The siege of Aleppo by
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 his allies lasted from 6 October 1124 to 25 January 1125. It ended in a Crusader withdrawal following the arrival of a relief force led by
Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi
Qasīm al-Dawla Sayf al-Dīn Abū Saʿīd Āqsunqur al-Bursuqī (), also known as Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, Aqsonqor il-Bursuqi, Aksunkur al-Bursuki, Aksungur or al-Borsoki, was the atabeg of Mosul from 1113–1114 and again from 1124–1126.
Accessi ...
.
Background
Located in the Syrian steppes, Aleppo was an important center of the Muslim world in the 11th century. When travelling from Baghdad to Antioch in the 1060s,
Ibn Butlan
Abū 'l-Ḥasan al-Muḫtār Yuwānnīs ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbdūn ibn Saʿdūn ibn Buṭlān ( ar, أبو الحسن المختار إيوانيس بن الحسن بن عبدون بن سعدون بن بطلان; ; ca. first quarter of the 11t ...
crossed prosperous villages near Aleppo. Earthquakes regularly hit northern Syria in the 11th century. Two earthquakes were especially serious, causing much damage in August and November 1114.
A
Seljuk Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to:
* Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia
* Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities
* Seljuk (warlord) (di ...
prince,
Ridwan, ruled Aleppo when the crusaders reached northern Syria in 1097. His conflicts with his brother,
Duqaq, the ruler of Damascus, enabled the crusaders to lay
siege to Antioch. Ridwan and Duqaq led separate relieving armies to the town, but the crusaders defeated both. The first crusader ruler of Jerusalem
Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon (, , , ; 18 September 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a French nobleman and pre-eminent leader of the First Crusade. First ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100, he avoided the title of king, preferring that of princ ...
was planning the conquest of Aleppo already in 1100, according to
Guibert of Nogent
Guibert de Nogent (c. 1055 – 1124) was a Benedictine historian, theologian and author of autobiographical memoirs. Guibert was relatively unknown in his own time, going virtually unmentioned by his contemporaries. He has only recently caught the ...
. Taking advantage of the crusaders' defeat in the
Battle of Harran
The Battle of Harran took place on 7 May 1104 between the Crusader states of the Principality of Antioch and the County of Edessa, and the Seljuk Turks. It was the first major battle against the newfound Crusader states in the aftermath of the F ...
in 7 May 1104, Ridwan invaded the
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It exte ...
, but its ruler,
Tancred, routed him in the
Battle of Artah
The Battle of Artah was fought in 1105 between Crusades, Crusader forces and the Seljuk Turks at the town of Artah (medieval town), Artah near Antioch. The Turks were led by Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan, Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan of Halab, Aleppo, while the C ...
in the spring of 1105. Ridwan did not dare to make raids against Antiochene territories during the following 5 years. Ridwan was a friend of the
Assassins
An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder.
Assassin may also refer to:
Origin of term
* Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins
Animals and insects
* Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...
. He died in December 1113. Afterward,
Ibn al-Khashshab
Abu'l-Faḍl (Abu'l-Hasan) ibn al-Khashshab ( ar, أبوالفضل (أبوالحسن) بن الخشاب; died 1125) was the Shi'i ''qadi'' and ''rais'' of Aleppo during the rule of the Seljuk emir Radwan.
His family, the Banu'l-Khashshab, were w ...
became the
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
ruler of Aleppo.
Rumours about the plans of Tancred's successor,
Roger of Salerno
Roger of Salerno (or Roger of the Principate) (died June 28, 1119) was regent of the Principality of Antioch from 1112 to 1119.
He was the son of Richard of the Principate and the 2nd cousin of Tancred, Prince of Galilee, both participants on th ...
, to conquer Aleppo brought about an alliance between the
Artuqid
The Artuqid dynasty (alternatively Artukid, Ortoqid, or Ortokid; , pl. ; ; ) was a Turkoman dynasty originated from tribe that ruled in eastern Anatolia, Northern Syria and Northern Iraq in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries. The Art ...
emir of
Mardin,
Ilghazi, and the
atabeg (or governor) of Damascus,
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 ...
, in the early summer of 1119. Ilghazi inflicted a crushing defeat on the crusaders in the
Battle of the "Field of Blood" on 28 June. Roger perished fighting in the battlefield.
Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, and
Pons, Count of Tripoli
Pons ( 1098 – 25 March 1137) was count of Tripoli from 1112 to 1137. He was a minor when his father, Bertrand, died in 1112. He swore fealty to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in the presence of a Byzantine embassy. His advisors sent hi ...
