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Joscelin I (Count of Edessa)

Type Figure Region County of Edessa Time c. 1080–1131 Also known as Joscelin de Courtenay

Joscelin I (c. 1080–1131), of Frankish noble origin, was an important ruler of the Crusader state of the County of Edessa;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1101–1119Edessa (Urfa) · County of EdessaJoscelin took part in the Crusade of 1101, then remained in the Holy Land serving under his cousin Count Baldwin of Edessa. He was granted fiefs such as the Castle of Godfrey (Turbessel), gaining rich Near Eastern combat experience and becoming an important link in the Crusader defensive system along the Euphrates.
  2. 1119–1131Edessa (Urfa) · County of EdessaIn 1119, after his cousin Baldwin succeeded as King of Jerusalem, Joscelin inherited the County of Edessa, becoming ruler of the northernmost Crusader fief. In 1122 he was captured by Balak Ghazi while attacking Birecik and imprisoned in the citadel of Homs, escaping the following year by tunneling with some knights. After his release he continued organizing military actions against Zengid encroachment, and around June 1131 was gravely wounded in fighting in northern Syria, dying of his injuries.

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