Tancred
Tancred, a prominent figure from the era of the First Crusade, was a Norman knight known for his military prowess and ambitious nature. Born to Odo the Good Marquis and Emma, he emerged during the Norman conquest of southern Italy, where he was established as a lord. His involvement in the First Crusade began in 1096 when he joined his uncle, Bohemond I, and other nobles in the campaign to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control. Although initially facing a moral conflict regarding knightly violence and Christian teachings, he was emboldened by Pope Urban II's declarations offering forgiveness for crusaders' actions.
Tancred gained a reputation for his fierce leadership during the siege of Antioch and was involved in various conquests across the region, including Tarsus and Bethlehem. His actions, however, were marked by brutality, as he often executed prisoners and plundered cities. After the fall of Jerusalem in 1099, Tancred became a major player in the crusade, navigating complex internal rivalries and power struggles among the crusaders. He briefly served as the regent of Antioch after his uncle's capture, continuing his military campaigns until his death in 1112. Tancred's legacy is emblematic of the challenges faced during the Crusades, intertwining themes of ambition, moral conflict, and violence within the context of religious warfare.
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Tancred
Norman Crusader and military leader
- Born: c. 1078
- Birthplace: Unknown
- Died: December 12, 1112
- Place of death: Antioch, Syria (now Antakya, Turkey)
Through his leadership and political sense, Tancred contributed greatly to the success of the First Crusade, spreading Christian influence and establishing a firm Christian presence in the Near East that lasted for decades.
Early Life
Very little is known about the formative years of Tancred (TAN-krehd). He was the son of Odo the Good Marquis and Emma, the daughter of Robert Guiscard. Tancred first appeared prominently in southern Italy when his uncle, Bohemond I of Taranto, and grandfather, Guiscard, led the Norman conquest of southern Italy. They established Tancred as a lord there just as Pope Urban II called for Christian knights to crusade against the Muslims in the Holy Land.
According to Tancred’s chronicler, Ralph of Caen, the young knight grappled with the dilemma of being a Christian knight; knightly warfare seemed at odds with God’s commandments. While the Church preached Christian pacifism, young Tancred had to survive as a knight in a violent world. Pope Urban recognized this problem as well. He solved the knight’s dilemma by granting remission of all sins and declaring that killing Muslims while liberating the Holy Land was favorable in God’s eyes. With this problem solved, Tancred “was aroused, his powers grew, his eyes opened, his courage was born. For before . . . his mind was divided, uncertain whether to follow in the footsteps of the Gospel or the world.”
Life’s Work
With the growing passion of Urban’s crusade spreading quickly throughout Christendom, Bohemond had little difficulty convincing Tancred to accompany him on the First Crusade . In September, 1096, Tancred set out with his uncle and Guiscard for the Holy Land. On their way to Constantinople, the Crusaders terrorized Jews. Tancred failed to see a difference between the Muslims who occupied the Holy Land and the Jews, who he believed had executed Christ. He frequently held Jews hostage, usually for a ransom of thirty pieces of silver. Considering Tancred’s financial situation, he badly needed the money to pay the men under his command. Bohemond sponsored Tancred financially, but Tancred was still responsible for his own men. The expense of going on crusade was enormous, even by the standards of the 1090’.
Tancred quickly gained a reputation as a valiant, fearless leader who harbored intense ambitions. He recognized the potential power, fame, and wealth that a successful campaign could bring to a young knight. On arrival in Constantinople, he refused to take the oath of allegiance to Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus , who had originally requested Christian forces from the west to help stave off Muslim encroachment into the Byzantine Empire. After the fall of Nicaea in 1097, Tancred led a raiding force into Cilicia and captured Tarsus, Ardana, Misis, and Iskenderun. It was a spectacular campaign; however, Baldwin, the brother of Godfrey of Bouillon and later count of Edessa, ordered Tancred to abandon his diversionary conquests and return to the main body for the assault on Antioch and Jerusalem. Beginning in October, 1097, the assault on Antioch quickly turned into a lengthy siege. Tancred commanded the western section of the siege line, gaining a reputation for his ruthless treatment of the enemy. He was known to have personally decapitated Turkish prisoners and had their heads sent to the bishop of Le Puy as a tithe payment. Antioch finally fell in June, 1098. The Turks abandoned the city, but they were not fast enough to escape the wrath of the Christians. A frenzied slaughter ensued as Tancred and his men chased down the fleeing Turks, killing hundreds.