, hurried to Antioch to save the principality. Ilghazi and Toghtekin joined their forces, but they could not defeat the crusaders in a
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
near
Tell Danith
Tell may refer to:
*Tell (archaeology), a type of archaeological site
*Tell (name), a name used as a given name and a surname
*Tell (poker), a subconscious behavior that can betray information to an observant opponent
Arts, entertainment, and m ...
and returned to their realms in August.
In 1122,
Joscelin I of Edessa
Joscelin of Courtenay (or Joscelin I) (died 1131), Prince of Galilee and Lord of Turbessel (1115–1131) and Count of Edessa (1119–1131), ruled over the County of Edessa during its zenith, from 1118 to 1131. Captured twice, Joscelin continu ...
was captured by
Belek Ghazi
Belek Ghazi (''Nuruddevle Belek'' or ''Balak'') was a Turkish bey in the early 12th century.
Early life
His father was Behram and his grandfather was Artuk Bey, an important figure of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century. He was a short-term ...
. The next year, he was joined in captivity by Baldwin II, who was later imprisoned in the
Citadel of Aleppo
The Citadel of Aleppo ( ar, قلعة حلب, Qalʿat Ḥalab) is a large medieval fortified palace in the centre of the old city of Aleppo, northern Syria. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Usage ...
.
Baldwin II who was held captive by
Timurtash
Ala ud-Din Timurtash (died 1328; also Temürtaš or Timür-Tash, tr, Demirtaş Noyan) was a member of the Chupanid family who dominated politics in the final years of the Ilkhanate.
Early life
He was born to Chupan as his second son . Timurtas ...
, son of Ilghazi, was released 29 August 1124, based on an agreement to pay 80,000 dinars and to cede
Atarib
Atarib ( ar, أتارب, ʾAtārib), also known as Atharib or Athareb, is a town in western Aleppo countryside, Aleppo Governorate, Syria. Located west of the city of Aleppo and southeast of Reyhanlı in Turkish-administered Hatay Province, i ...
,
Zardana
Zardana ( ar, زردنا, also spelled Zerdana or Zirdana) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of Idlib Governorate. The village lies in a relatively flat plain. Nearby localities include Taftanaz to the southeast, al-Fu'ah a ...
,
Azaz
Azaz ( ar, أَعْزَاز, ʾAʿzāz) is a city in northwest Syria, roughly north-northwest of Aleppo. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Azaz had a population of 31,623 in the 2004 census. and other Antiochene fortresses to Timurtash.
Siege
Baldwin II decided to attack Aleppo to free the hostages, including Baldwin's youngest daughter
Ioveta, who were handed over to Timurtash to secure the release payment.
Therefore, he made an alliance with Joscelin I of Edessa, a Bedouin leader,
Dubais ibn Sadaqa from
Banu Mazyad
The Banū Mazyad () or Mazyadids were an Arab Shia dynasty of central Iraq. They belonged to the clan of Nāshira of the tribe of Banū Asad. They ruled an autonomous emirate in the area around Kūfa and Hīt between c. 961 and c. 1160.
Older sou ...
and two Seljuq princes,
Sultan Shah and Toghrul Arslan.
He laid siege to the town on 6 October 1124. In the meantime, the qadi of Aleppo,
Ibn al-Khashshab
Abu'l-Faḍl (Abu'l-Hasan) ibn al-Khashshab ( ar, أبوالفضل (أبوالحسن) بن الخشاب; died 1125) was the Shi'i ''qadi'' and ''rais'' of Aleppo during the rule of the Seljuk emir Radwan.
His family, the Banu'l-Khashshab, were w ...
, approached
Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi
Qasīm al-Dawla Sayf al-Dīn Abū Saʿīd Āqsunqur al-Bursuqī (), also known as Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, Aqsonqor il-Bursuqi, Aksunkur al-Bursuki, Aksungur or al-Borsoki, was the atabeg of Mosul from 1113–1114 and again from 1124–1126.
Accessi ...
,
atabeg of Mosul
This is a list of the rulers of the Iraqi city of Mosul.
Umayyad governors
* Muhammad ibn Marwan (ca. 685–705)
* Yusuf ibn Yahya ibn al-Hakam (ca. 685–705)
* Sa'id ibn Abd al-Malik (ca. 685–705)
* Yahya ibn Yahya al-Ghassani (719–720)
* ...
, seeking his assistance. Upon hearing of al-Bursuqi's arrival, Dubais ibn Sadaqa withdrew from Aleppo, which forced Baldwin to lift the siege on 25January 1125.
Aftermath
Baldwin II and al-Bursuqi forces met at the
Battle of Azaz in June 1125, which resulted in a crusader victory.
References
Sources
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{{coord missing, Syria
Aleppo 1124
Aleppo 1124
Aleppo
Aleppo
1124 in Asia
1125 in Asia
Aleppo
1120s in the Crusader states
12th century in the Seljuk Empire