To what extent was the Crusaders success at Antioch due to the leadership of Bohemond?

The battle which set the tone of the whole siege was the battle against Duqaq of Damascus. Duqaq was a powerful leader and his army had been inflicted with heavy causalities due to the confrontation with Raymond and Bohemunds army. Despite this both sides were left with significant casualties, this postponed the crusade.

The capture of the city was due to Bohemond’s plans to ignore his oaths to Alexius and set up an individual principality at Antioch. He tried to contract the ownership of the city from the other leaders if he somehow was able to construe its fall.

Due to his connection with , one of the commanders in the city; but he would not bring matters to an issue until the possession of the city was assured him (May 1098 with a reservation in favour of Alexius, if Alexius should fulfil his promise to aid the crusaders. But Bohemond was not secure in the possession of Antioch, even after its surrender and the defeat of Kerbogha; he had to make good his claims against , who championed the rights of Alexius. He obtained full possession in January 1099, and stayed in the neighbourhood of Antioch to secure his position, while the other crusaders moved southward to the .

  was the first man up the ladder into Antioch. From the Tower of the Two Sisters, the crusaders were able to open a postern gate, and make their way to the Gate of the Bridge, one of the main gates into the city.

A Turkish-held fort, Harem, which lay some miles to the East of Antioch, also mounted repeated skirmish attacks. These were attacks were so troublesome that the crusaders built a fort, which they named Malregard, on a hill to the east of Bohemond's camp to protect this flank of the army. To help defend the road to St Symeon from raids launched through the Bridge Gate, Godfrey's forces built a bridge, the Bridge of Boats, across the Orontes to their rear. This allowed them to cross the river to meet attacks which had crossed via the Bridge Gate.