Joscelin II, Count of Edessa
Encyclopedia
Joscelin II of Edessa was the fourth and last ruling count of Edessa
.
The young Joscelin was taken prisoner at the Battle of Azaz
in 1125, but was ransomed by Baldwin II
, king of Jerusalem
. In 1131, his father Joscelin I was wounded in battle with the Danishmends
, and Edessa passed to Joscelin II. Joscelin II refused to march the small Edessan army out to meet the Danishmends, so Joscelin I, in his last act, forced the Danishmends to retreat, dying soon after.
Joscelin II ruled the weakest and most isolated of the Crusader states
. In 1138 he allied with Antioch
and Byzantine emperor John II Comnenus to attack Zengi
, atabeg
of Aleppo
, although Zengi defeated them. Back in Antioch, sentiment against the Byzantine Empire
, which John was trying to extend into the northern Crusader states, led to a riot, engineered by Joscelin. John was forced to return home.
In 1143 both John II and Fulk of Jerusalem
died, leaving Joscelin with no powerful allies to help defend Edessa
. In 1144 Zengi invaded and captured Edessa
itself. Joscelin fled to Turbessel, where he held the remnants of the county west of the Euphrates
. When Yarankash
, a Frankish slave, assassinated the violent, cruel, brutal, and drunk Zengi in September 1146, Joscelin managed to recapture Edessa in October 1146 and held it briefly thereafter, but with no help from the other Crusader states, the city was again lost in November, as Joscelin's expedition was driven out by Zengi's son Nur ad-Din. The Second Crusade
, called in response to the fall of Edessa, eventually shifted its focus to Damascus
. In 1150 whilst on route to Antioch, where he was looking to enlist help, Joscelin was taken prisoner by a group of brigands who then sold him to Nur-ed-Din. Joscelin was taken to the city of Aleppo where he was led before a hostile crowd and publicly blinded. He spent the remaining nine years of his life in captivity in a Muslim prison. He eventually died in the dungeons of the Citadel of Aleppo
in 1159.
His daughter Agnes of Courtenay
married Amalric I of Jerusalem
. After her divorce from Amalric, she held the lands and incomes of the County of Jaffa, while Joscelin's son Joscelin III
held the nominal title Count of Edessa, being in reality the lord of a small seigneurie near Acre.
Joscelin II's grandchildren Baldwin IV
and Sibylla
were in turn monarchs of Jerusalem, as was his great-grandson Baldwin V
.
County of Edessa
The County of Edessa was one of the Crusader states in the 12th century, based around Edessa, a city with an ancient history and an early tradition of Christianity....
.
The young Joscelin was taken prisoner at the Battle of Azaz
Battle of Azaz
In the Battle of Azaz forces of the Crusader States commanded by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem defeated Aq-Sunqur il-Bursuqi's army of Seljuk Turks on June 11, 1125 and raised the siege of the town....
in 1125, but was ransomed by Baldwin II
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II of Jerusalem , formerly Baldwin II of Edessa, also called Baldwin of Bourcq, born Baldwin of Rethel was the second count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and the third king of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death.-Ancestry:Baldwin was the son of Hugh, count of Rethel, and his wife Melisende,...
, king of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
. In 1131, his father Joscelin I was wounded in battle with the Danishmends
Danishmends
The Danishmend dynasty was a Turcoman dynasty that ruled in north-central and eastern Anatolia in the 11th and 12th centuries. The centered originally around Sivas, Tokat, and Niksar in central-northeastern Anatolia, they extended as far west as Ankara and Kastamonu for a time, and as far south as...
, and Edessa passed to Joscelin II. Joscelin II refused to march the small Edessan army out to meet the Danishmends, so Joscelin I, in his last act, forced the Danishmends to retreat, dying soon after.
Joscelin II ruled the weakest and most isolated of the Crusader states
Crusader states
The Crusader states were a number of mostly 12th- and 13th-century feudal states created by Western European crusaders in Asia Minor, Greece and the Holy Land , and during the Northern Crusades in the eastern Baltic area...
. In 1138 he allied with Antioch
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade.-Foundation:...
and Byzantine emperor John II Comnenus to attack Zengi
Zengi
Imad ad-Din Zengi was the atabeg of Mosul, Aleppo, Hama and Edessa and founder of the Zengid dynasty, to which he gave his name.-Early life:...
