Battle of Iconium (1190) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Iconium |
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| Part of the Third Crusade | |||||||
 The battle of Iconium, by Hermann Wislicenus (c.1890) |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Hungary |
Sultanate of Rûm | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Frederick I Prince of Hungary |
Qutb al-Din | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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12,000–20,000 2,000 |
Larger than the Crusaders | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Field army: 3,000 killed Garrison: all killed or captured 20 nobles taken hostage |
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The Battle of Iconium (also called the Battle of Konya) happened on May 18, 1190. It was part of the Third Crusade. Frederick Barbarossa led his army to the Holy Land. During this journey, his forces captured Iconium. This city was the capital of the Sultanate of Rûm.
Contents
The Story So Far
After a big defeat at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, Saladin took over many Christian lands. He also captured Jerusalem in 1187. Pope Gregory VIII then called for a new crusade. This was the Third Crusade, meant to take Jerusalem back. It also aimed to help the remaining Christian strongholds.
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor answered the Pope's call. He decided to join the crusade. He also asked Philip II of France to come along. Frederick started his journey in May 1189. His army was quite large. Historians believe he had between 12,000 and 20,000 soldiers. This included about 4,000 knights. Prince Géza of Hungary also joined him. He brought 2,000 Hungarian soldiers.
Journey to Iconium
Frederick's army traveled through many lands. They passed through modern-day Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria. They also went through the Byzantine Empire. Finally, they reached Anatolia. This area was controlled by the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm.
The Seljuk forces constantly attacked the Crusaders. They used quick attacks and ambushes. The Crusaders fought back whenever they could. For example, on May 7, a Seljuk army of 10,000 was defeated. A smaller Crusader group of 2,000 led by Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia won this fight. The Seljuks lost many soldiers.
The Crusaders faced many challenges. Supplies were running low. Many soldiers were tired and thirsty. Some foot soldiers even left the army. Despite these problems, the Crusaders kept marching. They reached the Seljuk capital city of Iconium on May 13.
Before the Battle
On May 14, the Crusaders found the main Seljuk army. They fought and defeated them. Seljuk records say the Crusaders won with a powerful charge. They described 7,000 knights on white horses.
The Crusaders rested and got new horses on May 15. But the next day, Seljuk soldiers attacked them. Sixty Crusaders were killed. On that same day, the Seljuks offered a deal. They would let Barbarossa's army pass. In return, they wanted 300 pounds of gold. They also wanted control of Armenian lands.
Barbarossa refused this offer. He famously said that the road would be opened with "iron," not gold. This meant they would fight their way through.
The Battle Begins
Some German leaders wanted to go straight to Cilician Armenia. But Emperor Frederick wanted to take Iconium first. He needed to get food and horses for his army. So, on May 17, the Crusaders camped outside the city. They found plenty of water there.
Qutb al-Din, the Seljuk leader, gathered his forces again. He planned to fight back on May 18. Barbarossa split his army into two groups. His son, Duke Frederick of Swabia, led one group. They would attack the city. Emperor Frederick himself led the other group. They would face the main Turkish army outside the city.
The city of Iconium fell easily. Duke Frederick's group attacked the walls. They met little resistance. The city's defenders quickly gave up. The German soldiers then entered the city.
The battle outside the city was much harder. Emperor Frederick had to join the fight himself. He encouraged his soldiers, saying, "Christ reigns. Christ conquers. Christ commands." Even though the fighting was tough, the Germans defeated the larger Turkish army. The Seljuks were defeated again. The Crusaders did not chase them. They were tired from weeks of low food supplies.
After the Victory
After winning, the Crusaders took a lot of treasure from Iconium. They found about 100,000 marks worth of goods. They also got much-needed food like wheat and barley. They rested in the city for five days. On May 23, they camped in the sultan's park. They bought over 6,000 horses and mules. They also got bread, meat, butter, and cheese.
On May 26, they continued their march. They took 20 important Turkish nobles as hostages. This was to make sure they could pass safely. Saladin, the Muslim leader, was worried by this Crusader victory. He had to send some of his soldiers from the Siege of Acre to the north. This was to try and stop the Germans. Saladin even destroyed the walls of some Syrian ports. He didn't want the Crusaders to use them.
However, these actions proved unnecessary. On June 10, Barbarossa drowned while crossing the Saleph river. After his death, much of his army went home. Barbarossa's son, Frederick VI of Swabia, continued with the remaining German and Hungarian soldiers. They hoped to bury the emperor in Jerusalem. But they could not preserve his body. So, his flesh was buried in the Church of Saint Peter in Antioch. His bones were buried in the cathedral of Tyre. His heart and other organs were buried in Saint Paul's Church in Tarsus.
Later, the German army faced a disease outbreak near Antioch. Many soldiers died. About 5,000 Imperial and Hungarian soldiers joined the siege of Acre in October.
Battle Losses
The Seljuks lost about 3,000 soldiers in the field battle on May 18. This information comes from a German record called Historia de Expeditione Friderici Imperatoris. This record was written by a cleric named Ansbert. It used eyewitness accounts from the Crusaders who were there.
Images for kids
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The battle of Iconium, by Hermann Wislicenus (c.1890)
