“His reputation was terrifying. [..] He was narrow in the waist and loins, with broad shoulders and a deep chest and powerful arms. And in the whole build of the body, he was neither too slender nor overweighted with flesh, but perfectly proportioned. His skin all over his body was very white, and in his face the white was tempered with red. His hair was yellowish, but did not hang down to his waist like that of the other barbarians; for he had it cut short to the ears. Whether his beard was reddish, or any other colour I cannot say, for the razor had passed over it very closely and left a surface smoother than chalk… […] His blue eyes indicated both a high spirit and dignity. […] A certain charm hung about this man but was partly marred by a general air of the horrible. […] His wit was manifold and crafty and able to find a way of escape in every emergency. In conversation he was well informed, and the answers he gave were quite irrefutable.”
The Pope calling for the First Crusade in 1095 elicited a great response from the Normans. They saw it as an opportunity to combine religious fervour with military service. In addition, there was hope of material and territorial gain in the Holy Land. One of the Norman crusaders and military leader of the army was Bohemond of Taranto (d. 1111), a son of Robert Guiscard. On their way to Jerusalem, the crusaders took Antioch, the ancient episcopal see of St Peter. In contravention of all agreements with Byzantium, Bohemond captured the city and founded a dominion. Ultimately, however, the conflict with the Byzantine Emperor escalated. After his defeat, Bohemond died in Italy in the attempt of raising an army against Byzantium. His mausoleum is a reflection of his great ambitions.
Fatimid Egypt, 1100
Paper
Cambridge, The Syndics of Cambridge University Library, T-S 20.113
With this letter the leaders of the Jewish community of Ascalon (Holy Land), who were in Egypt at the time, tried to organise help for their community at home. They describe the difficult circumstances in the city a few months after the conquest of Jerusalem by the crusafers. The fortified city had not fallen yet, but the inhabitants were struggling under an influx of refugees. Moreover, they had to pay large sums of money to the Crusaders to release captured Jews – men, women and children – as well as books and scrolls that had been looted from the Holy Land’s synagogues. Despite the terrible circumstances, the author of the letter takes comfort in the fact that the Crusaders apparently did not mistreat the women. There are annotations by the writers and forwarders of the letter in the right margin of the reverse side, including Isaiah ha-Kohen b. Maṣliaḥ, David b. Solomon and Ḥanina b. Mansur b. ʿUbayd.
Acre, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 14th c.
Parchemnt
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, ms. fr. 9084, fol. 53
The manuscript on display is an important historical work on the Crusades and the Crusader states. Its author, the Archbishop of Tyre (d. 1186), tutor to Prince Balduin IV and Chancellor of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, was an important contemporary witness. Only after the translation of the History into Old French (13th century) that the work became popular and was copied throughout Europe. The opened page shows a miniature depicting the siege of Antioch by the crusaders. The Christian knights are represented larger than life and in a heroic pose, while the Muslim defenders have a fierce look and barricade themselves.
Antioch, 1104–1112
Reverse: IC XC NI KA
Copper
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Münzkabinett, Nr. 18279702
Jerusalem, 1143–1163
Observe: BALDVINVS REX
Reverse: DE IERVSALEH
Silver
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Münzkabinett, Nr. 18206294
Both coins were minted in the crusader states. The follis of the Norman Tancred, who in the absence of his uncle Bohemond temporarily ruled Antioch on his behalf, is clearly based on Byzantine models. It shows a portrait of Tancred as a ruler with a raised sword and a cross on the reverse. The denarius of Balduin III, on the other hand, does not refer to Arabic or Byzantine coin types: the imagery with the cross and stylised Davidic stamp is charged with latin Christian imagery.
Antioch, around 1165–1230
Observe: + BOAMVNDVS
Reverse: + ANTIOCHIA
Silver
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Münzkabinett, Nr. 18279713
Tripoli, Lebanon, ca. 1268-1287
Tripolis, Libanon, ca. 1268–1287
Avers: + BOEMVNDVS COMES
Revers: + CIVITAS TRIPOLI
Silver
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Münzkabinett, Nr. 18279286
These two coins are typical coins of the Crusader states. In fact, the denarius with a depiction of of Bohemund III or IV wearing a helmet (3) is the most common crusader coin. It was minted in Antioch from about 1165 onwards. As with the other specimen (4), the circumscription reads “Bohemund”. The non-personalised circumscriptions and coin images (cross and star depictions as well as helmet depiction) make it difficult to attribute them to a specific Bohemond.
Production: Faber Courtial
Length: 03:50 min
Bari, December 1089/90
Observe, in Greek: „St. Peter“
Reveres, in Greek: „Oh Lord, please protect your servant Bohemond“
Parchment with lead seal
Bari, Archivio della Basilica di S. Nicola, Per. Norm. A 16 (CBD V, 15)
The historical context of this charter confirming a donation is interesting. After the death of Robert Guiscard (1085), his sons Roger Borsa and Bohemond fought over the inheritance. Although he was the younger brother, Roger became duke. Bohemond, however, was able to secure some territories in Apulia and Calabria. In 1089, there was a peace agreement between the brothers. This document marks the beginning of Bohemond’s rightful reign over the city of Bari. The seal with the image of Peter seems to anticipate the later conquest of Antioch, the first episcopal see of the Princes of the Apostles.
Taranto, 30th December 1117
Parchemnt
Bari, Archivio della Basilica di S. Nicola, Per. Norm. D 16 (CDB V,64)
When Bohemond I of Antioch died in 1111, his wife Constance took over the regency for their underage son Bohemond II. She took residence in Taranto in Apulia. With this document, Constance confirmed a donation to the Archbishop of Bari. In the document, Constance’s prominent position as daughter of the french King is emphasised. The text also refers to her authority as Bohemond’s wife and mother to the heir of the principality.
Apulia, 11th/12th c.
Bronze
Canosa di Puglia, Museo dei Vescovi, no Inv.
Egypt (?), 1st c. BC/1st c. AD or copy from the 11th/12th c.
Alabaster
Canosa di Puglia, Museo dei Vescovi, no Inv.
Bohemond of Antioch died in Italy and was buried in Canosa di Puglia. Both objects displayed here are associated with his mausoleum. The door handle (1) in the form of a lion’s head with a flowing mane was attached to a wooden or bronze door. The lion can be interpreted as a door guard and a symbol of redemption. The jar (2) was perhaps made in Egypt or the Levant. Bohemond may have brought it back from one of his campaigns. Traditionally, vessels of this kind are attributed to the cult of the dead. Later it probably served as a lamp inside the mausoleum.
Byzantium, 1166
Parchment
Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 1176, fol. 2r
The miniature shows the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos and the Empress Maria. She was the heiress of the principality of Antioch and a great-granddaughter of Bohemond I. After the emperor’s death, Maria acted as regent for her underage son. She was the first Latin regent of the Byzantine Empire. The miniature is inside the Chronike diegesis. In it, the author Niketas Choniates (d. 1217) describes the events from 1118 until the conquest of Constantinople by the Crusaders (1204).