Soldier of Crusade

by David Donachie Book 2 in the Crusades Trilogy series.

First published 2012

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2.5(5)

In 1096, Bohemund and Tancred join the First Crusade and cross into the Byzantine Empire. They must swear uneasy obligations to Emperor Alexios while advancing through Anatolia against Turkish forces and competing with other western princes for influence.

Sieges, hunger and disputes over captured territory test the crusading army on the road to Antioch. Bohemund sees military necessity and an opportunity for a principality, but pursuing both risks breaking the alliance on which the expedition depends.

Antioch becomes the central test because the crusaders must survive a long siege before confronting the question of who owns the city once it falls. Bohemund's ambition grows from that uncertainty, placing vows to Byzantium against the expectations of followers who want territorial reward. The novel uses the campaign to show how religious purpose and Norman dynastic calculation can reinforce one another until victory makes their conflict unavoidable.