| Battle of Melitene | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theCrusades | |||||||
 Malatya | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Principality of Antioch | Danishmendids | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Bohemond I of Antioch (POW) | Gazi Gümüshtigin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 300 knights (Albert of Aix) 5000 men (Ibn al-Athir)[1] | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Most killed, a few captured | Unknown | ||||||
In theBattle of Melitene in 1100, a Crusader force led byBohemond I of Antioch was defeated inMelitene in eastern Anatolia byDanishmend Turks commanded byGazi Gümüshtigin.
After acquiring thePrincipality of Antioch in 1098, Bohemond allied himself with theArmenians of Cilicia. WhenGabriel of Melitene and his Armenian garrison came under attack from the Danishmend state to their north, Bohemond marched to their relief with a Frankish force.
Malik Ghazi's Danishmends ambushed the expedition and "most of the Crusaders were killed."[2] Bohemond was captured along withRichard of Salerno. Among the dead were the Armenian bishops ofMarash andAntioch. Bohemond was held for ransom until 1103, and his rescue became the object of one column of the ill-fatedCrusade of 1101.
This battle ended the string of victories enjoyed by the participants of theFirst Crusade.Baldwin, Count ofEdessa and later king ofJerusalem, successfully relievedMelitene afterward. However, while the Crusaders were negotiating the ransom of Bohemond, the Danishmends seized the town in 1103 and executed Gabriel of Melitene.[3]