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Fall of Edessa
In 1144, Zengi's sultan Imad al-Din Zengi captured Edessa after a long siege, capital of the County of Edessa, the first Crusader state;…
Timeline
- 1144Edessa · MesopotamiaZengi led a combined force of Mosul and Aleppo against Edessa, cutting off the county capital from surrounding fortresses; the garrison held the walls under Joscelin II.
- 1144Edessa · MesopotamiaZengi's forces breached the walls; Edessa fell, many Christians were killed or captured, and the loss of the county capital marked the collapse of the Crusaders' first line of defense in the East.
- 1145–1146Western Europe · Western EuropeNews of Edessa's fall reached Western Europe via the papal court and pilgrim networks; Pope Eugene III issued a call in 1145–1146, and Louis VII and Conrad III responded in turn, setting the Second Crusade in motion.
Sources
- Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum — William of Tyre
- al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh — Ibn al-Athir
- A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem — Steven Runciman (1952)