d. 1102 · Atabeg of Mosul
Kerbogha
Atabeg of Mosul; in 1098 he gathered a great army to recover Antioch, which the crusaders had taken, but was defeated by them on 28 June 1098.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Kerbogha was a Turkish commander who had risen in the service of the Great Seljuk sultan Malikshah and seized Mosul around 1096. He had the backing of Sultan Berkyaruq and held a strong position among the emirs of Syria and the Jazira.
Role in the Crusades
When the crusaders besieged Antioch, Kerbogha gathered a great army with emirs from Damascus, Homs and the Jazira. On the way he lost three weeks besieging Edessa. His army reached Antioch in June 1098, a few days after the crusaders had taken the city, and besieged the crusaders inside it. On 28 June the crusaders sallied out and attacked; disputes among the emirs and the withdrawal of some units from the field caused Kerbogha's army to dissolve.
Historical significance and source problems
Kerbogha's defeat opened the crusaders' road to Jerusalem. He returned to Mosul and died in 1102. The Gesta Francorum portrays him as an arrogant enemy; Ibn al-Athir explains the defeat by mistrust among the emirs and Kerbogha's attitude.
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.