The Venetian Crusade of 1122–1124 was an expedition to the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
launched by the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
that succeeded in capturing
Tyre.
It was an important victory at the start of a period when the
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establishe ...
would expand to its greatest extent under
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 the ...
.
The Venetians gained valuable trading concessions in Tyre. Through raids on
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
territory both on the way to the Holy Land and on the return journey, the Venetians forced the Byzantines to confirm, as well as extend, their trading privileges with the empire.
Preparation
Baldwin of Bourcq
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 the ...
was a nephew of
Baldwin I of Jerusalem
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 Lorr ...
and the
Count of Edessa
The County of Edessa (Latin: ''Comitatus Edessanus'') was one of the Crusader states in the 12th century. Ferdinandi, Sergio (2017). La Contea Franca di Edessa. Fondazione e Profilo Storico del Primo Principato Crociato nel Levante (1098-115 ...
from 1100 to 1118.
In 1118 his uncle died and he became Baldwin II of Jerusalem.
In the
Battle of Ager Sanguinis
In the Battle of ''Ager Sanguinis'', also known as the Battle of the Field of Blood, the Battle of Sarmada, or the Battle of Balat, Roger of Salerno's Crusader army of the Principality of Antioch was annihilated by the army of Ilghazi of Mardin, ...
, fought near
Sarmada
Sarmada ( ar, سرمدا) is a town in the Harem District, Idlib Governorate of Syria.S ...
on 28 June 1119, the Franks suffered a disastrous defeat by the forces of
Ilghazi
Najm ad-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (died November 8, 1122) was the Turkmen Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He was born into the Oghuz tribe of Döğer.
Biography
His father Artuk Bey was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had be ...
, the ruler of
Mardin
Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...
.
Later that year Baldwin regained some territory, but the Franks were seriously weakened.
Baldwin asked for help from
Pope Callixtus II
Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...
. The pope forwarded the request to Venice.
The terms of the crusade were agreed through negotiations between the envoys of Baldwin II and the doge of Venice.
Once the Venetians decided to participate, Callixtus sent them his papal banner to signify his approval,
At the
First Council of the Lateran
The First Council of the Lateran was the 9th ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church. It was convoked by Pope Callixtus II in December 1122, immediately after the Concordat of Worms. The council sought to bring an end to the practic ...
he confirmed that the Venetions had crusader privileges, including remission of their sins.
The church also extended its protection to the families and property of the crusaders.
In 1122 the
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 a ...
,
Domenico Michiel
Domenico Michiel was the 35th Doge of Venice. He reigned from 1117 to 1130.
In August 1122 Domenico Michiel led a Venetian fleet of 100 vessels and around 15,000 men for the defense of the Holy Land. The fleet sailed under the flag of St. Peter, ...
, launched the seaborne crusade.
The Venetian fleet of more than 120 ships carrying over 15,000 men left the
Venetian Lagoon on 8 August 1122.
This seems to have been the first crusade in which the knights brought their horses with them.
They invested
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
, then a possession of the Byzantine Empire, with which Venice had a dispute over privileges.
In 1123 Baldwin II 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 ...
,
emir of Aleppo
The rulers of Aleppo ruled as kings, emirs and sultans of the city and its surrounding region since the later half of the 3rd millennium BC, starting with the kings of Armi, followed by the Amorite dynasty of Yamhad. Muslim rule of the city end ...
, and imprisoned in
Kharput.
Eustace Graverius became regent of Jerusalem.
The Venetians abandoned the siege of Corfu when they heard this news, and reached the Palestinian coast in May 1123.
