Who was King Baldwin of Edessa?
Baldwin I also known as Baldwin of Boulogne (1060s – 2 April 1118), was the first count of Edessa from 1098 to 1100, and king of Jerusalem from 1100 to his death.
How did Baldwin take possession of Edessa in 1098?
Baldwin forced Toros to abdicate and took possession of Edessa in 1098. He consolidated his new principality and strengthened its ties with the native Armenians by marrying Arda, the daughter of an Armenian noble.
What is the history of the Kingdom of Edessa?
It dates from 1098 when Baldwin of Boulogne left the main army of the First Crusade and founded his own principality. Edessa was the most northerly, the weakest, and the least populated; as such, it was subject to frequent attacks from the surrounding Muslim states ruled by the Ortoqids, Danishmends, and Seljuk Turks.
What happened in Edessa?
Edessa was the most northerly, the weakest, and the least populated; as such, it was subject to frequent attacks from the surrounding Muslim states ruled by the Ortoqids, Danishmends, and Seljuk Turks. Count Baldwin II and future count Joscelin of Courtenay were taken captive after their defeat at the Battle of Harran in 1104.
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Why does Baldwin take the city of Edessa?
Thoros of Edessa invited him to come to Edessa to fight against the Seljuks. Taking advantage of a riot against Thoros, Baldwin seized the town and established the first Crusader state on 10 March 1098.
When was Edessa conquered?
The siege of Edessa (Arabic, romanized: fatḥ al-Ruhāʾ, lit. 'liberation of Edessa') took place from November 28 to December 24, 1144, resulting in the fall of the capital of the crusader County of Edessa to Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.
Which Crusade was not successful in recovering the city of Edessa?
The Second CrusadeThe Second Crusade did not even try to recover Edessa, calculating it to be strategically better to take Damascus. But the campaign failed and Edessa was lost for the Christians.
When was Baldwin II captured?
1104He was captured at the Battle of Harran in 1104. He was held first by Sökmen of Mardin, then by Jikirmish of Mosul, and finally by Jawali Saqawa.
Why did Edessa fall in 1144?
In 1144 Zengi learned that Count Joscelin of Edessa had argued with Prince Raymond of Antioch, and then taken almost his entire army to Diyarbakir to interfere in a dispute between Seljuk princes. Zengi marched a large army to Edessa hoping to overwhelm the city before Joscelin could return.
What is Edessa called today?
modern UrfaEdessa (modern Urfa), located today in south-east Turkey but once part of upper Mesopotamia on the frontier of the Syrian desert, was an important city throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages.
What happened during the Crusades in 1453?
Fall of Constantinople, (May 29, 1453), conquest of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire. The dwindling Byzantine Empire came to an end when the Ottomans breached Constantinople's ancient land wall after besieging the city for 55 days.
Who won the 2nd crusade?
Louis and Conrad and the remnants of their armies reached Jerusalem and participated in 1148 in an ill-advised attack on Damascus, which ended in their retreat. In the end, the crusade in the east was a failure for the crusaders and a victory for the Muslims.
Why was Edessa important to Christians?
In the meanwhile Christian priests from Edessa had evangelized Eastern Mesopotamia and Persia, and established the first Churches in the Sasanian Empire.
Who captured Jerusalem in 1187?
SaladinSaladin is the Western name of Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Muslim sultan of Egypt and Syria who famously defeated a massive army of Crusaders in the Battle of Hattin and captured the city of Jerusalem in 1187.
Why did King Baldwin wear a mask?
In Jerusalem, King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton) is busy dying of leprosy. He's wearing a silver mask that makes him look a bit like the Green Goblin, but he can be forgiven that, because he reminisces correctly about his victory as a 16-year-old lad over Saladin's forces at the Battle of Montgisard.
Was Baldwin IV a good king?
Summary. Baldwin IV was perhaps one of the more remarkable kings in the medieval Christian world. He is not remembered for great military campaigns, despite the fact that he beat the infamous Saladin on the battlefield on several occasions.
What happened at the battle of Edessa?
The Roman army was defeated and captured in its entirety by the Persian forces; for the first time, a Roman emperor was taken prisoner. As such, the battle is generally viewed as one of the worst disasters in military history.
Who won the Crusades?
