| Joscelin I | |
|---|---|
 Joscelin being carried on a litter by his men | |
| Count of Edessa | |
| Reign | 1119–1131 |
| Predecessor | Baldwin II |
| Successor | Joscelin II |
| Prince of Galilee | |
| Reign | 1112–1119 |
| Predecessor | Tancred |
| Successor | William I |
| Died | 1131 (1132) Kaysun (nowÇakırhüyük, Adıyaman, Turkey) |
| Spouse | Beatrice of Armenia [hy] Maria of Salerno |
| Issue | Joscelin II of Edessa Stephanie of Courtenay |
| House | Courtenay |
| Father | Joscelin I of Courtenay |
| Mother | Elizabeth of Montlhéry |
Joscelin I orJoscelyn I, also known asJoscelin of Courtenay (French:Jocelyn orJosselin;c. 1080 – August 1131) was aFrankish nobleman of theHouse of Courtenay who ruled as the lord ofTurbessel (1101–1113),prince of Galilee (1113–1119) andcount of Edessa (1118–1131). Joscelin came to theLevant in the aftermath of the1101 Crusade, and served his cousinBaldwin of Bourcq, count of Edessa, receiving lands west of the Euphrates. By 1113, these had formed into a wealthy lordship aroundTurbessel, but he was dispossessed by Baldwin soon after. He went to theKingdom of Jerusalem, where the king,Baldwin of Boulogne, made him the Prince ofGalilee.
In 1118, KingBaldwin I of Jerusalem died, and Baldwin of Bourcq stood to succeed him. Joscelin supported Baldwin and was in exchange granted the County of Edessa in 1119. As count, Joscelin commanded significant support from his Armenian subjects, and fought constant wars with his neighbouring Muslim rivals in the 1120s. He was captured byBelek Ghazi in 1122, and was joined by Baldwin in 1123. He managed to break out in the Autumn, but failed to immediately secure Baldwin's release as well. Belek's death in 1124 allowed Baldwin to be ransomed from his successor,Timurtash. Joscelin clashed with Bohemond of Antioch after his arrival in 1126, though they reconciled in 1127. Bohemond's death in 1130 saw a short crisis with his widow,Alice, which ended in Joscelin becoming regent over Bohemond'syoung daughter.
Zengi took advantage of the succession crisis in Aleppo after the death ofAqsunqur al-Bursuqi and his son to become the master of Syria (including Aleppo) and Damascus by 1129, and began wars against theCrusader states, including Edessa. Joscelin began threatening Aleppo, but he was gravely injured during a siege. Joscelin marched his army to relieve the besiegedfortress of Kaysun, and died soon after. Joscelin was the penultimate ruler of the County of Edessa before its capture by Zengi's son,Nur ad-Din. During his reign, Joscelin had dealt with religious and ethnic differences in the county, including overseeing a synod in 1129, and making grants to the Hospitallers and monasteries. He was seen as something close to an intermediary by the Muslim powers in the region.
Joscelin was the second son ofJoscelin I of Courtenay and Elizabeth, daughter ofGuy I of Montlhéry.[1] Nothing is known of Joscelin's birth or early years, other than that he was from theGâtinais,[2] but Nicholson suggests he may have been about 20 years old by 1101.[1] During theCrusade of 1101, Joscelin served in thearmy of Stephen of Blois alongsideHarpin of Bourges.[3] The crusaders were annihilated,[4] and when Joscelin made his way to the levant, he had no patrimony, and few resources.[5] Runciman describes him as the "younger and penniless son of the lord of Courtenay".[6]
Joscelin entered first into the service of his cousin CountBaldwin II of Edessa, who invested him with the lordship ofTurbessel.[7][8] His lordship includedCyrrhus (Coricium),Duluk,Turbessel, andAintab, and must have taken up a third of the county.[9][10] They then attacked the environs of Aleppo and seizedMuslimiye, some distance north.[10] From 1103 to 1104, Joscelin attacked Basarfuth andKafarlatha, capturing the former.[11] In 1104, before May, Joscelin received Marash from the Armenian lord there.[12][13] To consolidate his position, he married Beatrice, daughter ofConstantine.[14][15]
