Antioch
Prince Raymond
Immediately Raymond I became embroiled in that perennial Antiochene enterprise, Cilicia. The engagement lasted until 1137 when the emperor John II arrived with an army before the walls of Antioch. Though the basileus refrained from entering the city, his banner was raised atop the citadel and Raymond was compelled to do homage. In addition, Raymond agreed that if John could capture Aleppo, Shiazar and Homs, he would exchange Antioch for them. Wintering over in Cilicia, John, aided by Antioch and Edessa, attacked Aleppo. The attempt failed and when John moved on to Shiazar, the Franks withheld their support. Infuriated, John returned to Antioch ahead of his army and this time made a triumphal entry, only to be forced to leave when Joscelin II of Edessa roused the citizens to riot. In 1142 John returned but Raymond, motivated by the hostility of his barons to Byzantine suzerainty, refused to submit once again. Because the season was late John returned to Cilicia where, over the winter, he laid plans not only to firmly establish his sovereignty over Antioch but indeed over all of Palestine. Only his untimely death in Cilicia prevented the attempt.
Two years later, Nur ed-Din captured the easternmost portions of the neighboring county of Edessa, which had served as Antioch’s buffer zone to the northeast. Spurred by this event, the call for the Second Crusade went out in Europe. In both 1147 and 1148 Nur ed-Din attacked Antioch, succeeding during the second venture in occupying most of the principality's territory east of the Orontes. The presence in Antioch of the indecisive forces of the Second Crusade caused Nur ed-Din to demur about pressing his advantage for the moment, but immediately the Europeans returned homeward he resumed his offensive. In the summer of 1149 Nur ed-Din attacked the Antiochene fortress of Inab. Raymond rallied to its defense but the limit of his fortune had been reached: he was killed in the battle.