While the Crusades ultimately resulted in defeat for Europeans and a Muslim victory, many argue that they successfully extended the reach of Christianity and Western civilization. The Roman Catholic Church experienced an increase in wealth, and the power of the Pope was elevated during the Crusades.
Which King fought against Saladin?
King Richard the LionheartLet us know. Battle of Jaffa, (5 August 1192). The final battle of the Third Crusade led directly to a peace deal between England's King Richard the Lionheart and Muslim leader Saladin that restricted the Christian presence in the Holy Land to a thin coastal strip, but ensured its survival for another century.
Who won the Second Crusade?
Louis and Conrad and the remnants of their armies reached Jerusalem and participated in 1148 in an ill-advised attack on Damascus, which ended in their retreat. In the end, the crusade in the east was a failure for the crusaders and a victory for the Muslims.
When was the siege of Edessa?
Siege of Edessa (1144) The siege of Edessa ( Arabic: fatḥ al-Ruhāʾ, liberation of Edessa) took place from November 28 to December 24, 1144, resulting in the fall of the capital of the crusader County of Edessa to Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. This event was the catalyst for the Second Crusade .
When did the siege of Edessa take place?
2nd Acre. Ruad. The siege of Edessa ( Arabic: fatḥ al-Ruhāʾ, liberation of Edessa) took place from November 28 to December 24, 1144, resulting in the fall of the capital of the crusader County of Edessa to Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. This event was the catalyst for the Second Crusade .
What was the first crusader state?
Background. The County of Edessa was the first of the crusader states to be established during and after the First Crusade. It dates from 1098 when Baldwin of Boulogne left the main army of the First Crusade and founded his own principality. Edessa was the most northerly, the weakest, and the least populated; as such, ...
When did Zengi arrive in Edessa?
Zengi, already seeking to take advantage of Fulk's death in 1143, hurried north to besiege Edessa, arriving on November 28. The city had been warned of his arrival and was prepared for a siege, but there was little they could do while Joscelin and the army were elsewhere.
Who succeeded John II?
John II was succeeded by his son Manuel I Comnenus, who had to deal with consolidating power at home against his elder brothers, while Fulk was succeeded by his wife Melisende and his son Baldwin III. Joscelin had also quarreled with Raymond II of Tripoli and Raymond of Poitiers, leaving Edessa with no powerful allies.
Who drove Joscelin out of Edessa?
However, he had no help from the other crusader states, and his poorly planned expedition was driven out of Edessa by Nur ad-Din in November.
Who was captured in 1104?
Count Baldwin II and future count Joscelin of Courtenay were taken captive after their defeat at the Battle of Harran in 1104. Joscelin was captured a second time in 1122, and although Edessa recovered somewhat after the Battle of Azaz in 1125, Joscelin was killed in battle in 1131.
When was the Siege of Edessa?
A summary of the Siege of Edessa from November 28 to December 24, 1144.
What was the significance of the Siege of Edessa?
Siege of Edessa, (28 November–24 December 1144). The fall of the crusader city of Edessa to the Muslims was the spark that ignited the Second Crusade. The victory entrenched Zengi as leader of the Muslims in the Holy Land, a mantle that would be taken up by his son Nur ad-Din and then by Saladin. After victory at the Battle ...
Why did Zengi march to Edessa?
Zengi marched a large army to Edessa hoping to overwhelm the city before Joscelin could return.
Who was the Queen of Jerusalem when the city walls were built?
The city walls were, however, exceptionally strong, and the defenders put up determined resistance despite their low numbers. Queen Melisende of Jerusalem mustered a relief force that marched for Edessa, but Prince Raymond of Antioch refused to help.
Who called for the Second Crusade?
When news of the fall of Edessa reached Rome, Pope Eugene IIIcalled for the raising of the Second Crusade. This would greatly strengthen the remaining crusader states, although Edessa was never recaptured.
When did the men holding the citadel surrender?
The men holding the citadel surrendered on 26 December on condition that their lives be spared. Joscelin and the troops sent by Melisende arrived a few days too late to save Edessa, but did hold on to the lands west of the Euphrates River.
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
II., count of Edessa (Iioo - I118), king of Jerusalem (1118-1131), originally known as Baldwin de Burg, was a son of Count Hugh of Rethel, and a nephew of Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin I. He appears on the first crusade at Constantinople as one of Godfrey's men; and he helped Tancred to occupy Bethlehem in June 1099.
