Battle of Bosra (1147)

Last updated
Battle of Bosra
Part of the Crusades
DateSummer 1147
Location
Bosra, Burid Emirate
Result Seljuk victory
Belligerents
Vexillum Regni Hierosolymae.svg  Kingdom of Jerusalem Damascus
Mosul and Aleppo
Commanders and leaders
Baldwin III of Jerusalem Mu'in ad-Din Unur
Nur ad-Din Zangi
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Light Light

The Battle of Bosra was a lengthy and ultimately inconclusive battle fought in the spring of 1147 during the Second Crusade , between a Crusader force commanded by King Baldwin III of Jerusalem and Turkish forces from Damascus led by Mu'in ad-Din Unur, who was aided by Nur ad-Din's contingent from Mosul and Aleppo. Irritated by his Damascus overlord, the emir of Bosra and Salkhad invited the Crusaders to occupy the two places. Before the Latin army could take possession of Bosra, the emir's wife allowed a Damascene garrison into the city, and the thwarted Crusaders were forced to retreat via a grueling march through enemy territory. The Turks constantly harassed the retreating Latin column but were unable to inflict a defeat on their enemies.

Contents

Background

In the spring of 1147, [1] Altuntash, Emir of Bosra and Salkhad, squabbled with his nominal superior, Mu'in ad-Din Unur, ruler of Damascus. Offended, Altuntash allied himself with the Crusaders and agreed to hand over his two cities. These were located about 65 mi (105 km) southeast of Damascus and 15 mi (24 km) apart. [2] Though the seizure of Bosra and Salkhad meant breaking a treaty with Damascus [3] and the likelihood of resistance from the Damascus army as well as from Nur ad-Din, King Baldwin III of Jerusalem led his army toward Bosra. [4]

Running battle

Soon after the Crusader march began, the Damascene army showed up in great strength to contest their advance. Many Latin soldiers were eager for battle, but more cautious heads prevailed. Posting extra guards to watch for a surprise attack, the Frankish army made camp and spent the night. After a council of war the next day, Baldwin and his officers determined to continue the expedition to Bosra in a fighting march. The Latin army moved in the usual formation when opposed by an army of Turkish horse archers. Provision was made to oppose attacks on the van, the flanks and the rear. The Frankish foot soldiers marched in close formation with foot archers ready to fire back at the Turkish horse archers and spearmen ready to repel a direct attack. "In order to maintain the solidity of the column, the pace of the mounted troops was made to conform to that of the infantry." [4]

For four days, the Crusaders advanced toward their intended goal, under constant archery and probing attacks. Further, the soldiers were bedeviled by thirst in the hot summer weather. When they arrived at Bosra, the Franks managed to obtain water and other supplies. The Crusaders' high hopes were dashed when they found that Altuntash's wife, made of sterner stuff than her husband, had introduced a Damascene garrison into Bosra's citadel. Unwilling to chance a siege close to an enemy host, Baldwin elected to withdraw.

The Franks suffered even worse on their return march from the heat, dust and constant harassment by the Turks. One day, the Saracens set fire to the dry brush upwind of the Franks, adding to their misery. The Crusaders carried their dead and wounded with them so that their enemies would not be encouraged by their losses. "Any man who left his place in the ranks was threatened with severe penalties." [5] Leaving the ranks without permission was forbidden. However, one exception was that a knight was allowed to rescue a Christian if he was about to be killed by a Muslim.

As the Franks neared their own territories, the Saracens redoubled their attacks on the Latin rearguard, trying to separate it from the rest of the formation. Near the moment of crisis, a Turk fighting with the Crusaders rode out without leave and killed an opponent in personal combat. This so dismayed the Damascenes and encouraged the Franks that "excuses were found for his breach of orders." [1] Ultimately, the Saracens were unable to stop the Crusader army from recrossing the Jordan and safely returning to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The running battle lasted twelve days.

Aftermath

Baldwin's bid to capture Bosra and Salkhad was a strategic failure. Mu'in ad-Din Unur seized control of both cities soon afterward. The Second Crusade continued, with the next actions involving Crusaders being the Second Battle of Dorylaeum in late 1147, the Siege of Damascus in 1148 and the Battle of Inab in 1149.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Smail 1995, p. 129.
  2. ↑ Beeler 1971, p. 140.
  3. ↑ Smail 1995, p. 92.
  4. 1 2 Beeler 1971, p. 141.
  5. ↑ Smail 1995, p. 159.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1147</span> Calendar year

Year 1147 (MCXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Crusade</span> 1147-1149 European Christian holy war

The Second Crusade (1147–1150) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade (1096–1099) by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1098. While it was the first Crusader state to be founded, it was also the first to fall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldwin III of Jerusalem</span> King of Jerusalem (1130–1163) (r. 1143–1163)

Baldwin III was King of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem. He became king while still a child, and was at first overshadowed by his mother Melisende, whom he eventually defeated in a civil war. During his reign Jerusalem became more closely allied with the Byzantine Empire, and the Second Crusade tried and failed to conquer Damascus. Baldwin captured the important Egyptian fortress of Ascalon, but also had to deal with the increasing power of Nur ad-Din in Syria. He died childless and was succeeded by his brother Amalric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imad al-Din Zengi</span> Atabeg of Mosul, Aleppo, Hama and Edessa, Mesopotamia

Imad al-Din Zengi, also romanized as Zangi, Zengui, Zenki, and Zanki, was a Turkoman atabeg of the Seljuk Empire, who ruled Mosul, Aleppo, Hama, and, later, Edessa. He was the namesake and founder of the Zengid dynasty of atabegs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nur al-Din Zengi</span> Emir of Aleppo (1146–1174) and Damascus (1154–1174)

Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd Zengī, commonly known as Nur ad-Din, was a member of the Zengid dynasty, who ruled the Syrian province of the Seljuk Empire. He reigned from 1146 to 1174. He is regarded as an important figure of the Second Crusade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Inab</span> 1149 battle during the Second Crusade in modern-day Syria

The Battle of Inab, also called Battle of Ard al-Hâtim or Fons Muratus, was fought on 29 June 1149, during the Second Crusade. The Zengid army of Atabeg Nur ad-Din Zangi destroyed the combined army of Prince Raymond of Poitiers and the Assassins of Ali ibn-Wafa. The Principality of Antioch was subsequently pillaged and reduced in size as its eastern border was pushed west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Damascus (1148)</span> Muslim victory of the Second Crusade

The siege of Damascus took place between 24 and 28 July 1148, during the Second Crusade. It ended in a 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 Eugene III and Bernard of Clairvaux's call for the Second Crusade were led by Kings Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany. Both faced disastrous marches across Anatolia in the months that followed, with most of their armies being destroyed. The original focus of the crusade was Edessa (Urfa), but in Jerusalem, the preferred target of King Baldwin III and the Knights Templar was Damascus. At the Council of Acre, magnates from France, Germany, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem decided to divert the crusade to Damascus.

Mu'in ad-Din Unur al-Atabeki was a mid-12th century ruler of Damascus from 1140 to 1149. He was a Turkoman slave of Burid emirs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Sarmin</span> Battle in 1115

The Battle of Sarmin, also known as the Battle of Tell Danith, took place on September 14, 1115 with Roger of Salerno's Crusader army surprising and routing the Seljuk Turkish army of Bursuq ibn Bursuq of Hamadan. It is also known as the First Battle of Tell Danith, distinguishing it from the Battle of Hab of 1119, the Second Battle of Tell Danith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Hab</span>

The Battle of Hab, also known as the Second Battle of Tell Danith, occurred on August 14, 1119, where a Crusader army commanded by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem won a disputed victory over a Muslim army led by Ilghazi of Mardin since the Muslim army claimed it as a victory also. The battle stabilized the Principality of Antioch, which had suffered a disastrous defeat only weeks before. Baldwin II managed to re-take all of the castles conquered by Ilghazi and prevented him from marching on Antioch.

In the Battle of Shaizar in 1111, a Crusader army commanded by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem and a Seljuk army led by Mawdud ibn Altuntash of Mosul fought to a tactical draw, but a withdrawal of Crusader forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Belvoir Castle</span> Battle in 1182 in the Holy Land

The Battle of Belvoir Castle, also called the Battle of Le Forbelet, was a part of Saladin’s campaign in May — August 1182 against the Crusaders. Crusader forces led by King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem battled with Ayyubid forces from Egypt commanded by Saladin. The Crusaders successfully won and repelled Saladin's invasion effort. The theatre of operations included Ayla, Transjordan, Galilee and Beirut.

Mujīr ad-Dīn ʿAbd al-Dawla Abu Saʿīd Ābaq ibn Jamāl ad-Dīn Muhammad was the Burid emir of Damascus from 1140 to 1154. He was the eldest son of Jamal ad-Din Muhammad and the last Burid ruler of the Emirate of Damascus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of Acre</span>

The Council of Acre met at Palmarea, near Acre, a major city of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, on 24 June 1148. The Haute Cour of Jerusalem met with recently arrived crusaders from Europe, to decide on the best target for the crusade. The Second Crusade had been called after the fall of Edessa to Zengi in 1144. In 1147, armies led by Conrad III of Germany and Louis VII of France began their separate journeys to the east. Conrad arrived at Acre in April 1148, and Louis marched south from Antioch.

In the Battle of Aintab in August 1150, a Crusader force commanded by King Baldwin III of Jerusalem repelled the attacks of Nur ad-Din Zangi of Aleppo and evacuated the Latin Christian residents of the County of Edessa. This was both a tactical victory and a strategic defeat for the Crusaders.

The military history of the Crusader states begins with the formation of the County of Edessa in 1097 and ends with the loss of Ruad in 1302, the last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land.

In the Battle of Lake Huleh in June 1157, a Crusader army led by King Baldwin III of Jerusalem was ambushed and badly defeated by Nur ad-Din Zangi, the emir of Aleppo and Damascus. While the king and some fighting men escaped to a nearby castle, a large number were killed or made prisoner. The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem escaped worse damage when their adversary became ill and was unable to follow up his victory. The Hula Valley is located in the northeast part of modern-day Israel. At the time of the battle, the area belonged to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of al-Buqaia</span> Battle fought between Zengids and a combined army of Crusaders

In the Battle of al-Buqaia in 1163, the Crusaders and their allies inflicted a rare defeat on Nur ad-Din Zangi, the Emir of Aleppo and Damascus. King Amalric I led the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, together with contingents from the northern Latin states, a substantial body of pilgrims who had just arrived from France, and a force brought by the Byzantine governor of Cilicia. For the Christian forces, this victory only gave a brief respite from the sustained Muslim offensive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Butaiha</span> Battle fought between Zengids and Kingdom of Jerusalem

In the Battle of Butaiha in July 1158, a Crusader army led by King Baldwin III of Jerusalem won a victory against the forces of Nur ad-Din Zengi, the emir of Aleppo and Damascus on the plains of Butaiha located in the northeast part of modern-day Israel. At the time of the battle, the area belonged to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Jamal al-Din Muhammad was a Burid atabeg of Damascus from 1139 to 1140. He was the last son of Taj al-Muluk Buri, emir of Damascus.

References

32°31′0″N36°29′0″E / 32.51667°N 36.48333°E / 32.51667; 36.48333

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.