The First Crusade captured Antioch in 1098 after an eight-month siege.
The crusader army reached Antioch in October 1097 and found a heavily fortified city defended by walls, towers, and a substantial garrison under the Seljuk governor Yağısıyan. The city stood on the route toward Jerusalem, so controlling it was crucial for supplies, communications, and any further advance south.
The siege became a disaster for the crusaders. Food ran short, disease spread, horses died, and some soldiers deserted. Crusader leaders also had to defeat relief forces sent from Damascus and Aleppo. On 3 June 1098, Bohemond of Taranto arranged for an Armenian guard named Firouz to open a section of the walls, allowing crusaders to enter.
The struggle was not over immediately: the citadel remained in enemy hands, and an army led by Kerbogha of Mosul besieged the crusaders inside Antioch. The crusaders broke out and defeated Kerbogha on 28 June. Antioch then became the capital of the new Principality of Antioch.