The County of Edessa (
Latin: ''Comitatus Edessanus'') was one of the
Crusader states
The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political in ...
in the 12th century.
[ Ferdinandi, Sergio (2017). La Contea Franca di Edessa. Fondazione e Profilo Storico del Primo Principato Crociato nel Levante (1098-1150). Pontificia Università Antonianum - Rome. .] Its seat was the city of
Edessa
Edessa (; grc, Ἔδεσσα, Édessa) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Osroene ...
(present-day
Şanlıurfa,
Turkey).
In the late
Byzantine period, Edessa became the centre of intellectual life within the
Syriac Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...
. As such it also became the centre for the translation of
Ancient Greek philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empire ...
into
Syriac, which provided a stepping stone for the subsequent translations into
Arabic. When the
Crusades arrived, it was still important enough to tempt a side-expedition after the
siege of Antioch.
Baldwin of Boulogne, the first
Count of Edessa, became
King of Jerusalem, and subsequent counts were his cousins. Unlike the other Crusader states, the County was landlocked. It was remote from the other states and was not on particularly good terms with its closest neighbor, the
Principality of Antioch. Half of the county, including its capital, was located east of the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
, far to the east, rendering it particularly vulnerable. The west part of the Euphrates was controlled from the stronghold of
Turbessel. The eastern border of Edessa was the
Tigris, but the County may not have extended quite that far.
The
fall of Edessa in 1144 was the first major setback for
Outremer and provoked the
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusa ...
. All the later Crusades, however, were troubled by strategic uncertainties and disagreements. The Second Crusade did not even try to recover Edessa, calculating it to be strategically better to take
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 =
, ...
. But the campaign failed and Edessa was lost for the
Christians.
History of Edessa
Founding
In 1098,
Baldwin of Boulogne
Baldwin I, also known as Baldwin of Boulogne (1060s – 2April 1118), was the first count of Edessa from 1098 to 1100, and king of Jerusalem from 1100 to his death in 1118. He was the youngest son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, and Ida of Lor ...
left the main Crusading army, which was travelling south towards
Antioch and
Jerusalem. He went first south into
Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...
, then east to Edessa, where he convinced its lord,
Thoros, to adopt him as son and heir. He also married Thoros' daughter,
Arda of Armenia
Arda ( hy, Արդա; died after 1116) was the queen of Jerusalem as the 2nd spouse of King Baldwin I of Jerusalem. She was the first Queen consort of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, as Baldwin's brother and predecessor Godfrey of Bouillon was unmarried. ...
, who eventually became the first queen of Jerusalem. Thoros was a Christian of Armenian origin but of
Greek Orthodox religion and largely disliked by his
Armenian Orthodox subjects, which led to his removal from power in March 1098.
Different sources claim he was
assassinated
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
or abdicated, but it is unknown if Baldwin had any part in this. Nonetheless, Baldwin succeeded Thoros as ruler, taking the title of count (having been
Count of Verdun as a vassal of his brother in Europe).
In 1100, Baldwin became King of Jerusalem when his brother,
Godfrey of Bouillon, died. The County of Edessa passed to his cousin
Baldwin of Bourcq. He was joined by
Joscelin of Courtenay, who became lord of the fortress of Turbessel on the Euphrates, an important outpost against the
Seljuk Turks.
The Frankish lords formed a good rapport with their
Armenian subjects, and there were frequent intermarriages; the first three counts all married Armenians. Count Baldwin's wife had died in
Marash in 1097, and after he succeeded to Edessa he married
Arda
Arda or ARDA may refer to:
Places
*Arda (Maritsa), a river in Bulgaria and Greece
* Arda (Italy), a river in Italy
*Arda (Douro), a river in Portugal
* Arda, Bulgaria, a village in southern Bulgaria
* Arda, County Fermanagh, a townland in County ...
, a granddaughter of the Armenian
Roupenid
The Rubenids ( hy, Ռուբինեաններ) or Roupenids were an Armenian dynasty who dominated parts of Cilicia, and who established the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The dynasty takes its name from its founder, the Armenian prince Ruben I. The ...
Prince
Constantine.
Baldwin of Bourcq married
Morphia
Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. The ...
, a daughter of
Gabriel of Melitene, and
Joscelin of Courtenay married a daughter of Constantine.
Conflicts with Muslim neighbours
Baldwin II quickly became involved in the affairs of northern
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and
Asia Minor. He helped secure the ransom of
Bohemond I of Antioch
Bohemond I of Antioch (5 or 7 March 1111), also known as Bohemond of Taranto, was the prince of Taranto from 1089 to 1111 and the prince of Antioch from 1098 to 1111. He was a leader of the First Crusade, leading a contingent of Normans on the q ...
from the
Danishmends in 1103, and, with Antioch, attacked the Byzantine Empire in Cilicia in 1104.
Later in 1104, Edessa was attacked by
Mosul, and both Baldwin and Joscelin were taken prisoner after their defeat at the
Battle of Harran. Bohemond's cousin
Tancred
Tancred or Tankred is a masculine given name of Germanic origin that comes from ''thank-'' (thought) and ''-rath'' (counsel), meaning "well-thought advice". It was used in the High Middle Ages mainly by the Normans (see French Tancrède) and espe ...
became regent in Edessa (although
Richard of Salerno
Richard of Salerno ( 1060 – 1114), was a participant in the First Crusade and governor of the County of Edessa from 1104 to 1108. He was the cousin of Richard of Hauteville.
