crusader state · Anatolia and the Levant

Principality of Antioch

1098 CE – 1268 CE · capital Antioch

A Norman-founded Crusader principality in northern Syria that lasted 170 years until Baybars destroyed its capital in 1268.

Origins

The First Crusade besieged Antioch from October 1097 and took it in June 1098, then defeated Kerbogha's relief army. Bohemond of Taranto, a Norman from southern Italy, kept the city for himself despite promises to return it to Byzantium, founding the principality.

Rule and society

Antioch's princes ruled a population of Greek Orthodox, Armenians, Syriac Christians and Muslims, with Italian merchants in Latakia and the port of Saint Symeon. The Assizes of Antioch codified its law. Its army was crushed at the Field of Blood in 1119, and in 1137 Raymond of Poitiers had to accept Byzantine overlordship. In the 13th century it was united with the County of Tripoli, and Bohemond VI submitted to the Mongols in 1260.

Decline and legacy

The Mamluk sultan Baybars stormed Antioch in May 1268, killing or enslaving much of its population; the city never regained its former importance. The title Prince of Antioch survived in the house of Tripoli and later Cyprus.

Connections (4)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Antioch. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-antioch
MLA
“Principality of Antioch.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-antioch. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Antioch.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-antioch.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Antioch’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-antioch (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