Explain why the
crusader state of Edessa
collapsed in 1144
Introduction
On 24 December 1144 Imad ad-Din
Zengi, the Muslim ruler of Aleppo and
Mosul, captured the Frankish city of
Edessa, leading to the fall of the oldest of
the Crusader states.
short-term reasons
for collapse
The loss of the county of Edessa,
the most exposed and isolated of
the crusader states was the result
of a power vacuum, a lack of
powerful allies, and a weakness of
leadership.
Emperor John of Byzantium and King
Fulk of Jerusalem and had died in 1142
and 1143 respectively, the new Emperor
Manuel was busy securing his throne.
Jerusalem’s regency government
was led by a woman, Queen
Melisende – a relief army was sent
north from Jerusalem but it
arrived too late, the city had
fallen.
Count Joscelin was to blame
Edessa was also lost because of the
behaviour of its Count, Joscelin
He was actually absent on a raiding party
when Zengi attacked, leaving the city short of
troops, also he had quarrelled with both his
neighbours, Raymond, Prince of Antioch, so
no help was forthcoming from there.
Joscelin had also quarreled with Raymond II
of Tripoli, leaving Edessa with no powerful
allies or local support.
Long-term,
structural
weaknesses
The crusader
states,
especially those
in the north,
also faced long
term structural
weaknesses of
geography and
manpower.
Edessa lacked
defendable borders and
was short of manpower –
especially after the battle
of the field of blood in
1119.
Muslim unity
Another long-term weakness was the rise
of muslim unity in northern syria
Zengi, the Emir of Mosul was an able
and ambitious warrior, but he also
used the religious concept of Jihad to
unite Syria under the banner of
Islam.
He was the first
Muslim leader ruthless
and able enough to
combine the disparate
forces of Syria. In
doing so he broke the
mould of Frankish
invincibility.
By 1128 he had secured
control of the city of
Aleppo
During the 1130s he
attempted to capture
Damascus, but when that city
allied itself with the Kingdom
of Jerusalem he turned his
attention northwards...to
Edessa.
Conclusion
Finally, Edessa was lost in the 1144
because it was isolated, the most
northerly and least populated of the
crusader states.
It was doomed above all by Count
Joscelin’s absence in December 1144
and Raymond, prince of Antioch’s
refusal to help defend the city.
“The consequences of Thomas Becket's death were a victory for King Henry II.” Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1170 to 1179. (45 marks)