Battle of Jaffa
![Map Crusader states ca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Map_Crusader_states_ca._1100.jpg)
The Venetian fleet arrived at
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 ...
at the end of May and was informed about a
Fatimid
The Fatimid Caliphate was an Ismaili Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The Fatimids, a dy ...
fleet, of around a hundred sail, sailing towards
Ascalon in order to assist the Belek Ghazi at his siege. Thus the Venetian fleet sailed south in order to meet it and Doge Michele ordered the division of the fleet into two parts with the weaker force at the helm and the stronger one hiding behind it. With the intent to divert the fleet off Ascalon. The Egyptians fell into the trap assuming an easy victory they were now caught between two Venetian squadrons and outnumbered. Some 4,000 Muslims were killed, including the Fatimid admiral, and 9 vessels captured, with the Venetians adding to their triumph the capture of 10 merchant vessels en route back to Acre. Both
Fulcher of Chartres Fulcher of Chartres (c. 1059 in or near Chartres – after 1128) was a priest who participated in the First Crusade. He served Baldwin I of Jerusalem for many years and wrote a Latin chronicle of the Crusade.
Life
Fulcher was born c. 1059. His app ...
(Book III/20) and
William of Tyre
William of Tyre ( la, Willelmus Tyrensis; 113029 September 1186) was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from his predecessor, William I, the Englishman, a former ...
(Book XII/22-23) recorded the event.
Siege of Tyre
![Assault on Tyre and Balac's severed head](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Assault_on_Tyre_and_Balac%27s_severed_head.jpg)
On 15 February 1124, the Venetians and the Franks began the siege of Tyre. The seaport of Tyre, now in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, was part of the territory of
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
atabeg of Damascus. The Latin army was led by the
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...
, the doge of Venice,
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 ...
and William de Bury, the king's constable.
The Venetians and Franks built siege towers and machines that could throw boulders to shatter the city walls.
The defenders of Tyre also built engines, hurling rocks at the siege towers.
As the siege dragged on, the citizens began to run short of food and sent urgent calls for help.
Balak died while besieging the city of
Manbij
Manbij ( ar, مَنْبِج, Manbiǧ, ku, مەنبج, Minbic, tr, Münbiç, Menbic, or Menbiç) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, 30 kilometers (19 mi) west of the Euphrates. In the 2004 census by the Cent ...
.
Toghtekin advanced towards Tyre, but withdrew without fighting when the forces of Count Pons of Tripoli and Constable William rode to confront him.
Toghtekin sent envoys in June 1124 to negotiate peace. After lengthy and difficult discussions it was agreed that the terms of surrender would include letting those who wanted to leave the city to take their families and property with them, while those who wanted to stay would keep their houses and possessions. This was unpopular with some of the crusaders, who wanted to loot the city.
Tyre surrendered on 29 June 1124. After the crusader forces entered the city, according to
William of Tyre
William of Tyre ( la, Willelmus Tyrensis; 113029 September 1186) was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from his predecessor, William I, the Englishman, a former ...
, "They admired the fortifications of the city, the strength of the buildings, the massive walls and lofty towers, the noble harbour so difficult of access. They had only praise for the resolute perseverance of the citizens who, despite the pressure of terrible hunger and the scarcity of supplies, had been able to ward off surrender for so long. For when our forces took possession of the place they found only five measures of wheat in the city."
Aftermath
Baldwin II was in captivity during the conquest of Tyre, but was released later that year.
He immediately broke the terms of his release.
Baldwin II granted the Venetians extensive commercial privileges in Tyre, and thus ensured that they would maintain a naval presence in the Latin East.
The privilege included guarantees of property rights for the heirs of Venetians who were shipwrecked or who died in Tyre.
Many of the people who left Tyre moved to
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 =
, ...
.
Baldwin II resumed hostilities against Aleppo and Damascus, and obtained tribute from both states.
Under Baldwin II the kingdom of Jerusalem grew to its greatest extent.
Tyre prospered as part of the kingdom of Jerusalem. When the Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt o ...
died during the
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...
he was buried in the Tyre Cathedral. The town was captured and destroyed by the
Mamluks
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') i ...
in 1291.
The Venetian fleet passed through the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...
on the return voyage. The Venetians again pillaged Greek islands.
The Greeks were forced to abandon the dispute and confirm the commercial privileges of Venice.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Venetian Crusade
1120s conflicts
Wars involving the Kingdom of Jerusalem
12th century in the Republic of Venice
1122 in Asia
Wars involving the Republic of Venice
1120s in the Crusader states
Wars involving the Fatimid Caliphate