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Tancred Biography

Tancred Image

TANCRED (c.1050-1112). Prince of Antioch, a hero of the First Crusade. The first authentic information respecting him is that he joined his cousin Bohemund in the First Crusade in 1096. They landed in Epirus, and took the oath of allegiance to the Greek Emperor, Alexius (q.v.). Tancred's exploits on the way to Syria; his quarrel with Baldwin for the possession of Tarsus; his valor before Antioch, where he took an oath that as long as he had 40 knights he would never withdraw from the expedition to Jerusalem; and the praises of his biographer, Radulph of Caen, have given him a fictitious importance. After the conquest of Jerusalem he became Prince of Galilee. A quarrel with Baldwin, after Godfrey's death, caused him to give up his possessions in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. While Bohemund was in captivity he ruled over Antioch. When Bohemund died in 1111, Tancred became Prince of Antioch, where he died in 1112. Tancred has been made famous by Tasso in his Gerusalemme Liberata. For the actual facts during the most important period of his life, consult Bernhard Kugler, Boemund und Tankred (Tübingen, 1862), and Reinhold Röhricht, Geschichte des Königreichs Jerusalem (Innsbruck, 1898).

The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol. XXI (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1920) 822.