Editing Antioch (section)

=== Second Crusade ===
Nur ad-Din Zangi attacked Antioch in both 1147 and 1148 and succeeded during the second venture in occupying most of the territory east of the [[Orontes river|Orontes]] but failed to capture Antioch itself. [[Louis VII of France]] arrived in Antioch on March 19, 1148, where he was welcomed by the uncle of his spouse [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], Raymond of Poitiers.

Louis refused to help Antioch defend against the Turks and to lead an expedition against Aleppo, and instead decided to finish his pilgrimage to Jerusalem rather than focus on the military aspect of the Crusades. With Louis quickly leaving Antioch again and the Crusaders returning home in 1149.<ref>The Crusades: A Documentary Survey Brundage</ref>

With Raymond dead and [[Bohemond III]] only five years of age, the principality came under the control of Raymond's widow [[Constance of Antioch]]; however, real control lay with [[Aimery of Limoges]]. In 1153, Constance chose [[Raynald of Châtillon]] and married him in secret without consulting her first cousin and liege lord, Baldwin III, and neither Baldwin nor Aimery of Limoges approved of her choice.<ref>Les Familles d'Outremer</ref>

In 1156 Raynald claimed that the Byzantine emperor [[Manuel I Comnenus]] had reneged on his promises to pay Raynald a sum of money, and would later attack Cyprus.<ref>od's War: A New History of the Crusade</ref> This caused [[Manuel I Comnenus]] to raise an army to Syria. Raynald then surrendered, the emperor insisted on the installation of a Greek Patriarch and the surrender of the citadel in Antioch. The following spring, Manuel made a triumphant entry into the city and established himself as the unquestioned [[suzerain]] of Antioch.

In 1160 Raynald was captured by Muslims and held captive for 16 years, with Raynald disposed of for a long time, the patriarch Aimery became the new regent, chosen by Baldwin III. To further consolidate his own claim over Antioch, Manuel chose [[Maria of Antioch]] as his bride, daughter of Constance and Raymond. Antioch remained in crisis until 1163 when Constance asked the Armenia to help maintain her rule, as a result the citizens of Antioch exiled her and installed her son [[Bohemond III]] and now brother-in-law to the emperor, as regent.<ref>Religious and Military Crusader Orders in Syria in the 12th and 13th Centuries. Amman 2003.</ref>

One year later, [[Nur ad-Din Zangi]] captured Bohemond III but was soon released; however, [[Harem, Syria]], which Raynald had recaptured in 1158, was lost again and the frontier of Antioch was permanently placed west of the Orontes.<ref>Seeing Islam as Others Saw
Athanasius II</ref><ref>Earthquakes in Syria during the Crusades. Cairo 1996.</ref>