Saif ad-Din Ghazi I (died 1149) was the Emir of Mosul from 1146 to 1149, who fought in 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 Crus ...

. He was the eldest son of

Imad al-Din Zengi Imad al-Din Zengi ( ar, عماد الدین زنكي; – 14 September 1146), also romanized as Zangi, Zengui, Zenki, and Zanki, was a Turkmen atabeg, who ruled Mosul, Aleppo, Hama, and, later, Edessa. He was the namesake of the Zengid d ...

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

, and the elder brother of Nur ad-Din.

Regaining control

In 1146

was besieging the fortress of Qal Ja'bari when he was assassinated on September 15 by one of his servants who wanted to escape punishment. His forces were scattered, but Imad ad-Din Zengi's two sons were able to regain control and to divide informally the empire: Saif ad-Din succeeded him in Mosul and the Jezirah (northern

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

) while Nur ad-Din succeeded in Aleppo. Saif ad-Din had first to fight to secure his position in Mosul. Two years before, the Seljuk sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

had named his cadet son Alp-Arslan as overlord of Zengi, but the latter had neutralized him and carried with him at the siege. At Zengi's death, Alp-Arslan tried to exploit the ensuing disorder to gain the power in Mosul. Two of Zengi's advisors, the head of the diwan al-Din Muhammad Jemal and ''hajab '' Amir Salah al-Din Muhammad al-Yaghisiyani took the side of Saif ad-Din: taking advantage of the inexperience of the young Seljuk, giving Saif ad-Din the time necessary to take control of Mosul. When Alp Arslan appeared in Mosul, he was arrested and imprisoned in the

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

.Grousset 1935, p.194

Damascus

In 1148, together with Nur ad-Din, he marched south to help defend Damascus during the

(see Siege of Damascus). The atabeg of the city,

Mu'in ad-Din Unur Mu'in ad-Din Unur al-Atabeki ( tr, Muiniddin Üner; died August 28, 1149) was a Seljuk Turkish ruler of Damascus in the mid-12th century. Origins Mu'in ad-Din was originally a Mamluk in the army of Toghtekin, the founder of the Burid Dynasty ...

, however refused them entrance, using the presence of Zangi's sons to convince the Franks to release the siege.

Death

He died in November 1149 and was succeeded by another brother, Qutb ad-Din Mawdud.

References

Sources

*
1149 deaths Atabegs Zengid emirs of Mosul Muslims of the Second Crusade Year of birth unknown 12th-century monarchs in the Middle East {{MEast-royal-stub

Regaining control

Damascus

Death

See also

References

Sources