before, and Arab peasants refused to give them food. The minor knights and soldiers became restless and starvation began to set in and they threatened to continue to Jerusalem without their squabbling leaders. In November, Raymond finally gave in to Bohemond for the sake of continuing the crusade in peace and to calm his mutinous starving troops. At the beginning of 1099 the march was renewed, leaving Bohemond behind as the first Prince of Antioch, and in the spring the siege of Jerusalem began under the leadership of Raymond. The success at Antioch was too much for Peter Bartholomew's skeptics. Peter's visions were far too convenient and too martial, and he was openly accused of lying. Challenged, Peter offered to undergo ordeal by fire to prove that he was divinely guided. Being in Biblical lands, they chose a Biblical ordeal: Peter would pass through a fiery furnace and would be protected by an angel of God. The crusaders constructed a path between walls of flame; Peter would walk down the path between the flames. He did so, and was horribly burned. He died after suffering in agony for twelve days on 20 April 1099. There was no more said about the Holy Lance, although the Provencal contingent of Raymond maintained that Peter had passed safely through the flames but had been pushed back by the crowd welcoming him. Also, count Raymond kept the Lance with all reverence in his chapel. The siege of Antioch quickly became legendary, and in the 12th century it was the subject of the chanson d'Antioche, a chanson de geste in the Crusade cycle. Count Bohemond by Alfred Duggan (1964) is a historical novel concerning the life of Bohemond and describes the siege of Antioch. References Footnotes Bibliography Further reading External links The Siege and Capture of Antioch: Collected Accounts The Gesta Francorum (see Chapters 10–15) The Historia Francorum qui ceperunt Jerusalem of Raymond of Aguilers (see Chapters 4–9) The Alexiad (see Chapter 11) Peter Tudebode's account at De Re Militari 1097 in Asia 1098 in Asia Conflicts in 1097 Conflicts in 1098 1090s in the Byzantine Empire 11th-century massacres 11th century in the Seljuk Empire Last stands Antioch 1097 Antioch 1097 Antioch 1097 Antioch 1097 Medieval Antioch Sieges of Antioch