ORDER OF BATTLE // January 1, 1100
Battle of Melitene
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
1 sides catalogued · combined 5,000 estimated
Principality of Antioch
5,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Melitene resulted in the defeat of a Crusader force under Bohemond I of Antioch by the Danishmendid Turks under Gazi Gümüshtigin in eastern Anatolia. The engagement removed Bohemond — one of the principal military leaders of the First Crusade and ruler of the Principality of Antioch — from the field, with his capture constituting a significant setback for Crusader power in the region. The loss demonstrated the continuing military capacity of the Danishmendid Turks to check Crusader expansion into Anatolia in the years immediately following the establishment of the first Crusader states.
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