, atabeg
Atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince...
of Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, although Zengi defeated them. Back in Antioch, sentiment against the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, which John was trying to extend into the northern Crusader states, led to a riot, engineered by Joscelin. John was forced to return home.
In 1143 both John II and Fulk of Jerusalem
Fulk of Jerusalem
Fulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death...
died, leaving Joscelin with no powerful allies to help defend Edessa
Edessa, Mesopotamia
Edessa is the Greek name of an Aramaic town in northern Mesopotamia, as refounded by Seleucus I Nicator. For the modern history of the city, see Şanlıurfa.-Names:...
. In 1144 Zengi invaded and captured Edessa
Siege of Edessa
The Siege of Edessa took place from November 28 to December 24, 1144, resulting in the fall of the capital of the crusader County of Edessa to Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.- Background :...
itself. Joscelin fled to Turbessel, where he held the remnants of the county west of the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
. When Yarankash
Yarankash
Yarankash was a Frankish slave who assassinated his owner Zengi, the atabeg of the Syrian city of Aleppo. According to Damascene chronicler Ibn al-Qalanisi:...
, a Frankish slave, assassinated the violent, cruel, brutal, and drunk Zengi in September 1146, Joscelin managed to recapture Edessa in October 1146 and held it briefly thereafter, but with no help from the other Crusader states, the city was again lost in November, as Joscelin's expedition was driven out by Zengi's son Nur ad-Din. The Second Crusade
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...
, called in response to the fall of Edessa, eventually shifted its focus to Damascus
Siege of Damascus
The Siege of Damascus took place over four days in July 1148, during the Second Crusade. It ended in a decisive crusader defeat and led to the disintegration of the crusade. The two main Christian forces that marched to the Holy Land in response to Pope Eugenius III and Bernard of Clairvaux's call...
. In 1150 whilst on route to Antioch, where he was looking to enlist help, Joscelin was taken prisoner by a group of brigands who then sold him to Nur-ed-Din. Joscelin was taken to the city of Aleppo where he was led before a hostile crowd and publicly blinded. He spent the remaining nine years of his life in captivity in a Muslim prison. He eventually died in the dungeons of the Citadel of Aleppo
Citadel of Aleppo
The Citadel of Aleppo is a large medieval fortified palace in the centre of the old city of Aleppo, northern Syria. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Usage of the Citadel hill dates back at least to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC...
in 1159.
His daughter Agnes of Courtenay
Agnes of Courtenay
Agnes of Courtenay was the daughter of Joscelin II of Courtenay by his wife Beatrice , and the mother of king Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and queen Sibylla of Jerusalem.-Dynasty:...
married Amalric I of Jerusalem
Amalric I of Jerusalem
Amalric I of Jerusalem was King of Jerusalem 1163–1174, and Count of Jaffa and Ascalon before his accession. Amalric was the second son of Melisende of Jerusalem and Fulk of Jerusalem...
. After her divorce from Amalric, she held the lands and incomes of the County of Jaffa, while Joscelin's son Joscelin III
Joscelin III of Edessa
Joscelin III of Edessa was the titular Count of Edessa 1159 – after 1190. He was the son of Joscelin II of Edessa and his wife Beatrice...
held the nominal title Count of Edessa, being in reality the lord of a small seigneurie near Acre.
Joscelin II's grandchildren Baldwin IV
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem , called the Leper or the Leprous, the son of Amalric I of Jerusalem and his first wife, Agnes of Courtenay, was king of Jerusalem from 1174 to 1185. His full sister was Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem and his nephew through this sister was the child-king Baldwin V...
and Sibylla
Sibylla of Jerusalem
Sibylla of Jerusalem was the Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon from 1176 and Queen of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1190. She was the eldest daughter of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes of Courtenay, sister of Baldwin IV and half-sister of Isabella I of Jerusalem, and mother of Baldwin V of Jerusalem...
were in turn monarchs of Jerusalem, as was his great-grandson Baldwin V
Baldwin V of Jerusalem
Baldwin V of Jerusalem was the son of Sibylla of Jerusalem and her first husband, William of Montferrat...
.