Turkey with few men, desperate and telling that nothing could
defeat the brave men from the North. The Turkish reputation was enormous
and the Christians gave all credits of victory to the Divine Grace. Despite
the value of the Christian soldiers and the energy of their leaders, The
Crusades' moral was the main factor of their resistance.In conclusion, Kurbuka
was defeated by Peter and the ``Holy Spear'' rather than by Bohemond and
his leadership.
