Count of Edessa

Baldwin of Boulogne, the first count of Edessa, became king of Jerusalem, and subsequent counts were his cousins. Unlike the other Crusader states, the county was landlocked. It was remote from the other states and was not on particularly good terms with its closest neighbor, the Principality of Antioch. Half of the county, including its capital, was located east of the Euphrates, far from the Mediterranean coast, rendering it particularly vulnerable. The west bank of the Euphrates was controlled from the stronghold of Turbessel. The eastern border of Edessa was claimed to be the Tigris, but the County may not have extended quite that far.