Battle of Harran 1104

After the successes of the First Crusade, the newly-founded crusader city states were bullishly seeking to extend their domains. In 1104, Baldwin, Count of Edessa, and Bohemond, Prince of Antioch, teamed up to lay siege to the fortress town of Harran, thereby threatening the city of Aleppo. This galvanized the main Muslim rulers in the region into action; Jikimish, Seljuk governor of Mosul and Soqmen, Artuqid, ruler of Mardin, countered by attacking Edessa. Learning of this, Baldwin and Bohemond wheeled round to confront the Seljuks, who feigned a retreat, retiring behind the Balikh River. When the Edessans charged, Jirkimish’s forces, concealed in woodland, ambushed his right flank. The crusaders were routed, and both Baldwin and his ally, Joscelin, prince of Galilee, were taken prisoner. The Antiochene forces were able to make their escape, but the power of the crusader states, Antioch and Edessa, was permanently impaired by the defeat.