d. 1106 · Emir of Mosul
Jikirmish
Emir of Mosul; in 1104, with the Artuqid Sökmen, he defeated the Franks at Harran and held the captured Count Baldwin II of Edessa.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Jikirmish was a Turkish emir who seized the government of Mosul after Kerbogha's death. During the struggles for the throne in the Great Seljuk sultanate, he tried to preserve Mosul's semi-independent position.
Role in the Crusades
When the Franks of Edessa and Antioch besieged Harran in 1104, he joined forces with the Artuqid emir Sökmen of Mardin. In the battle on the Balikh in May 1104 the Frankish army suffered a heavy defeat; Count Baldwin of Bourcq of Edessa and Joscelin of Courtenay were captured. Baldwin passed into Jikirmish's hands and remained a captive for a long time.
Historical significance and source problems
The victory at Harran halted Frankish expansion toward the Jazira. Jikirmish was killed in 1106 in the struggle for Mosul in which Kilij Arslan was also involved. Disputes over the booty and prisoners after Harran are reported by Ibn al-Athir and Matthew of Edessa.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.