Battle of Ceyhan River

Battle of Ceyhan River (1130)
Part of the Crusades
Ceyhan River
Date February 1130 Location Ceyhan River, Turkey Result Danishmend victory
Belligerents
Principality of Antioch	Danishmendids
Commanders and leaders
Bohemond II   †	Emir Gazi
Strength
200 Knights	Unknown

The Battle of Ceyhan River was a military engagement between the Crusaders of Antioch and the Danishmendids near Anazarbus. The Turks ambushed the Crusaders and defeated them. The prince of Antioch, Bohemond II, was killed.

Prelude

In the year 1130, the prince of Antioch, Bohemond II, sought to regain all the lost territory of the Principality of Antioch. In Cilicia, the Crusader control there was weakened. The city of Anazarbus fell to the Armenian lord, Thoros I. Later, Leo I of Armenia came to the throne. Taking advantage of the Armenian weakness, Bohemond decided to invade and recapture the lost city. In February of the same year, Bohemond marched with his army to Cilicia. The Armenian prince heard of the invasion and quickly asked the Danishmendid prince, Emir Gazi, for help. Bohemond knew nothing of this alliance. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Battle

The Crusaders arrived at the Ceyhan River. They encountered light resistance from the Armenians. ^[4] While Bohemond was marching, an Armenian warned him of a large army of Turks nearby. At first Bohemond ignored him, but out of curiosity, he decided to scout to confirm the reports. Bohemond had a force of 200 knights with him. The Crusaders climbed a high hill to observe the situation. There, the Crusaders found a group of Turkish foragers that formed the vanguard of the enemy. Bohemond recklessly charged at them and, although he managed to rout them, suffered catastrophic losses such that out of 200 knights, only 20 survived. The main Turkish army arrived at the battle scene. The Knights encouraged Bohemond to retreat, but he refused due to the severe loss of his comrades. Instead, he charged at them. ^[5] The Turks massacred the whole Crusader force, and few survived. Bohemond was killed in the battle; however, he was unrecognized by the Turks during the engagement. His head was decapitated and sent to the Abbasid Caliph. ^{[6] [7]}

Aftermath

Bohemond's death was catastrophic to the principality of Antioch, which was considered the peak of the Crusader rule in Antioch. Afterwards, external and internal conflicts plagued the principality, which forced it into a sort of survival mode. ^[8] The Turks, however, were not able to follow up with their victory due to Byzantine intervention. Anazarbus remained in Armenian hands. Bohemond's daughter, Constance, succeeded him, but her rule was unpopular. ^[9] The Zenigds of Aleppo took advantage of the chaos in Antioch and invaded them, capturing Atharib, Ma’arat al-Nu’man, and Misrin. ^[10]

References

1. Steven Runciman, p. 182-183
2. Andrea U. De Giorgi
3. Thomas Forester, M.A., p. 410
4. Steven Runciman, p. 183
5. Thomas Forester, M.A., p. 410-411
6. Steven Runciman, p. 183
7. Andrea U. De Giorgi
8. Andrea U. De Giorgi
9. Steven Runciman, p. 183
10. Thomas S. Asbridge, p. 90

Sources

• Steven Runciman (1987), A History of the Crusades, Vol II.
• Andrea U. De Giorgi (2021), Antioch, A History.
• Thomas Forester, M.A. (1854), The ecclesiastical history of England and Normandy, Vol III.
• Thomas S. Asbridge (2000), The Creation of the Principality of Antioch, 1098–1130.