Armies of Stephen of Blois on the First Crusade and the Crusade of 1101 Armies of Stephen of Blois on the First Crusade and the Crusade of 1101 The armies of Stephen of Blois participated in the First Crusade of 1096 and the minor crusade of 1101. Stephen, Count of Blois, was married to Adela of Normandy, daughter of William the Conquerer, and was the father of Stephen, King of England. Stephen apparently fled the battlefield at Antioch and returned home. He was coerced by Adela to form another army to return to the Holy Land in 1101, accompanied by Stephen I “the Rash”, Count of Burgundy. The known members of the army, which
Blois Blois Blois () is a city and the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours. Though of ancient origin, Blois is first distinctly mentioned by Gregory of Tours in the 6th century, and the city gained some notability in the 9th century, when it became the seat of a powerful countship known as "Blesum castrum". In 1171, Blois was the site of a blood libel against its Jewish community that led to 31 Jews (by some accounts 40) being burned to death. Their martyrdom also contributed to