Hunger & despair during the siege of Antioch by Kerbogha

Summary:
The crusaders began to starve in Antioch, and gnawed leather and ate other unusual substances: the price of meat rose to absurd heights. Godfrey of Bouillon paid 15 marks of silver for the flesh of a camel and his steward Baldric three marks for a she-goat. Alexios I's retreat from Philomelion shocked the besieged, and some lesser leaders planned to escape, leaving ordinary crusaders to their fate. Kerbogha, by contrast, became bolder still. Godfrey, Bohemond, Robert of Flanders and Adhemar of le Puy stressed the religious duty to stay and also the difficulty and danger of escape, and at the same time reinforced the guards at the gates with experienced men. The memory of William of Grandmesnil and his fellow-traitors was cursed ever more fiercely 
Dates:
1098 June 
Adhemar of le Puy (Adhemar 4001)
  • Alexios 1's retreat shocked the besieged at Antioch, and some lesser leaders planned to escape, leaving ordinary crusaders to their fate; Godfrey 51, Robert 62 with Adhemar, stressed religious duty and also the difficulty of escape (:) Albert of Aachen IV.41
  • Prevented crusaders from escaping from Antioch during the siege by Kerbogha 4001; stationed men of experience and reliability at each gate and tower, with success: in association with Bohemond 61 (: ) William of Tyre bk. 6, 5.34-42
Italian priest who saw a vision (Anonymus 26120)
  • At the height of hunger and despair, he told of a vision of St Ambrose of Milan seen by a pilgrim before the crusade; it prophecied a success for the crusade after three years, thus raising the spirits of leaders and common crusaders alike (:) Albert of Aachen IV.38
Aubrey of Grandmesnil (Aubrey 4002)
  • Despite their unblemished records, he and his brother Ivo 4001 deserted from the crusader army at the height of the pressures of the siege of Antioch by Kerbogha 4001; the infamy attached to the name of their brother William 4008 (who deserted some months earlier) may have played a role (:) Ralph of Caen 79
Baldric, seneschal of Godfrey de Bouillon (Baldric 26101)
  • The crusaders began to starve, and gnawed leather and ate other unusual products: the price of meat rose to absurd heights, with Godfrey 51 paying 15 marks of silver for the flesh of a camel and his steward Baldric three marks for a she-goat (:) Albert of Aachen IV.34
Bohemond of Taranto (Bohemond 61)
  • After news of retreat of Alexios 1, morale in Antioch was so low that he could find nobody for guard duty; after he had burned several parts of the city where men hid, the situation improved (: ) William of Tyre bk. 6, 13.18-34
  • Prevented crusaders from escaping from Antioch during the siege by Kerbogha 4001; stationed men of experience and reliability at each gate and tower, with success; moved constantly round city to avoid possibility of treachery: in association with Adhemar 4001 (: ) William of Tyre bk. 6, 5.34-51
Godfrey of Bouillon, duke of Lower Lorraine, first Latin ruler of Jerusalem (Godfrey 51)
  • Alexios 1's retreat shocked the besieged at Antioch, and some lesser leaders planned to escape, leaving ordinary crusaders to their fate; Godfrey, with Robert 62 and Adhemar 4001, stressed religious duty and also the difficulty of escape (:) Albert of Aachen IV.41
  • It is said that, after retreat of Alexios 1, major leaders were planning to desert the crusade; he summond them, pointed out that everlasting infamy would be attached to their names, and stopped them: in association with Adhemar 4001 (: ) William of Tyre bk. 6, 13.34-44
  • The crusaders began to starve, and gnawed leather and ate other unusual products: the price of meat rose to absurd heights, with Godfrey paying 15 marks of silver for the flesh of a camel and his steward Baldric 26101 three marks for a she-goat (:) Albert of Aachen IV.34
Ivo of Grandmesnil (Ivo 4001)
  • Despite their unblemished records, he and his brother Aubrey 4002 deserted from the crusader army at the height of the pressures of the siege of Antioch by Kerbogha 4001; the infamy attached to the name of their brother William 4008 (who deserted some months earlier) may have played a role (:) Ralph of Caen 79
Kerbogha of Mosul (Kerbogha 4001)
  • When news of Alexios 1's retreat arrived, his self-confidence and aggression were greatly increased and the situation of the crusaders became more and more desperate (: ) William of Tyre bk. 6, 13.10-20
Radulf of Fontaines (or La Fontanelle) (Radulf 104)
  • Despite his unblemished record, he deserted from the crusader army at the height of the pressures of the siege of Antioch by Kerbogha 4001 (:) Ralph of Caen 79
Raymond of Saint-Gilles, count of Toulouse (Raymond 61)
  • He and his men owned fine palaces and churches at the foot of the mountain, where they broke into the city; some of the palaces were destroyed when Robert 62's burning of dwellings used as concealment by recalcitrant soldiers was too successful, and beautiful churches of the Panagia and Hagios Iakobos also perished (:) Ralph of Caen 76-77
Robert II, count of Flanders (Robert 62)
  • Alexios 1's retreat shocked the besieged at Antioch, and some lesser leaders planned to escape, leaving ordinary crusaders to their fate; Godfrey 51, with Robert and Adhemar 4001, stressed religious duty and also the difficulty of escape (:) Albert of Aachen IV.41
  • Weakness and low morale made it hard to man the walls; Robert burned some of the dwellings where recalcitrant troops would hide, but was too successful, and destroyed some of the beautiful palaces and churches, especially at the foot of the mountain, which had been occupied by Raymond 61 and his men (:) Ralph of Caen 76-77
William of Grandmesnil (William 4008)
  • His memory and that of his fellow-traitors was cursed in Antioch when news of Alexios 1's retreat arrived (: ) William of Tyre bk. 6, 13.1-10
  • His desertion and those of his brothers Aubrey 4002 and Ivo 4001 are mentioned together by Ralph of Caen, though they are recorded fighting loyally long after he had left Antioch; might their desertion be connected with the infamy attached to his name? (:) Ralph of Caen 79