Battle of Dorylaeum (1097)

Battle of Dorylaeum
Part of the First Crusade

The Battle of Dorylaeum
Date1 July 1097
Location
Result Crusader victory
Belligerents
Crusaders Sultanate of Rûm
Danishmendids
Commanders and leaders
Bohemond of Taranto
Robert Curthose
Godfrey of Bouillon
Adhemar of Le Puy
Kilij Arslan
Gazi Gümüshtigin
Strength
Bohemond (vanguard):
~2,000–3,000 cavalry
~8,000–12,000 infantry
Main force:
~60,000[1] (very few engaged)
~6,000–8,000 horse archers[1][2]
Casualties and losses
~ 4,000[3] ~ 3,000[3]

The Battle of Dorylaeum took place during the First Crusade on 1 July 1097 between the crusader forces and the Seljuk Turks, near the city of Dorylaeum in Anatolia. Though the Turkish forces of Kilij Arslan nearly destroyed the Crusader contingent of Bohemond, other Crusaders arrived just in time to reverse the course of the battle.[4]

  1. ^ a b John France, The Crusades And The Expansion Of Catholic Christendom, 1000–1714, p. 71 "[...]The result was a gap of about 5 kilometres between the vanguard, consisting of the armies of Bohemond, Robert of Normandy and Stephen of Blois about 20,000 strong, and the main force of about 30,000. They were aware of that Kilij Arslan was about: he had returned to the fray after the defeat of Nicaea, with an army of 6,000–7,000 mounted man, including his new allies, the Danishmend Turks."
  2. ^ Bennett, The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient & Medieval Warfare, p. 103 "Following their successful siege of Nicaea in 1097, the crusaders split into two columns to aid foraging. The vanguard under Bohemond was attacked at Bozüyük. Sultan Kilij Arslan led 7,000–8,000 Seljuk horse archers in an ambush, throwing the crusaders into confusion."
  3. ^ a b John France, Victory in the East, p. 181 "Casualties appear to have been heavy although how far we can regard Albert's 4,000 Christians and 3,000 Turks as precise figures is a different matter."
  4. ^ France, John (2006). "Dorylaion, Battle of (1097)". In The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. pp. 363–364.

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