Surrender of Montferrand

Background

Ruling Mosul and Aleppo, Imad al-Din Zengi gathered strength around Homs and Hama in the 1130s and also targeted Damascus. Montferrand, a castle of the County of Tripoli, controlled the road between Homs and the coast. Count Pons of Tripoli had been killed early in 1137 in a clash with Damascene forces and was succeeded by his son Raymond II.

Course of events

When Zengi besieged the castle in July 1137, Fulk and Raymond II came to its aid. Zengi's forces defeated the Frankish army near the castle; Raymond was captured, and Fulk took refuge in Montferrand with his remaining soldiers. The poorly supplied castle was completely surrounded.

In answer to Fulk's call, relief forces were gathering from Antioch, Edessa and Jerusalem, while the army of the Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos was advancing from Cilicia toward Antioch. This pushed Zengi to a quick agreement: in exchange for the castle and a ransom of some 50,000 dinars, Fulk and his companions were released, along with Raymond and the other prisoners.

Outcome and significance

Montferrand was one of Zengi's first major successes against the Franks, and forcing the king of Jerusalem to surrender in person increased his prestige. For the Franks, saving the king and the army mattered more than losing the castle. Together with Zengi's threat to Damascus, the episode helped bring Jerusalem and Damascus closer to alliance.

Sources and debates

William of Tyre describes the siege and surrender in detail, writing that the Franks unknowingly escaped on good terms and only later learned that the relief army was on its way. Ibn al-Qalanisi and Ibn al-Athir state that Zengi came to terms because of the Byzantine threat. The ransom differs between sources.