Revision Topic Sheet 7c: Foundation of the Latin East

Question 1

Who created the county of Edessa?

Answer 1

Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098

Question 2

What made Edessa the most vulnerable region out of the Crusader States?

Answer 2

• It rarely had stable leadership, as Baldwin was succeeded by Baldwin II in 1100 when be became the King of Jerusalem.
• His capture at the Battle of Harran meant that Tancred and then Roger of Salerno became the ruler of Edessa until Baldwin’s ransom in 1107.
• Since Tancred refused to return Edessa to Baldwin, they had a civil war in 1108 which resulted in Jawali of Mosul siding with Baldwin and Ridwan of Aleppo with Tancred.
• Later, Baldwin II was given the rights to Edessa after a treaty was signed through the intervention of Baldwin I.

Question 3

Who was Joscelin of Courtenay?

Answer 3

He became the fief of Edessa after Baldwin gave him the land due to Joscelin being his ally. He showed himself to be a good leader by pushing back Muslim invasions led by Il Ghazi, Balak and Aksungur and he also expanded the influence of Edessa with a series of executed campaigns designed to take the city of Aleppo, which eventually failed.

Question 4

How did the county of Tripoli split the Crusader States?

Answer 4

• The death of Raymond St Gilles in 1105 after announcing control over the region led to conflict over who the next leader should be.
• After a coalition captured Tripoli in 1109, local knights elected Raymond’s cousin William-Jordan to be his successor while the arrival of Raymond’s son Bertrand create conflict as William-Jordan and Bertrand disagreed over who should rule.
• This conflict was ended when Baldwin I intervened and split the county at the time time he ended the conflict between Baldwin II and Tancred in 1108.
• After William-Jordan died Bertrand became the leader of Tripoli, but his death in 1112 led to his son Pons becoming a successor who established Tripoli as a junior partner to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Question 5

How can the foundation of the Latin East be evaluated at this point and time?

Answer 5

It can be evaluated as having succeeded mainly due to Muslim disunity, which allowed the Crusader States to be established despite their weaknesses, such as a lack of unity between them who fought each other as much as the Muslims. They also faced a shortage of manpower which became worse after defeats at the Battle of Harran and the Battle of Sarmada.