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Sharaf al-Dawla Mawdud ibn Ahmad (Arabic:شرف الدولة مودود,romanized: Sharaf al-Dawla Mawdūd; died 2 October 1113) was a Muslim military leader who wasatabeg of Mosul from 1109 to 1113. He organized several expeditions to reconquer lands from theCrusaders and defeated them at the Battle of al-Sannabra.
Mawdud was an officer ofMuhammad I Tapar who sent him to reconquer Mosul from the rebel atabegJawali Saqawa. After his conquest of the city, Mehmed entrusted him with several military attempts to push back the Crusaders from the nearbyPrincipality of Antioch andCounty of Edessa. The first attempt was launched in 1110; having joined forces withIlghazi, the emir ofMardin, and ofSökmen el-Kutbî, emir ofAhlat, they began by besieging Edessa from April of that year, butBaldwin I of Jerusalem intervened, and forced Mawdud to retreat.
The following year Mawdud marched against Edessa, but as the city walls had been quickly strengthened, he preferred to lay siege to the town ofTurbessel, held byJoscelin I of Courtenay. WhenRidwan of Aleppo sent news that the Christians underTancred were on the verge of capturing Aleppo, he moved on to that city. On his arrival, however, he discovered that the capture of the city was not imminent at all and that Ridwan even refused to open the city's gates for him. He also received the news that a relief army which had been sent by Baldwin I was now marching northwards, so he raised the siege of Turbessel and the subsequentBattle of Shaizar in 1111 proved to be indecisive and a tactical draw.
The 1112 campaign began again with the siege of Turbessel, but was halted when a party of the Mosul army was decimated by Joscelin on 15 June. An attempt to capture Edessa with the assistance of its Armenian population was discovered by then countBaldwin II of Jerusalem, resulting in the slaughter of the Armenian participants.
In 1113Toghtekin of Damascus, tired of the ravages by the Christian forces against his territories, appealed to Mawdud to join him to invade theKingdom of Jerusalem. The two pillagedGalilee and besiegedTiberias, though without being able to capture it. On 28 June, however, the Muslims, commanded by Mawdud, defeated KingBaldwin I of Jerusalem's army at theBattle of Al-Sannabra.[1] Reinforcements saved the Christian forces from total annihilation, prevented the Muslim commanders from exploiting the victory, and ultimately forced them to retreat to Damascus due to a lack of supplies.
It was while in Damascus as a guest of Toghtekin that Mawdud was murdered by theAssassins, possibly with the knowledge of his host (who himself accused Ridwan of the deed).[2] As Mawdud and Toghtekin returned from prayer an assailant stabbed Mawdud four times, fatally wounding him. The killer was beheaded by nearby guards and his body burned. Mawdud was taken into a nearby house and offered food but, according toIbn al-Athir, refused to eat as he was in the middle of afast and died later that day. He was succeeded as atabeg byAqsunqur al-Bursuqi, his representative at Baghdad.
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| Preceded by | Atabeg ofMosul 1109–1113 | Succeeded by |