In the Battle of Ba'rin (also known as Battle of Montferrand) in 1137, a Crusader force commanded by King

Fulk of Jerusalem Fulk of Anjou (, or ''Foulques''; – 13 November 1143), also known as Fulk the Younger, was the king of Jerusalem from 1131 until 1143 as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Melisende. Previously, he was the count of Anjou as Fulk V from 1109 ...

was scattered and defeated by Zengi, the

Atabeg Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic language, 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 ti ...

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

and

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

. This setback resulted in the permanent loss of the Crusader castle of Montferrand in

Baarin Baarin (, ''Baʿrīn'' or ''Biʿrīn'') is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located in Homs Gap roughly southwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Taunah and Awj to the south, Aqrab and Houla to th ...

Background

When Zengi became ruler of Mosul in 1127 and Aleppo in 1128, the Crusaders faced a dangerous opponent. For several years afterward, Zengi gained power at the expense of neighboring Muslim states. By occasionally allying itself with the Latin

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...

, the Muslim emirate of

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

successfully resisted Zengi's efforts to conquer that city.

Battle

In 1137, Zengi invested in the castle of Ba'rin, about 10 miles northwest of

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

. Raymond II obtained help from

King Fulk Fulk of Anjou (, or ''Foulques''; – 13 November 1143), also known as Fulk the Younger, was the king of Jerusalem from 1131 until 1143 as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Melisende. Previously, he was the count of Anjou as Fulk V from 1109 t ...

; however when Fulk arrived in Tripoli, he learned that the Byzantine Emperor was invading the

Principality of Antioch The Principality of Antioch (; ) was one of the Crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and History of Syria#Medieval era, Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of ...

.Baldwin, Marshall W
A History of the Crusades, Volume 1: The First Hundred Years. Vol. 1.
University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016. Fulk immediately held a council and decided that Ba'rin should be helped first. The Franks advanced against Zengi, whereupon Zengi decimated their infantry. Raymond II and some of his knights were captured while Fulk recognised the futility of any further resistance and retired into the fortress with the loss of all of the baggage intended for Ba'rin. The Christian chronicler

William of Tyre William of Tyre (; 29 September 1186) was a Middle Ages, medieval prelate and chronicler. As Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tyre, archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from his predecessor, William I of Tyr ...

"gave no tactical information, and neither did the Arab historians." Zengi then resumed his siege of Ba'rin while the imprisoned Franks appealed for aid to Antioch, Jerusalem, and Edessa, who answered the appeal.

Aftermath

After their defeat, Fulk and some of the survivors took refuge in Montferrand castle, which Zengi surrounded again. "When they ran out of food they ate their horses, and then they were forced to ask for terms."Gabrieli, p 43 Meanwhile, large numbers of Christian pilgrims had rallied to the army of

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Emperor

John II Comnenus John II Komnenos or Comnenus (; 13 September 1087 – 8 April 1143) was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as "John the Beautiful" or "John the Good" (), he was the eldest son of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Iren ...

, Raymond of Antioch and

Joscelin II of Edessa Joscelin II (died 1159) was the fourth and last ruling count of Edessa. He was son of his predecessor, Joscelin I, and Beatrice, daughter of Constantine I of Armenia. Biography Youth In 1122, Joscelin I was captured by Belek Ghazi. The next ...

. With this host approaching the castle, Zengi suddenly granted Fulk and the other besieged Franks terms. In return for their freedom and evacuation from the castle, a ransom was set at 50000 dinars. The Franks, unaware of the imminent arrival of the large relieving army, accepted Zengi's offer. In April 1137, John Comnenus laid siege to

Shaizar Shaizar or Shayzar (; in modern Arabic Saijar; Hellenistic name: Larissa in Syria, Λάρισσα εν Συρία in Greek language, Greek) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Near ...

, but his efforts were unsuccessful when Zengi relieved the city in May. The Franks never recovered Ba'rin. Muhammad ibn Nasr ibn al-Qaysarani wrote a rhyming poem praising Zengi for his victory at Ba'rin.Hermes, p 272

References

* Gabrieli, Francesco. ''Arab Historians of the Crusades.'' University of California Press, 1969. * Hermes, Nizar F. "The Poet(ry) of Frankish Enchantment: The ''Ifranjiyyāt'' of Ibn Qaysarānī". Middle Eastern Literatures. 20.3 (2017): 267–287. * Smail, R. C. ''Crusading Warfare, 1097–1193.'' New York: Barnes & Noble Books, (1956) 1995.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ba'rin, Battle of Battles involving the Kingdom of Jerusalem Battles involving the Zengid dynasty Battles involving the Seljuk Empire Conflicts in 1137 12th century in the Seljuk Empire 1130s in the Kingdom of Jerusalem 1137 in Asia Battles involving the County of Tripoli