Bohemond II of Antioch

Bohemond II of Antioch, born in 1108, was a prominent military figure and the son of Bohemond I. His early life was marked by the Treaty of Devol in 1108, which forced his father to submit to the Byzantine Empire. Following this, Bohemond inherited the Principality of Taranto in 1111, under the guardianship of his mother, Constance of France. For several years, the Principality of Antioch was governed by his cousins, Tancred of Galilee and Roger of Salerno, until Bohemond was able to claim his rights.

In 1119, after the death of Roger in the Battle of the Field of Blood, Baldwin II of Jerusalem took over the administration of Antioch but recognized Bohemond's right to rule upon reaching maturity. It was not until the autumn of 1126 that Bohemond arrived in Antioch, ready to assert his authority and lead military campaigns against local Muslim rulers.

Bohemond's military endeavors were initially successful, but his rivalry with Joscelin I of Courtenay allowed Imad ad-Din Zengi to strengthen his hold over Mosul and Aleppo. In 1128, Roger II of Sicily seized the Principality of Taranto, further complicating Bohemond's position. Ultimately, Bohemond met his end during a military campaign against the Danishmend Emir Gazi in Cilician Armenia, where his embalmed head was sent to the Abbasid caliph, marking a tragic conclusion to his tumultuous life.