April 1150 · Aleppo region
Captivity of Joscelin II
Joscelin II, the last count of Edessa, was seized by Nur al-Din's Turkmen allies in spring 1150 while travelling to Antioch. He was blinded and imprisoned in Aleppo, where he died in 1159; the county's remaining castles were soon sold to Byzantium or changed hands.
RESEARCH DOSSIER
Historical analysis of the event
Background
After the loss of Edessa in 1144 and 1146, Joscelin II ruled a small area centred on Turbessel west of the Euphrates. Nur al-Din, the Anatolian Seljuk sultan Mas'ud and the Artuqid lords pressed on these lands from different directions.
Course of events
In April–May 1150 Joscelin, travelling to Antioch, was left on the road with a small escort and was captured by Turkmens in Nur al-Din's service. He was brought to Aleppo, blinded and imprisoned in the citadel.
In her husband's absence, Countess Beatrice, with the approval of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, sold the remaining castles to the Byzantine emperor Manuel I. But Byzantium could not hold them; Turbessel fell to Nur al-Din in 1151.
Outcome and significance
Joscelin's capture is regarded as the moment the County of Edessa effectively ended. He remained a captive for nine years and died in 1159. His son Joscelin III later became an important baron in the Kingdom of Jerusalem; he too would be captured at Harim in 1164.
The episode shows that captivity in the crusading period did not always end in ransom, and could become a way of permanently neutralising a political rival.
Sources and debates
William of Tyre depicts Joscelin as a morally weak ruler; this judgement may be part of an effort to find someone to blame for the loss of Edessa. Michael the Syrian and Bar Hebraeus give different details about Joscelin's captivity and death. Ibn al-Qalanisi and Ibn al-Athir report the capture as a great success for Nur al-Din.
Dates, places and figures in this record compare the principal narrative sources with modern scholarship. Where the sources disagree this is stated in the text; for a thesis or publication, consult the relevant edition and page reference.