In May of 1104, Baldwin suffered an invasion fromSökmen, the ruler ofMardin andJikirmish, theatabeg ofMosul. After sending for aid, Baldwin was joined by Joscelin,Bohemond of Antioch, andTancred.[16] The four leaders moved to attack harran, but they were lured out by a feigned retreat andambushed. The Edessene portion routed, with Joscelin and Baldwin being captured, but the Antiochenes escaped.[16][17] As Bohemond left for Europe, Tancred became ruler of Antioch, and he appointedRichard of Salerno as regent.[17] Richard rapidly lost the loyalty of hisArmenian subjects and the county's countryside was raided in 1105, 1106, and 1107, marking considerable vulnerability for the county.[18][19][20]
After passing into the hands ofIlghazi, ruler of Mardin, Joscelin was ransomed for 20,000 dinars in 1107, at which point he began attempting to secure the release of his lord, in the hands ofJawali Saqawa, who demanded an alliance againstMawdud, and a ransom.[21] After gathering 30,000 dinars, Joscelin approached Jawali and offered himself as a hostage so that Baldwin would be released to raise the remainder of the ransom (60,000 dinars). Jawali agreed, and Baldwin was released in the summer of 1108. He later released Joscelin as well, correctly trusting that he would raise the required funds.[22]
Baldwin demanded the return of Edessa, but Tancred refused as he would not pay homage for it, and "[his] selfishness blinded him to the fact that, he and Baldwin of Le Bourcq, by taking the side of the rebel Jawali, could deal the Seljukid power a dangerous blow".[19] Baldwin went to Turbessel and joined with Joscelin, where they then sought assistance from Jawali. After a short skirmish, Tancred, Baldwin, and Joscelin parleyed, but no agreement was met. Later, Baldwin and Joscelin, with a few hundred knights, joined Jawali's army of about 500 Turks and moreBedouins, atManbij.[23] When Tancred came with his own army, Joscelin, Baldwin, and Jawali were defeated.[24] In 1109, KingBaldwin I of Jerusalem reconciled the two sides.[25]
From 1110 to 1112, Baldwin's territory east of the Euphrates was attacked byMawdud ofMosul.[26] In 1110, Joscelin was sent as a messenger to King Baldwin begging his aid as Mawdud besieged Edessa, a threat that was ultimately defeated.[27] The king besiegedBeirut heading northwards, and was assisted by Joscelin.[28] In 1112, Mawdud launched a siege of Edessa, but was repulsed.[29] After the siege failed, Mawdud advanced upon Saruj, then garrisoned by Joscelin, who sallied out and routed Mawdud's army.[29] The Turks then returned to invest Edessa, and Joscelin discovered a plot from the Armenians to overthrow Baldwin, helping him thwart the plan.[30]
By 1113, Joscelin had carved out a semi-autonomous state aroundTurbessel to the west of theEuphrates, while Baldwin's lands around Edessa itself were devastated.[31] Due to fears of another invasion, agricultural workers slackened their work, which was among multiple reasons for a famine in 1113.[32] Perhaps because of jealousy, and also due to rumors of betrayal and impudence,[32] Baldwin began to distrust Joscelin. Feigning sickness, he convinced Joscelin to travel to Edessa to discuss the succession, before imprisoning him and forcing him to renounce Turbessel.[30][31]
Joscelin travelled to theKingdom of Jerusalem, where he was made theprince of Galilee.[33] Around this time, Joscelin had his son,Joscelin II.[34] Joscelin launched frequent and successful raids towards Tyre.[34]Toghtekin of Damascus and Mawdud invaded Jerusalem in the summer of 1113, and after failed negotiations, Baldwin and Joscelin set out to meet him in battle.[34] The Franks were lured out, and defeated at theBattle of Al-Sannabra.[34][35] However, the Turks did not advance further into Jerusalem, as Baldwin received expected reinforcements fromPons of Tripoli andRoger of Antioch.[36][37][38][note 1]
Little else is known about Joscelin's rule inGalilee andTiberias, but reportedly, he victoriously resisted the Turks at this time, and granted lands to the church.[41][42] In 1118, King Baldwin I of Jerusalem died.[43] When the nobles assembled to discuss who should succeed him, Joscelin urged them to elect Baldwin of Bourcq while reminding them that he had been dispossessed by Baldwin of Bourcq and had little reason to like him.[44] There may have been a rapprochement with Baldwin.[45] His voice was greatly influential, as he had become a powerful baron in Jerusalem.[40] Baldwin II thus prevailed over Baldwin I's brotherEustace III of Boulogne and became king.[44] In retaliation to Toghtekin's raid against Tiberias and Ascalon in May 1118, Joscelin and Baldwin counterattacked and defeated Toghtekin's son atDaraa. Joscelin then devastated Bosra, and launched a raid against a Bedouin tribe inTransjordan alongside 120 cavalry.[46] It was unsuccessful, as Joscelin lost his way and his allies were ambushed.[46][47]