Tancred joined Raymond of Toulouse on the march to Jerusalem only after Raymond offered him a large gift of cash. The fact that Tancred was bribed to continue the crusade indicated the growing divisions among the crusade leadership. Power and greed were already getting in the way of this most Christian undertaking. Along the way, Tancred captured Bethlehem, showing his own ambition for power and land. When Jerusalem fell in mid-July, 1099, Tancred plundered the temple area mercilessly, taking a small fortune for himself. After he received much criticism from several clergymen, notably Arnulf, the chaplain of Robert of Normandy, Tancred gave some of his booty to the Church.
Tancred was now a major player in the First Crusade. His loyalty was desired and even necessary as internal division rocked the crusading army. Granted the title “prince of Galilee,” Tancred offered his services to Godfrey of Bouillon when the latter was elected the first Latin leader of Jerusalem.
Tancred continued his sideshow campaigns of conquest, but he failed in attempts to take Jaffa, Haifa, and Tiberias. On the death of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1100, Baldwin took control of Jerusalem. Still smarting from Baldwin’s cold treatment of him in Cilicia, Tancred tried to gain the new king’s favor by continuing campaigns in Galilee. By 1101, they had apparently settled their differences, but no friendship blossomed between the two ambitious knights.
When Tancred’s uncle Bohemond was captured in 1101, Tancred took his place as regent of Antioch. The new regent retook Cilicia, perhaps to spite Baldwin, and captured Laodicea. Bohemond returned in 1103 and again became regent of Antioch, leaving his nephew Tancred with little in the way of money and land. To make matters worse for Tancred, Bohemond thought that his nephew had been much too slow in securing his uncle’s release from the Turks. Bohemond forced Tancred to return much of the land he had conquered as regent, leaving Tancred with only a few small castles.
The year 1104 brought another strange twist to Tancred’s career when Bohemond returned to Europe to gain support for a war against Alexios. Tancred was again named regent. He defeated the Turks again and joined forces with William Jordan, count of Cerdagne, who had his eyes on the county of Tripoli. For several years, Tancred attempted conquests in Syria and Palestine. He died in Antioch on December 12, 1112.
Significance
Tancred exemplifies the problems of the First Crusade. He overcame the basic dilemma of being a Christian knight and sought fame and fortune in the conquest of the Holy Land. He slaughtered Jews and Turks alike. He quickly became a major player in the internal intrigue among the crusade’s leaders, who often turned on one another for personal gain.
Tancred did ensure a strong Christian presence in northern Syria for several decades. He is portrayed in Torquato Tasso’s epic poem Gerusalemme liberata, but the account is mostly fictionalized. He is also glorified in a number of plays, mostly written in the seventeenth century.
Bibliography
Foss, Michael. People of the First Crusade. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1997. Covers the history of the First Crusade with an emphasis on individual personalities, including Tancred.
France, John. Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1994. A military history of the First Crusade that emphasizes the leadership, the siege of Antioch, and the divisions among the crusading knights.
Hill, John Hugh, and Laurita Lyttleton Hill. Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1962. The standard biography on Raymond, with frequent reference to Tancred.
Nicholson, Robert Lawrence. Tancred: A Study of His Career and Work in Their Relation to the First Crusade and the Establishment of the Latin States in Syria and Palestine. 1940. Reprint. New York: AMS Press, 1978. A biography of Tancred, based on Nicholson’s doctoral dissertation.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. A well-rounded history of the First Crusade, focusing on the religious and economic nature of the campaign.
Yewdale, Ralph Bailey. Bohemond I, Prince of Antioch. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1924. One of the few biographies of Tancred’s uncle.