A brilliant picture of a great medieval warrior and crusader, clear
and concise, which brings to life the whole Mediterranean world in an
age of crisis.' - John France, author of 'Perilous Glory: The Rise of
Western Military Power' and 'Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades
1000-1300'.
Bohemond of Taranto, Lord of Antioch, unofficial leader of the First
Crusade, was a man of boundless ambition and inexhaustible energy - he
was, in the words of Romuald of Salerno, 'always seeking the
impossible'. While he failed in his quest to secure the Byzantine
throne, he succeeded in founding the most enduring of all the crusader
states. Yet few substantial accounts of the life of this remarkable
warrior have been written and none have been published in English for
over a century - and that is why this absorbing new study by Georgios
Theotokis is of such value.
He concentrates on Bohemond as a soldier and commander, covering his
contribution to the crusades but focusing in particular on his military
achievements in Italy, Sicily, the Balkans and Anatolia. Since medieval
commanders generally receive little credit for their strategic
understanding, he examines Bohemond's war-plans in his many campaigns,
describes how he adapted his battle-tactics when facing different
opponents and considers whether his approach to waging war was typical
of the Norman commanders of his time.
