Fall of Edessa

Aftermath

Zengi was assassinated by a slave in 1146 while besieging Qalat Jabar and was succeeded in Aleppo by his son Nur ad-Din. Joscelin attempted to take back Edessa following Zengi's murder and recaptured all but the citadel in October 1146. However, he had no help from the other Crusader states, and his poorly planned expedition was driven out of Edessa by Nur ad-Din in November. Joscelin, fearing for the safety of the city's Christian Armenians, attempted to break a hole in Nur ad-Din's forces through which the natives could flee to safety. However, Joscelin's attempt failed, and his fears came true when Nur al-Din's troops massacred the fleeing Armenians and forced the survivors into slavery. In 1145 Nerses IV the Gracious (1102-1173) wrote the elegy Voghb Yedesio (Lamentation on Edessa) on the fall of Edessa.