Joscelin I (died 1131) was a
Frankish nobleman of the
House of Courtenay who ruled as the lord of
Turbessel,
prince of Galilee (1112–1119) and
count of Edessa (1118–1131). The
County of Edessa
The County of Edessa (Latin: ''Comitatus Edessanus'') was a 12th-century Crusader state in Upper Mesopotamia. Its seat was the city of Edessa (modern Şanlıurfa, Turkey).
In the late Byzantine period, Edessa became the centre of intellec ...
reached its zenith during his rule. Captured twice, Joscelin continued to expand his county, even participating in the
Battle of Azaz in 1125. Gravely injured during the collapse of a sapper mine, Joscelin marched his army to relieve the besieged
fortress of Kaysun
The Fortress of Kaysun () is located near the village of Çakırhüyük, Besni, Çakırhüyük, which used to be named Keysun, in the Adıyaman Province of rural southeastern Turkey.''Köy Köy Türkiye Yol Atlası'' (Istanbul: Mapmedya, 2006), ma ...
, and died soon after.
Early career
Joscelin was the son of
Joscelin I of Courtenay and Elizabeth, daughter of
Guy I of Montlhéry. He arrived in the Holy Land during the
Crusade of 1101, and entered first into the service of his cousin Count
Baldwin II of Edessa (in the
army of Godfrey of Bouillon), who invested him with the lordship of
Turbessel. Later Joscelin served in the
army of Stephen of Blois. In 1104, he was captured at the
Battle of Harran. After passing into the hands of
Ilghazi, ruler of Mardin, Joscelin was ransomed for 20,000 dinars in 1107.
By 1113, Joscelin had carved out a semi-autonomous state around
Turbessel to the west of the
Euphrates
The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...
, while his cousin Baldwin controlled the territory east of the Euphrates around Edessa itself, which was continually harassed by the
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate society, Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persi ...
. That year, Baldwin dispossessed him of Turbessel, while Joscelin travelled to the
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 ...
, where he was made the
prince of Galilee.
Countship
In 1118, Joscelin's cousin Baldwin II succeeded
Baldwin I as
king of Jerusalem
The king or queen of Jerusalem was the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a Crusader state founded in Jerusalem by the Latin Church, Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade, when the city was Siege of Jerusalem (1099), conquered in ...
. Despite their former hostility, Joscelin fully endorsed Baldwin II over the candidacy of Baldwin I's brother Count
Eustace III of Boulogne. Joscelin was rewarded with the
County of Edessa
The County of Edessa (Latin: ''Comitatus Edessanus'') was a 12th-century Crusader state in Upper Mesopotamia. Its seat was the city of Edessa (modern Şanlıurfa, Turkey).
In the late Byzantine period, Edessa became the centre of intellec ...
.
Joscelin was taken prisoner along with
Waleran of Le Puiset in 1122 near
Saruj by
Belek Ghazi. Later he was joined in captivity at
Kharput by King Baldwin II, who had been captured in April 1123. They were rescued by fifty Armenian soldiers hired by
Queen Morphia; they disguised themselves as merchants and infiltrated the fortress where the prisoners were kept. The Armenians killed the guards and freed the hostages. However, the castle was soon besieged by a large
Artuqid force and it was decided that Joscelin should seek assistance. Baldwin stayed in the fortress and after some time it was reclaimed by the Artuqids.
After returning to Edessa Joscelin was able to enlarge the territory of the county, and in 1125 he participated in the
Battle of Azaz, a
Crusader victory against 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 ...
of
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 ...
, who were led by
Aq-Sunqur il-Bursuqi.
In 1131, during the siege of a small castle north-east of
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 ...
, a
sapper
A sapper, also called a combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses ...
's mine collapsed and Joscelin was gravely injured. Following this he received word that emir
Gazi Gümüshtigin was besieging the fortress town of
Kaysun. When his own son,
Joscelin II, refused to attack Gazi, he commanded that his own army should march to Kaysun. Joscelin was borne on a litter, and when Gazi heard that Joscelin's army was approaching, he lifted the siege and retreated. Joscelin won his final battle and died soon after.
Marriage and issue
Joscelin married an Armenian noblewoman named Beatrice, daughter of Prince
Constantine I of Armenia. They had a son,
Joscelin II of Edessa. She died in 1119.
In 1122, Joscelin married Maria, daughter of
Richard of Salerno and sister of
Roger
Roger is a masculine given name, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic languages">Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") ...
, regent of 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 ...
. They had a daughter,
Stephanie.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Joscelin 01, Count of Edessa
Year of birth missing
1131 deaths
Counts of Edessa
Princes of Galilee
1st house of Courtenay
Christians of the Crusade of 1101