The dramatic discovery of the Holy Lance during the First Crusade

The Crusaders entered the damaged city of Antioch in June 1098, after enduring an eight-month siege that drained their strength and morale.

The Turkish garrison inside Antioch was commanded by Yaghi-Siyan, a Seljuk emir who had reinforced the city against the Crusaders.

The victory did not rely on force but, instead, resulted from the secret actions of Bohemond of Taranto, who convinced an Armenian convert named Firuz to betray the defenders.

Firuz opened one of the towers at night, and the Crusaders stormed the walls.

They overcame the garrison and seized control of the city. However, the success brought no lasting relief.

Only days later, a large Muslim army under Kerbogha of Mosul arrived and surrounded the Crusaders.

Kerbogha had gathered his army from various parts of the Muslim world, which included groups from Aleppo, Damascus, and regions of Persia.

The Christians, now trapped, lacked supplies, reinforcements, and the will to endure another siege. 

Meanwhile, Peter Bartholomew, a little-known priest from the army of Count Raymond of Toulouse, claimed that Saint Andrew had visited him in a dream.

The apostle, he said, revealed the location of a sacred relic: the Holy Lance that had pierced Christ during the crucifixion.

Peter claimed Saint Andrew told him, "Go to the church of the blessed apostle Peter in Antioch; there beneath the altar lies the lance that pierced our Lord’s side."

His words caused excitement, especially among Raymond’s followers, who had shown faith in relics and believed in signs sent from God. 

In the early hours of 15 June, Peter led a small group of Raymond’s men into the Church of St. Peter.

They began to dig into the floor beneath the altar. Hours passed with no result until one of the men, who possibly attempted to prevent humiliation, reached into the trench and lifted out a rusted iron spearhead.

He declared that they had found the Holy Lance. Raymond of Aguilers, a chaplain in Count Raymond's household, personally witnessed the dig and became one of the main promoters of the Lance's genuineness.

Soon after, the relic was wrapped in cloth and presented to Count Raymond. News of the discovery swept through the army, and many believed that God had offered them proof of His favour.

Raymond accepted the relic without hesitation and ordered it placed in a silver reliquary.

Peter Bartholomew claimed further visions and issued prophecies to the Crusaders, who now saw him as a messenger of the divine. 

As a result, the mood among the Crusaders changed and hope returned. The men believed that God had not abandoned them and had chosen them to experience a new triumph.

Reports of miracles and divine apparitions spread quickly. Clergy and knights told stories of angels seen above the battlefield and saints who guided their cause.

In response to this rising belief, the leaders decided to strike against their enemeis first.

So, on 28 June 1098, the Crusaders marched out of Antioch with the Holy Lance at the front of the army.

The Muslim force, who were also weakened by internal rivalries and tensions among their leadership, failed to mount a coordinated defence.

The Christians won a clear and sudden victory, driving Kerbogha’s troops from the field and lifting the siege. 

Soon after, debate over the relic divided the Crusader leadership. Many Normans, among whom were Bohemond and the priests in his group, doubted the story.

They accused Peter of fraud and claimed the relic had been planted. Count Raymond’s rivals suspected the discovery had been staged to rally the men and enhance Raymond’s status.

Bohemond refused to recognise the Lance as genuine during the same period in which he launched a campaign to claim Antioch for himself, a move that brought him into direct conflict with Raymond, who argued that the city should remain under Christian communal control.

In the face of this criticism, Peter submitted to 'trial by fire' in April 1099. Trial by fire was a form of ordeal popular in medieval Europe which was believed to reveal divine judgment: survival without serious injury was taken as proof of innocence or truthfulness.

He walked between two burning piles of wood and emerged alive but severely burned.

He died on the twelfth day from his wounds. His death weakened the authority of his claims, but many Crusaders still revered the Lance and believed in its divine power. 

To contemporary chroniclers, the episode became one of the most famous and controversial events of the First Crusade.

Writers such as Raymond of Aguilers, who had supported Peter, and Fulcher of Chartres, who wrote with some caution, recorded detailed accounts of the discovery.

The historian Ralph of Caen later mocked the discovery in his Gesta Tancredi, suggesting it was a staged event rather than a divine revelation or archaeological discovery.

Regardless, the Lance remained with Raymond’s men and travelled to Jerusalem at the conclusion of the campaign.

According to some accounts, it was brought to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where it was honoured before it disappeared from the historical record.