Siege and Capture of Antioch 1268. The Crusades were one of the most dramatic and significant events in medieval history, not least because they expanded the horizons of western (Latin) Christendom, by bringing it into regular contact for the first time with both the Islamic world and a number of eastern Christian denominations. In 1277, Baibars had forced the Crusaders to a few strongholds along the coast and the Crusaders were forced out of the Middle East by the beginning of the fourteenth century. The fall of Antioch was to prove as detrimental to the crusader's cause as its capture was instrumental to the initial success of the first Crusade. *** Local Caption *** 11197