War of the Antiochene Succession
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Kingdom of Cilicia, Principality of Antioch and County of Tripoli in the early 13th century | |||||||||
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The War of the Antiochene Succession, also known as the Antiochene War of Succession, was a series of armed conflicts in northern Syria between 1201 and 1219 over the disputed succession to Bohemond III of Antioch. The Principality of Antioch was the leading Christian power in the region during the last decades of the 12th century, but the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia challenged its supremacy. The capture of an important fortress, Bagras, in Syria by Leo II of Cilician Armenia gave rise to a prolonged conflict in the early 1190s. Leo tried to capture Antioch, but the Greek and Latin burghers formed a commune that prevented the Armenian soldiers from occupying the town. Bohemond III's eldest son, Raymond, died in 1197, leaving an infant son, Raymond-Roupen. The boy's mother, Alice, was Leo II's niece and heir presumptive. Bohemond III and the Antiochene noblemen confirmed Raymond-Roupen's right to succeed his grandfather in Antioch, but the commune preferred Bohemond III's younger son, Bohemond, Raymond-Roupen's uncle, who was already Count of Tripoli.
Bohemond of Tripoli seized Antioch without resistance after his father died in April 1201, prompting many Antiochene noblemen to seek refuge in Cilician Armenia. Leo invaded the principality almost every year between 1201 and 1208, but he had to return to his kingdom on each occasion because either az-Zahir Ghazi, the Ayyubid emir of Aleppo, or Kaykaus I, the Seljuq sultan of Rum, stormed into Cilician Armenia in his absence. Pope Innocent III initially supported Leo. However, the conflict between Leo and the Knights Templar over Bagras led to Leo's excommunication in 1208. During the following years, Leo captured new fortresses in Syria, only to abandon them in 1213 in an effort to improve his relationship with the Holy See. Taking advantage of Bohemond IV's isolation, Leo entered Antioch, helping Raymond-Roupen seize the principality in 1216. Before long, Leo abandoned Bagras and lost the Armenian fortresses to the north of the Taurus Mountains to the Seljuqs. Raymond-Roupen increased taxes, which made him unpopular in Antioch. His relationship with Leo became tense, enabling Bohemond IV to regain Antioch in 1219. The war contributed to the weakening of the Christian states in northern Syria.