Two castles completed the blockade of Antioch, preventing large-scale importation of food

Summary:
With building materials saved from the ambush, two castles were built outside Antioch to prevent the large-scale importation of food. One was on a hill above Bohemond's camp, guarded by the men of Hugh the Great, the other on a hill outside the west gate of Antioch. No crusader wanted the responsibility of manning this fort: Tancred was chosen, but pleaded poverty. Therefore Raymond gave him 300 marks for building the fort and 40 per month for its maintainance. Tancred successfully kept it up till the end of the siege. A noble Turkish youth was captured, and negotiations began to win entry to Antioch as his ransom. However Shams al-Dawla, son of Yaghi Siyan, got to hear of the affair and stopped it. The youth was therefore tortured and executed. The forts and the defat of the army of Ridwan raised the spectre of starvation in the city. Yaghi Siyan commandeered half of all private grain supplies for military use 
Dates:
1098 April 
noble Turkish youth (Anonymus 26115)
  • He was captured during a Turkish assault on Raymond 61, as he defended a new crusader fort; the crusaders, realising his importance, secretly contacted his family about betraying Antioch as his ransom; but this became known to Shams al-Dawla 26101 (:) Albert of Aachen III.55-56
Bohemond of Taranto (Bohemond 61)
  • A fortification was built on a hill above his camp, as a defensive measure against attacks on the besiegers (: ) William of Tyre bk. 5, 4.1-10
Garnier Marchio (Garnier 101)
  • He was killed in the first attack of Godfrey 51 on the lower gates of Antioch, and much mourned by Godfrey (:) Ralph of Caen 49
Godfrey of Bouillon, duke of Lower Lorraine, first Latin ruler of Jerusalem (Godfrey 51)
  • In blocking one of the lower gates of Antioch so that the defenders could not make sorties, he grieved to have lost lost Garnier 101 in the first attack (:) Ralph of Caen 49
Hugh of Vermandois, brother of Philip I of France (Hugh 4001)
  • He and his men were put in charge of a simple fortification, built as a defensive measure on a little hill above the camp of Bohemond 61 (:) Ralph of Caen 49
Raymond of Saint-Gilles, count of Toulouse (Raymond 61)
  • Another fort was planned, on a hill outside west gate of Antioch; again no leader wanted the responsibility; Tancred 61 was chosen, but pleaded poverty, so Raymond gave him 300 marks for building and 40 per month for maintainance (: ) William of Tyre bk. 5, 8.10-24
  • The castle near the gate of the bridge was fortified more strongly, and garrisoned by 500 of his troops (:) Albert of Aachen III.66
  • A fort was made of stone near the gate at the foot of the mountains (Malregard?), and the leaders guarded it in turn; in Raymond's watch, the Turks tried to destroy it, but were driven off, with the capture of Anonymus 26115 (:) Albert of Aachen III.55
  • The bridge of boats previously built across the river enabled him not only to forage without swimming, but also to block egress from the nearby gate; there was also a small hill topped by a building (probably a mosque), which he turned with a ditch into another simple fort (:) Ralph of Caen 49
Shams al-Dawla, son of Yaghi Siyan of Antioch (Shams al-Dawla 26101)
  • He heard of discussions between the crusaders and the family of the captured Anonymus 26115 over betrayal of Antioch as his ransom, and ensured the family could not betray the city; Anonymus 1685, now useless to the crusaders, was beheaded (:) Albert of Aachen III.56
Tancred of Hauteville, nephew of Bohemond of Taranto (Tancred 61)
  • Was given responsibility for fort on a hill outside west gate of Antioch; began to plead poverty, but was offered by Raymond 61 300 marks for building and 40 per month for maintainance; successfully kept it up till the end of the siege (: ) William of Tyre bk. 5, 8.15-28
  • He not only kept close watch from his camp, the closest to the wall, to guard against enemy attacks from Antioch; he also found a simple wall outside the West Gate, which he turned into a primitive fortress for a few men, far from the aid of the other crusaders (:) Ralph of Caen 50
Yaghi Siyan of Antioch (Yaghi Siyan 4001)
  • After the defeat of the relief army of Ridwan 4001, the prospect of starvation presented itself to the besieged in Antioch; Yaghi Siyan made an order that all private grain supplies should be divided in half, one half to be retained, the other to be sent to the court for military use (:) Ralph of Caen 57