Battle of Harran

The Battle of Harran took place on May 7, 1104 between the Crusader states of Antioch and Edessa on one side and the Seljuk Turks on the other side instead. It was the first major battle against the newly founded states during the First Crusade.

Prehistory

When the Seljuk Turks in 1104 raided the border regions of the County of Edessa, called Count Baldwin II Bohemond I of Antioch, Tancred of Tiberias to help. Bohemond and Tancred marched from Antioch to Edessa, where they met with Baldwin and Joscelin of Courtenay, with which they to Harran, 20 km away marched together. Bernard of Valence, Latin Patriarch of Antioch, Dagobert of Pisa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Benedict of Edessa accompanied them. Previously, Baldwin had the inhabitants Harrans warned not to go to their fields along the Euphrates, so that these are now suffering from hunger and submitted themselves quickly.

In the camp of the Crusaders there was a dispute between Bohemond and Baldwin, who are entitled to the possession of the city, while in the meantime a Seljuk army arrived to liberate the city. The Seljuks under Dschekermisch of Mosul and Sökmen I, the ortoqidischen Lords of Mardin, were divided into two groups, one brought food into the city, while the other tried to distract the Crusaders or to engage in a fight. The dispute between Bohemond and Baldwin, however, was already enough distractions and even gone so far that he threatened to destroy the Alliance. Nevertheless, they were able to prepare their troops for battle.

The Battle

Baldwin and Joscelin commanded their edessanischen troops on the left wing, Bohemond and Tancred, the Antiochene on the right. The Edessaner attacked first, but were completely defeated, Baldwin and Joscelin were captured by Dscherkermisch. The troops of Antioch suffered only minor losses and were able to flee to Edessa. Bohemond did not care about the payment of a ransom, but appointed Tancred as regent in Edessa.

Follow

The battle was one of the first defeat of the Crusaders, they strengthened the Muslims belief that the Christians were not invincible, as it appeared during the First Crusade. The Byzantine Empire took advantage of his defeat by his claims to Antioch reinforced, and Latakia and parts of Cilicia reconquered. Many reigned from Antioch cities arose and were taken by Muslim troops from Aleppo. Even Armenian territories fell off and stood Byzantium or Lesser Armenia.

The events brought Bohemond to travel to Italy to heranzuschaffen new troops, while also leaving Antioch Tancred as regent.

William of Tyre wrote that there had been no devastating defeat than this. Although Antioch recovered again the following year, but the Byzantine emperor Alexius I forced the Treaty of Devol Bohemond later on, which would have made Antioch the Byzantine vassal, Tancred would have accepted him. Antioch was again defeated at the Battle of Ager Sanguinis in 1119, Edessa, however, never recovered from the defeat and survived until 1144 only because of the internal strife of the Muslims.