LITERATURE
Fulcher of Chartres narrates the reign of Baldwin II. down to 1 127; for the rest of the reign the authority is William of Tyre. R. Rohricht, Geschichte des Konigreichs Jerusalem (Innsbruck, 1898), C. vii.-x., is the chief modern authority. (E. BR.)
What was the most dangerous thing Baldwin did in Edessa?
More dangerous to Baldwin in Edessa, however, was that as soon as he started to exert his authority there, the very citizens who had “elected” him, decided to depose him ― just as they had all his predecessors. Baldwin was lucky. One of the “councilors” turned traitor, told him what was afoot, and Baldwin struck first. He arrested the councilors, threw them in a dungeon, extracted ransom payments from them and then released them ― without noses, hands and feet or blinded in the case of the ringleaders. All were expelled from the city. Notably, this punishment, particularly the blinding of opponents and rivals, has a long tradition in the Eastern Roman Empire, but none at all in northern France. In short, even in his rage, Baldwin of Boulogne had adapted the customs of his adopted father.
Who extended Frankish power beyond the city of Edessa into the surrounding region?
It was Baldwin II who extended Frankish power beyond the city of Edessa into the surrounding region. This was no easy task as various warlords held castles at strategic points ― some Christian, some Muslim. He, like Baldwin I, had too few Frankish troops to impose his rule. He was dependent on the goodwill of the bulk of the ruling class and the loyalty of Armenian soldiers to remain in power, much less extend it. Significantly, he never faced any rebellion in Edessa itself.
What was the crusade in 1098?
When in 1098 the First Crusade reached northern Syria, Edessa was in the hands of a Greek Christian warlord, the most recent “strongman” in a long line of short-lived warlords, who came to power by murder or popular acclaim ― only to lose favor rapidly and themselves be murdered or flee. Thoros fearing the fate of his predecessors if he could not fight off the ever present Turkish threat, sought help from the most recent military force to arrive on the scene: the crusaders. MacEvitt suggests convincingly that Thoros was making the same mistake that the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Comnenus had made, namely, of conflating crusaders with Frankish/Norman mercenaries. Thoros wanted the evidently effective commander Baldwin of Boulogne to come fight his battles for him; he never really thought he was inviting in a successor.
Who succeeded Baldwin II of Jerusalem?
Furthermore, this pattern of integration and alliance with local (non-Latin) Christian elites was not only continued under Baldwin’s successors, the Courteneys, but also transferred to Jerusalem when Baldwin II of Edessa became Baldwin II of Jerusalem and his half-Armenian daughter Melusinde succeeded him to the throne. MacEvitt argues, I think convincingly, that the tiny Frankish elite in all the crusader kingdoms was both more dependent and more integrated in Eastern Christian society than previous historians have been willing to admit. His work The Crusades and the Christian World of the East: Rough Toleranceis well worth reading.
Who was the king of Jerusalem in 1100?
Baldwin of Boulogne had no chance to prove himself. He was called away to Jerusalem to take up his elder brother’s mantle. He was crowned King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Day 1100. He did not just abandon Edessa, however. Instead, he invited his cousin Baldwin de Bourcq to succeed him as ruler of Edessa. Baldwin II (as he was to be known in both Edessa and Jerusalem) was quick to take the opportunity, and his eighteen-year rule in Edessa truly established Frankish control over Edessa.
Was Baldwin a mercenary?
Baldwin, however, was not a mercenary. He rejected mere material gifts such as gold, silver and horses, in a bid for something more important still: power and control. When Thoros refused, Baldwin threatened to leave, and “the people” (by which one presumes the chroniclers mean the elites) insisted that Thoros give way. Thoros formally adopted Baldwin in a ceremony (telling) using Armenian relics and customs. Unfortunately for Thoros, this proved insufficient to placate an evidently unruly population. Within a month of Baldwin’s adoption, the mob had turned on Thoros, murdering him, his wife and his children mercilessly. There is no evidence that Baldwin was behind the murder, much as he benefited because, once Thoros was dead, the citizens jubilantly proclaimed him “doux” ― a Greek title that usually implied subordination to the Emperor in Constantinople.
Who was Baldwin II's cousin?
