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 the ...

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. Access ...

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 prince, Ridwan, ruled Aleppo when the crusaders reached northern Syria in 1097. His conflicts with his brother,

Duqaq Dukak or Duqaq may refer to: * Tuqaq (died c. 924 AD), the father of Seljuq, eponymous founder of the Seljuk dynasty * Duqaq (Seljuk ruler of Damascus) Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq (died June 8, 1104) was the Seljuq ruler of Damascus from 1095 ...

, 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 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 extende ...

, but its ruler,

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 ...

, routed him in the

Battle of Artah The Battle of Artah was fought in 1105 between Crusader forces and the Seljuk Turks at the town of Artah near Antioch. The Turks were led by Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan of Aleppo, while the Crusaders were led by Tancred, Prince of Galilee, regent of t ...

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 ''Reduviid ...

. He died in December 1113. Afterward, Ibn al-Khashshab became the de facto 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 t ...

, 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 Artuqi ...

emir 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 o ...

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 been ...

, and the

atabeg Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was wit ...

(or governor) of Damascus, Toghtekin, 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, hurried to Antioch to save the principality. Ilghazi and Toghtekin joined their forces, but they could not defeat the crusaders in a battle 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 continued ...

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 . Timurta ...

, 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, it 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'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 ...

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, approached

, atabeg of Mosul, 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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1124 in Asia 1125 in Asia

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1120s in the Crusader states 12th century in the Seljuk Empire