Battle of Dorylaeum

On July 1, 1097, the column of Bohemond and Robert of Normandy, loaded with baggage, was attacked near Dorylaeum by the horsemen of Kilij Arslan and the Danichmendide emir. The Turks surrounded the crusaders and harassed their lines until the arrival of Godfrey of Bouillon, Raymond of Saint-Gilles and Hugh of Vermandois who, after a forced march, reached the enemy rear. Stuck between two masses of heavy cavalry, the Turkish army disbanded and abandoned its camp.

The crusader leaders decided to advance in two spaced columns to facilitate resupply. Kilij Arslan wants to exploit this dispersion by crushing the Norman vanguard before the rest of the army intervenes. Bohemond forms a defensive circle around the chariots, protecting pilgrims and non-combatants. Reinforcements arrive thanks to the scouts sent at full speed by Robert of Flanders.

Bohemond ordered a circle of chariots and pikes to cushion the light charges, while detachments of knights led brief counter-charges before falling back. When Godfrey and Raymond arrive, they form two wings of heavy cavalry which charge simultaneously, turning defense into counter-offensive. The Turkish archers, caught under crossfire and without room to maneuver, disperse.

The victory at Dorylaeum definitively breaks the Seljuk capacity to block the road to Anatolia: Kilij Arslan abandons his cities, which are pillaged by the crusaders during their advance. Latin morale soars and the experience acquired against the Turkish cavalry influences the tactics used later at Antioch and Ascalon.