He promptly married an Armenian wife, daughter of one of the strongest warlords. Other Franks in his entourage, significantly his cousin Jocelyn de Courtenay who would succeed him when he too went to Jerusalem to become king there, also married Armenian aristocratic women. Equally important, he continued to depend largely on local Armenian elites to administer his territory. However, an early incident in which he lost a key city to Turkish forces and had to borrow troops from the crusader Principality of Antioch, induced him to place more of his own relatives in key strategic castles.
What is Edessa a small town with?
Edessa was a small town with sonme villages around it. Why would he call that a kingdom. It'll just make himself the laughing stock of the crusaders. What do you think will happen if Donald Trump called himself king of Trump tower? It's like that and 1000 years earlier.
What would happen if Baldwin made himself king of somewhere else?
If Baldwin made himself king of somewhere else, it would only antagonize the other crusaders. He was smart enough to realize this so he waited and once the more popular crusade leaders died, he used the money to bribe the rest into supporting him become the new king.
Why did very few lords decree that their lands were now kingdoms?
Very few lords decreed that their lands were now kingdoms, because most lordships in Europe were part of kingdoms. There were very few counties, duchies, or lordships in Europe that were not already parts of kingdoms. Even though the overlordship of the king in question might have been very vague, weak, or theoretical, it was legal and customary.
Which was bigger, Edessa or Cyprus?
The County of Edessa was larger than Cyprus, which eventually became a kingdom in the Third Crusade. And the Principality of Antioch was actually smaller than the County of Edessa. But since Bohemond I was the Prince of Taranto, that's the title he used.
Who succeeded Thoros as ruler?
Baldwin succeeded Thoros as ruler, taking the title of Count (having been Count of Verdun as a vassal of his brother in Europe).
Who was responsible for the creation of new kingdoms in the Middle Ages?
In the case of Latin Europeduring the High Middle Ages, the creation of new kingdoms was considered the prerogatives of the Popeand the Emperorof Christendom.
Which countries have a count or duke proclaiming himself king?
Thus there were relatively few examples of a count or duke proclaiming himself king. Portugal, Sicily, and the two kingdoms of Burgundy are examples.
Who was the Christian prince of Edessa?
While Baldwin was campaigning against the Seljuq Turks in Anatolia, Toros, the Christian prince of Edessa (now Urfa, Turkey), promised to make him his heir in return for military aid. Baldwin forced Toros to abdicate and took possession of Edessa in 1098.
What cities did Baldwin capture?
Once he had consolidated his strength at home, Baldwin seized the coastal cities of Arsuf (Tel Arshaf, Israel) and Caesarea (H̱orbat Qesari, Israel) in 1101; by 1112 he had captured all the coastal cities except Ascalon and Tyre. In 1115 he built the castle of Krak de Montréal to protect the kingdom in the south.
Why did Baldwin build the castle of Krak de Montréal?
In 1115 he built the castle of Krak de Montréal to protect the kingdom in the south. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now. In 1113 Baldwin forced his wife to enter a convent and married Adelaide of Saona, countess dowager of Sicily.
Who was the king of Jerusalem?
Baldwin I, byname Baldwin of Boulogne, French Baudouin de Boulogne, (born 1058?—died April 2, 1118, Al-ʿArīsh, Egypt), king of the Crusader state of Jerusalem (1100–18) who expanded the kingdom and secured its territory, formulating an administrative apparatus that was to serve for 200 years as the basis for Frankish rule in Syria and Palestine.
Who was Baldwin's brother?
In July 1100 his brother Godfrey died in Jerusalem, and Baldwin was summoned by the nobles to succeed him as Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri (Defender of the Holy Sepulchre).
Who crossed Hungary without incident?