Biography
Richard was born around 1060, the third son of William of t ...
actually governed the territory), until Baldwin and Joscelin were ransomed in 1108. Baldwin had to fight to regain control of the city; Tancred was eventually defeated, though Baldwin had to ally with some of the local Muslim rulers.
In 1110, all lands east of the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
were lost to
Mawdud of Mosul. This was not followed by an assault on Edessa itself as the Muslim rulers were more concerned with consolidating their own power.
Baldwin II became King of Jerusalem (also as Baldwin II) when Baldwin I died in 1118. Although
Eustace of Boulogne had a better claim as the late Baldwin's brother, he was in
France and did not want the title. Edessa was given to Joscelin in 1119. Joscelin was taken prisoner once again in 1122; when Baldwin came to rescue him, he too was captured, and Jerusalem was left without its king. Joscelin escaped in 1123, and obtained Baldwin's release the next year.
Fall of the county
Joscelin was gravely injured during a siege in 1131 and was succeeded by his son
Joscelin II
Joscelin II of Edessa (died 1159) was the fourth and last ruling count of Edessa. He was son of his predecessor Joscelin I of Edessa and Beatrice, daughter of Constantine I of Armenia.
Biography
In 1122, Joscelin I was captured by Belek Ghazi. ...
. By this time,
Zengi
Zangi or Zengi may refer to:
People
* Imad al-Din Zengi (1085–1146), Turkish noble
** Zengid dynasty, a Muslim dynasty of Oghuz Turkic origin
** Nur ad-Din (died 1174) (Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd Zengī), his second son
* Mohammad Shammaa Al Zeng ...
had united
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
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...
and
Mosul and began to threaten Edessa.
Meanwhile, Joscelin II paid little attention to the security of his county, and argued with the
counts of Tripoli who then refused to come to his aid. Zengi
besieged the city in 1144, capturing it on December 24 of that year. Joscelin continued to rule his lands west of the Euphrates, and he also managed to take advantage of the death of Zengi in September 1146 to regain and briefly hold his old capital. The city was
again lost in November, and Joscelin barely escaped. In 1150 he was captured by Zengi's son
Nur ad-Din, and was kept a prisoner in Aleppo until he died in 1159. His wife sold Turbessel and what was left of the County to the Byzantine Emperor
Manuel I Comnenus, but these lands were conquered by
Nur ad-Din and the Sultan of
Rum within a year. Edessa was the first Crusader state to be created, and also the first to be lost.
Population and demographics
Edessa was one of the largest of the
Crusader states
The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political in ...
in terms of territory but had one of the smallest populations. Edessa itself had about 10,000 inhabitants. The rest of the county consisted mostly of fortresses. The county's territory extended from Antioch in the west to across the Euphrates in the east at its greatest extent. It also often occupied land as far north as
Armenia proper. To the south and east were the powerful Muslim cities of Aleppo and Mosul, and
the Jazira (northern
Iraq). The inhabitants were mostly
Syriac Orthodox
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...
and
Armenian Orthodox Christians, with some
Greek Orthodox Christians and
Arab Muslims. Although the numbers of Latins always remained small, there was a
Roman Catholic Patriarch. The fall of the city was the catalyst for the
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusa ...
in 1146.
Government
Counts of Edessa
*
Baldwin I 1098–1100
*
Baldwin II 1100–1118
**
Tancred, Prince of Galilee regent, with
Richard of Salerno
Richard of Salerno ( 1060 – 1114), was a participant in the First Crusade and governor of the County of Edessa from 1104 to 1108. He was the cousin of Richard of Hauteville.
Biography
Richard was born around 1060, the third son of William of t ...
as governor (1104–1108)
*
Joscelin I 1118–1131
*
Joscelin II
Joscelin II of Edessa (died 1159) was the fourth and last ruling count of Edessa. He was son of his predecessor Joscelin I of Edessa and Beatrice, daughter of Constantine I of Armenia.
Biography
In 1122, Joscelin I was captured by Belek Ghazi. ...
1131–1144, d. 1159
* ''
Joscelin III, titular Count from 1159
* ''
Beatrix, titular Countess from 1200''
Lordship of Turbessel
Turbessel was firstly the lordship of Joscelin I when he was not yet the Count of Edessa. It controlled the area west of the Euphrates, and held the border against Antioch. It then was a special holding of Courtenay counts of Edessa, and again became their seat after the loss of the city of Edessa. It was sold with the remaining parts of the County to the Byzantines just before it was conquered by Muslims. After the sale, the wife and family of Joscelin II moved with the proceeds to the
Kingdom of Jerusalem, near
Acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
.
Officers
Church
See also
*
Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edessa, County of
Lordships of the Crusader states
*
Counties of the Crusader states
Feudalism in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Former countries in the Middle East
History of Şanlıurfa Province
States in medieval Anatolia
11th century in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
12th century in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Medieval Syria
1098 establishments in Asia
1150 disestablishments in Asia
States and territories established in 1098
Former monarchies