With Baldwin tied up in Jerusalem, Joscelin was rewarded with theCounty of Edessa in late August or early September of 1119,[48] but he delayed his travel to Edessa to defend Galilee, as Edessa was governed byWaleran, Lord of Birejik.[46] To receive the county, Joscelin swore an oath of fealty to the new king.[49]
Joscelin's new crusader state was arranged in a manner similar to feudalism, with lordships inMarash,Saruj,Aintab,Birejik, and other lordships established by hispredecessors.[50] Throughout his reign, he would align himself with the Armenian population of the county, winning their support and aid.[50] His accession to Edessa came in the immediate aftermath the Crusader defeat at theBattle of Ager Sanguinis, in which the entire Antiochene army was destroyed.[51] Antioch's prince killedRoger had sent a distress signal, but he had not waited for the arrival of his allies and was defeated.[52][53][note 2]
Joscelin devastated theDhahab valley,Manbij, and land east of Aleppo, before being repulsed beforeRavenden.[56]Ilghazi of Aleppo took advantage and invaded the county in May of 1120.[57] Joscelin raised an army atBehesni and attacked the Muslim convoy, dealing heavy casualties, but could not prevent Ilghazi from continuing towards Antioch, where he besiegedZardana.[57][56]Toghtekin of Damascus arrived with reinforcements for the Turks, but Baldwin raised an army and rushed north. He and Joscelin signed a truce with Ilghazi.[56]
Believing that he was not obligated by the truce,[58] Joscelin ravagedNaqirah and the Dhahab valley once again, before attackingBizaah and burning a section of its walls. The citizens paid him off. The Frankish offensive continued in the Summer of 1121 and eventually threatenedAleppo itself so severely that Ilghazi offered a truce, sending his son to negotiate for him.[59] With Joscelin present in the parley and Baldwin leading the crusader coalition, Ilghazi relinquished his claims to castles within thePrincipality of Antioch that he had seized following Ager Sanguinis, includingSarmin,Zardana, andAtarib.[60][61][62] In June of 1122, Joscelin and Baldwin repulsed Ilghazi's attempted siege of Zardana.[63] Around this time, Joscelin married Maria of Salerno, Roger of Salerno's sister.[64] Ilghazi died on 8 November 1122.[64]
Belek Ghazi besieged Edessa in late 1122 but was unsuccessful, finding the resistance too stout.[65] As he began to retreat, Waleran requested to Joscelin that they ambush Belek, as he was concerned over his presence in the county. With a hundred knights, the two set out, but Belek lead them to marshy territory nearSaruj. The Franks were mired in the bog, and Joscelinwas taken prisoner alongside Waleran and between 25 and 60 knights on September 18.[64][66] Despite his imprisonment, the Edessene knights were able to continue raiding Aleppo.[67]
Baldwin II was concerned by these developments, and after assuming government in Edessa, launched a counterattack, seizingBizaah.[68] However, Baldwin himself was captured on 18 April 1123 while on a campaign against Belek, and joined Joscelin atKharput.[69] They were rescued by fifty Armenian soldiers hired byQueen Morphia; they disguised themselves as merchants and infiltrated the fortress where the prisoners were kept.[70] The Armenians killed the guards and freed the hostages.[70] However, the castle was soon besieged by a largeArtuqid force and it was decided that Joscelin should seek assistance.[70]
Joscelin was accompanied by three servants when he made his escape, having to slip past Belek's lines and then cross theEuphrates, supposedly on inflatedwineskins.[71] With an Armenian guide, he made his way toTurbessel. He then went to Antioch, but found the principality unable to provide troops, and by August 1123 travelled for Jerusalem.[72] Once there, he appealed for aid, but once an army was assembled, Kharput had already been reclaimed by theArtuqids. Baldwin was moved toHarran.[73][74][75]
