End of the Crusader states in the Levant. The siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in and , on the crusaders' way to Jerusalem through Syria.
Two sieges took place in succession. The first siege, by the crusaders against the city held by the Seljuk Empire , lasted from 20 October [ 11 ] to 3 June The second siege, of the crusader-held city by a Seljuk relieving army, lasted three weeks in June , leading to the Battle of Antioch in which the crusaders defeated the relieving army led by Kerbogha.
The crusaders then established the Principality of Antioch , ruled by Bohemond of Taranto. Antioch modern Antakya lay in a strategic location on the crusaders' route to Judea through the Syrian Coastal mountain range. Supplies, reinforcements and retreat could all be controlled by the city. The Byzantine walls surrounding the city presented a formidable obstacle to its capture, but the leaders of the crusade felt compelled to besiege Antioch anyway.
The crusaders arrived outside the city on 21 October and began the siege. The garrison sortied unsuccessfully on 29 December. After stripping the surrounding area of food, the crusaders were forced to look farther afield for supplies, opening themselves to ambush.
On 31 December, a force of 20, crusaders encountered a relief army led by Duqaq , ruler of Damascus, heading to Antioch and defeated them.
