People/Latin Crusaders and Crusader states

c. 1075–1131 · Count of Edessa and King of Jerusalem (1118–1131)

Baldwin II

Other names · Baldwin II of Jerusalem · Baudouin du Bourg

Count of Edessa and later king of Jerusalem, twice taken captive by Muslim emirs.

No verified depiction added

BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER

Life and historical role

01

Life and political setting

Baldwin was a noble connected with the Boulogne family network and settled in the East after taking part in the First Crusade. He succeeded Baldwin I as count of Edessa when the latter moved to Jerusalem, and was elected king of Jerusalem in 1118. The marriages of his daughters became central to the dynastic continuity of the kingdom.

02

Role in the Crusades

Captured at Harran in 1104, Baldwin was released only after several years of negotiation. Balak captured him again in 1123. An attempted escape at Kharput, the delivery of hostages and promises concerning fortresses formed part of a complicated ransom settlement. During his reign he also supported the capture of Tyre in 1124.

Method note

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.

CONTEXTUAL READING

Related cases

7 May 1104 · Harran – Balikh basin

Battle of Harran

On 7 May 1104 near Harran, the combined army of Antioch and Edessa was defeated by the forces of Sökmen, lord of Mardin, and Jikirmish, ruler of Mosul. Count Baldwin II of Edessa and Joscelin I were captured, and crusader expansion east of the Euphrates came to a halt.

Open record →14 April 1118 · Jerusalem

Baldwin II becomes king of Jerusalem

After Baldwin I died in April 1118, the barons of Jerusalem put Count Baldwin of Bourcq of Edessa on the throne instead of the late king's brother Eustace. The election of Baldwin II strengthened the bond between the kingdom and the northern Latin states.

Open record →16 January 1120 · Nablus

Council of Nablus

The council held at Nablus on 16 January 1120 under Baldwin II and Patriarch Warmund adopted twenty-five canons for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. They regulated tithes, marriage, sexual offences, theft and relations between Latins and Muslims, with secular penalties.

Open record →1122 – 1124 · Suruç – Kharput

Balak's captive-taking campaigns

The Artuqid lord Belek Ghazi captured Count Joscelin I of Edessa in September 1122 and King Baldwin II of Jerusalem in April 1123. A revolt by the captives at Kharput, aided by Armenians, was crushed; the king was ransomed after Belek's death in 1124.

Open record →15 February – 7 July 1124 · Tyre

Capture of Tyre

While King Baldwin II was a captive, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, supported by the Venetian fleet, besieged Tyre by land and sea in February 1124. After a five-month siege the city surrendered by agreement on 7 July 1124; Venice received a third of the city and extensive commercial privileges.

Open record →November 1129 · Damascus region

Damascus campaign

In November 1129 Baldwin II set out with newly arrived Western soldiers to take Damascus. The campaign failed after a secret agreement with the Batinis inside the city was exposed, foraging units were defeated, and heavy rains set in.

Open record →