In late 1123 and early 1124, Joscelin made little headway; he laid waste to Aleppo's hinterlands,[76][77] and repulsed a counterattack atAzaz, while Belek defeated a Frankish force later on.[73] Despite not being able to force Baldwin's release, the Christian pressure convinced Belek to move Baldwin from Harran to Aleppo in February or March of 1124.[78] When Hassan, the governor of Manbij, was captured by Belek's kinsmen in April 1124, Joscelin feared the prospect of the powerful Belek becoming his direct neighbour, and launched an attack againstManbij.[79] A battle took place with Belek where Joscelin was decidedly defeated, and he was forced to flee for Turbessel.[79]
Belek executed his prisoners from the battle near Manbij and left his cousinTimurtash to besiege the town, but he was killed on May 6 1124 when attempting to relieveTyre (attacked by theVenetian Crusade), and Timurtash took over his lands.[80] Timurtash then released Baldwin on June 24 on the promise that he would surrenderAtarib,Zardana,Azaz, Kafartab, andJasr, a promise that Baldwin broke in September.[81][82] On the other hand,Waleran received no ransom, and was executed.[83] Baldwin then formed an alliance with Dubais, theBedouin emir, andbesieged Aleppo.[73] After devastating Bizaah, Joscelin and Dubais joined with Baldwin.[84][85] The siege lasted four months,[86] but was lifted byAqsunqur al-Bursuqi, Atabeg ofMosul.[84]
He returned to Jerusalem, butAqsunqur al-Bursuqi, Atabeg ofMosul besieged Azaz, forcing the king to respond. A coalition between Baldwin,Pons, Joscelin, and Mahuis of Duluk was assembled. Baldwin managed to execute afeigned retreat to draw Aqsunqur away from Aleppo and into an ambush, which was decidedly successful in the ensuingBattle of Azaz, a Christian victory.[87] Joscelin was "the terror of the enemy".[88] In the ensuing peace treaty, the crusaders secured the release of Joscelin's only son,Joscelin II, who had been surrendered as a hostage for Baldwin's release.[89][82]
During the 1120s, the religious framework of the County of Edessa developed, with grants to the Hospitallers.[50] Joscelin made a grant to theAbbey of Saint Mary of Jehoshaphat and itsAbbot Gilduin in 1126, granting the estates ofWaleran of Le Puiset, now dead, with the instruction that it should be used for the salvation of his soul. Gilduin was Waleran's brother.[83]
Also in 1126, the Franks launched a campaign against Homs and Damascus.[90] The forces of Edessa, Tripoli, and Jerusalem besiegedRafaniya on March 31, and devastated Homs' environs in May.[90][91][92] Aqsunqur attempted to besiege Atarib, but Baldwin and Joscelin compelled him to retreat.[91] Aqsunqur was killed by theAssassins on November 26 1126 and his son was poisoned soon after, causing a succession crisis in Aleppo.[93]
Fresh conflict broke out in September 1126 when PrinceBohemond II, the son ofBohemond I, sailed to Antioch in September 1126 when the intention of taking up rule, arriving at thePort of St. Simeon in September or November.[94] He had come in response to an invitation sent to him by the Antiochenes during Baldwin's imprisonment, but relations rapidly declined between Bohemond and Joscelin, to the point that Joscelin, with Turkish allies, devastated Antioch in the summer of 1127 and attained their submission.[95][96] Baldwin rushed towards Antioch to arrange a reconciliation.[96] Joscelin fell severely ill, and seeing it as divine punishment, agreed surrender all his booty beforeswearing fealty to Bohemond.[96] With recognition of his supremacy from Joscelin and Pons, Bohemond marriedAlice, Baldwin's daughter, and entered Antioch with an army in late September of 1127.[95][97]
Taking advantage of the unrest, Joscelin attacked Aleppo in October 1127, hoping to seize the city, but was bought off by the Aleppans.[95] Baldwin capitalised on Toghtekin's death in February 1128 to launch an invasion of Damascus in 1129 alongside Joscelin, Pons, Bohemond, and Baldwin.[98] They obtained the surrender ofBaniyas, but soon afterwards became disorganized and were defeated byTaj al-Muluk Buri, Toghtekin's son, atMarj al-Suffar.[99] A new Muslim threat arose inImad al-Din Zengi, who established effective control of muslimSyria, including Aleppo andDamascus.[100] Zengi's rise was also aided by Frankish disunity from the conflict between Joscelin and Bohemond and internal discontentment within the Kingdom of Jerusalem.[101]
