The significance and causes of the battle of the Field of Blood

Abstract

The Latin defeat in the battle of the Field of Blood in 1119 crippled the political and military strength of the principality of Antioch and raised questions about the continued security of all the Frankish settlements in Syria and Palestine. This paper seeks to delineate the exact effects of the battle in order to demonstrate that its real significance lay not only in the large territorial losses suffered by Antioch, but also in the succession crisis which followed the untimely death of its ruler, Roger of Salerno. It then goes on to question the accepted premise that the Muslim invasion which led to the battle lacked purpose and that the Islamic forces foolishly ignored the opportunity to conquer Antioch itself in the aftermath of their victory. It suggests, instead, that the events of 1119 were stimulated by a contest for control of the frontier zone between the cities of Antioch and Aleppo and that the Muslim leader Il-ghazi fulfilled the primary aim of his campaign by recapturing certain strategically important sites in this region.

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