…by his brothers, Eustace and Baldwin, and a kinsman, Baldwin of Le Bourcq, Godfrey took the land route and crossed Hungary without incident. Markets and provisions were supplied in Byzantine territory, and, except for some pillaging, the army reached Constantinople without serious problems on December 23, 1096.…
Overview
Count of Edessa
The Armenians regarded Baldwin as a liberator. Two Armenian chiefs, Fer and Nicusus, joined him soon after he started his campaign. The local population massacred the Seljuk garrisons and officials, or forced them to flee. The Seljuks' fear of the crusaders contributed to Baldwin's success. He seized two important fortresses, Ravendel and Turbessel, without a fight before the end of 1097. He …
Early life
Born some time after 1060, Baldwin was the third son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, and Ida of Lorraine. Being his parents' youngest son, he was intended for a career in the Church. He studied the liberal arts and held prebends in the cathedrals of Cambrai, Rheims and Liège. For reasons that are unknown, and at an unspecified time, he abandoned his church career and became a knight. Th…
First Crusade
Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont on 27 November 1095. Godfrey of Bouillon decided to join the military campaign and sold or mortgaged his inherited domains to raise funds. One of his domains, the County of Verdun, was seized by Richer, Bishop of Verdun, who soon granted it to Baldwin. The dissolution of Godfrey's allodial lands deprived all future dukes …
King of Jerusalem
News of Godfrey's death reached Edessa shortly after Baldwin's return from Melitene. His chaplain, Fulcher of Chartres, noticed that Baldwin "grieved somewhat over the death of his brother, but rejoiced more over his inheritance". To finance his journey to Jerusalem, Baldwin seized gold and silver from his subjects. He appointed his relative, Baldwin of Le Bourcq, his successor in the …
Death
Baldwin fell seriously ill in late 1116. Thinking that he was dying, he ordered that all his debts be paid off and he started to distribute his money and goods, but he recovered at the start of the following year. To strengthen the defence of the southern frontier, he launched an expedition against Egypt in March 1118. He seized Farama on the Nile Delta without a fight as the townspeople had fled in p…
Legacy
Fulcher of Chartres described Baldwin as his subjects' "shield, strength and support; their right arm; the terror of his enemies." The Muslim historian, Ali ibn al-Athir, who completed his chronicle a century after Baldwin's death, thought that "al-Bardawil" had started the First Crusade. Presenting a fictional correspondence between Baldwin and Roger I of Sicily, al-Athir claimed that Baldwin had initially wanted to conquer Ifriqiya, but Roger, who wanted to secure the territory for …
Family
Baldwin's wife Godehilde, the daughter of Raoul II of Tosny and Isabella of Montfort-l'Amaury, died during the First Crusade around 15 October 1097. Historian Malcolm Barber argues that her death "may have been the decisive event that persuaded" Baldwin "to seek out a lordship in the East". According to the historians Steven Runciman and Christopher MacEvitt, Baldwin and Godehilde had children who did not long survive her, but historian Alan V. Murray emphasises that no prim…
Overview
The siege of Edessa (Arabic, romanized: fatḥ al-Ruhāʾ, lit. 'liberation of Edessa' ) took place from November 28 to December 24, 1144, resulting in the fall of the capital of the crusader County of Edessa to Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. This event was the catalyst for the Second Crusade.
Background
The County of Edessa was the first of the crusader states to be established during and after the First Crusade. It dates from 1098 when Baldwin of Boulogne left the main army of the First Crusade and founded his own principality.
Edessa was the most northerly, the weakest, and the least populated; as such, it was subject to frequent attacks from the surrounding Muslim states ruled by the Ortoqids, Danishmends, and Sel…
The siege of Edessa
In 1144, Joscelin was able to make an alliance with Kara Arslan, the Ortoqid ruler of Diyarbakır, against the growing power and influence of Zengi. Joscelin marched out of Edessa with almost his entire army to support Kara Aslan against Aleppo. Zengi, already seeking to take advantage of Fulk's death in 1143, hurried north to besiege Edessa, arriving on November 28. The city had been warned of his arrival and was prepared for a siege, but there was little they could do while Josce…
Aftermath
In January 1145 Zengi captured Saruj and besieged Birejik, but the army of Jerusalem had finally arrived and joined with Joscelin. Zengi also heard of trouble in Mosul, and rushed back to take control. There, he was praised throughout Islam as "defender of the faith" and al-Malik al-Mansur, the victorious king. Ibn al-Qaysarani praised his victory in a rhyming panegyric. He did not pursue an attack on the remaining territory of Edessa, or the Principality of Antioch, as was feared. Josc…
Bibliography
• The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusaders, extracted and translated from the Chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi. Edited and translated by H. A. R. Gibb. London, 1932.
• William of Tyre. A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea. Edited and translated by E. A. Babcock and A. C. Krey. Columbia University Press, 1943.