Sometime in 1129, conflicts between Mar Athanasius VII, patriarch of theJacobite Church, and Bar Cabouni, metropolitan of Edessa, came to a head when he went into voluntary exile atDiyarbakır.[102] Mar Athanasius came to regret his decision and Joscelin strong-armed the emir of Diyarbakr to release the patriarch, who died soon afterwards. At asynod, Bar Cabouni and the bishop of Sijistan, both excommunicated by Mar Athanasius, received absolution.[102]
Bohemond died in February of 1130 in an ambush against the Danishmendids, and his wife, Alice, soon began plotting to take over the regency of their daughter,Constance. To enact her plan, she sought aid from Zengi, but her messenger was captured, and when interrogated by the king, confessed completely. Baldwin rushed to Antioch, and the citizens broke Alice's orders to forbid him entry, with Baldwin entering alongsideFulk, who was the king's son-in-law,[103] and Joscelin. Alice was expelled from Antioch and Joscelin was granted rule of the principality until Constance married.[104]
Zengi launched a campaign in the spring of 1130 in which he besiegedAtarib, and the crusaders' relief effort was soundly defeated. After capturing the fortress, he progressed towardsHarim, but was bought off by the citizens of the town, who offered him half of their revenue.[104] Joscelin launched attacks against the territory north of Aleppo, and successfully battled against Sevar, Zengi's commander. When his Muslim ally Dubais fell out of theSeljuk sultan's favour, he refused him asylum, possibly hoping for the sultan's aid against Zengi.[105]
In 1131, during the siege of a small castle north-east ofAleppo, asapper's mine collapsed and Joscelin was gravely injured.[106] Following this he received word that emirGazi Gümüshtigin was besieging the fortress town ofKaysun.[87] When his own son,Joscelin II, refused to attack Gazi, he commanded that his own army should march to Kaysun.[87] Joscelin was borne on a litter, and when Gazi heard that Joscelin's army was approaching, he lifted the siege and retreated.[87] Joscelin won his final battle and died soon after.[87]
Joscelin was strongly liked by the Armenian community under his rule, and he was less difficult with them than Baldwin had been.[70]Matthew of Edessa calls Joscelin "a brave and mighty warrior." He comments on Joscelin's reconciliation with the Armenians in Edessa, attributing to him a "very humane and compassionate attitude".[50] William of Tyre attributed to Joscelin temperance, prudence, and care, and called him "a man well endowed with worldy wisdom, circumspect in all he did".[107][note 3]
Nicholson calls his death a "disaster, indeed, for a state facing the readily waxing ambitions of Zengi," and characterizes his son, Joscelin II, as "markedly inferior."[109][105] The County of Edessa would beconquered by theZengids in 1146, less than a generation after his death.[110]
Much of Matthew's enmity towards the Franks disappeared upon the rise of Joscelin to the county.[111] Although it's apparent that both Baldwin and Joscelin pursued personal relationships with the Armenian populace of the county, Joscelin was evidently more successful. He is displayed positively in Arabic and Armenian sources as a capable warrior and ruler and Muslims seem to have seen him as an intermediary for the rest of the Franks. In 1129, it was Joscelin that Zengi made peace with.[95][112][113]
Joscelin married an Armenian noblewoman named Beatrice,[15] daughter of PrinceConstantine I of Armenia.[114] They had a son,Joscelin II of Edessa. She died in 1119.[115][8]In 1122, Joscelin married Maria, daughter ofRichard of Salerno and sister ofRoger, regent of thePrincipality of Antioch. They had a daughter,Stephanie.[35]
| Preceded by | Prince of Galilee 1112–1119 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Count of Edessa 1118–1131 | Succeeded by |