The Battle of Marj al-Saffar was fought on January 25, 1126 between a
Crusader army led by King
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to th ...
and the
Seljuk Emirate of
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
, which was ruled by
Toghtekin
Toghtekin or Tughtekin (Modern tr, Tuğtekin; Arabicised epithet: ''Zahir ad-Din Tughtikin''; died February 12, 1128), also spelled Tughtegin, was a Turkic military leader, who was ''atabeg'' of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder o ...
. The Crusaders defeated the Muslim army in the field but failed in their objective to capture Damascus.
Background
After winning the
Battle of Azaz northeast of
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...
, Baldwin II led an army of Franks to attack Damascus in early 1126. Baldwin's army consisted of the usual mounted knights and men-at-arms supported by spearmen and bowmen on foot. At Marj al-Saffar, 30 kilometers outside Damascus,
[Burns, p 150] the Crusaders encountered the army of Damascus which offered battle. Toghtekin, founder of the
Burid
The Burid dynasty was a dynasty of Turkish origin ''Burids'', R. LeTourneau, The Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. I, ed. H.A.R. Gibb, J.H. Kramers, É. Lévi-Provençal and J. Schacht, (Brill, 1986), 1332. which ruled over the Emirate of Damascus ...
dynasty, ruled Damascus at that time.
Battle
Only a few details are known about the battle. The sources are not in agreement about tactical details, but they concur that the Crusaders failed to seize Damascus. The Franks lost many men to Turkish archery in a very close-fought engagement. "But a strong attack made late in the day gave them a hard-won victory. Their tactical success left them unable to achieve their object in undertaking the campaign, which was the conquest of Damascus."
[Smail, p 182]
Another historian writes, "Crusader forces had a clear win but were unable to press home their advantage."
A third writer notes that the Crusader victory occurred because Toghtekin "fell from his horse and, thinking that he had been killed, his companions fled." Because of their heavy casualties, the Crusaders were forced to retreat.
Aftermath
Some
Nizari Ismailis from
Homs
ar, حمصي, Himsi
, population_urban =
, population_density_urban_km2 =
, population_density_urban_sq_mi =
, population_blank1_title = Ethnicities
, population_blank1 =
, population_blank2_t ...
and elsewhere were involved in the defense of Damascus. This contributed to the establishment of the alliance between the Nizari leader
Bahram al-Da'i, who was the Chief Da'i of Syria, and the Burids.
[Gibb, N. A. R., Editor (1932) ''The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades. Extracted and translated from the Chronicle of ibn al-Qalānisi'', Luzac & Company, London, pp. 174-177]
In
1129
Year 1129 ( MCXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* April 14 – Following the Capetian tradition, King Louis VI (the Fat) has his eldes ...
, the Franks attacked Damascus again, but their siege of the city was unsuccessful.
Notes
References
* Burns, Ross. ''Damascus: A History.'' Routledge, 2005.
* France, John. ''Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades, 1000-1300''. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1999.
* Hillenbrand, Car. ''The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives.'' Routledge, 1999.
* Smail, R. C. ''Crusading Warfare 1097-1193.'' New York: Barnes & Noble Books, (1956) 1995.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marj al-Saffar, Battle of
Marj al-Saffar 1126
Battles involving the Seljuk Empire
Conflicts in 1126
12th century in the Seljuk Empire
1126 in Asia
1120s in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Battles involving the Nizari Ismaili state