Editing First Crusade (section)

==The Armenian interlude==
{{Further|Baldwin I of Jerusalem}}
[[File:Baldwin of Boulogne entering Edessa in Feb 1098.JPG|thumb|230px|right|[[Baldwin I of Jerusalem|Baldwin of Boulogne]] entering [[Edessa, Mesopotamia|Edessa]] in 1098 ([[history painting]] by [[Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury]], 1840)]]
After passing through the [[Cilician Gates]], Baldwin and Tancred broke away from the main body of the army and set off towards the Armenian lands.{{sfn|Chalandon|1925|pp=159–176|loc=Les Croisés en Asie Mineure Campagne de Baudouin et de Tancrède en Cilicie}} Baldwin desired to create a fiefdom for himself in the Holy Land,<ref>Asbridge, Thomas (2004). Baldwin's Cold-Blooded Ambition. In ''The First Crusade: A New History.'' pp. 149–152.</ref> and, in Armenia, he could count on the support of the locals, especially an adventurer named [[Bagrat Pakrad|Bagrat]].{{sfn|Archer|1904|pp=61–64|loc=Baldwin at Edessa}} Baldwin and Tancred led two separate contingents, departing [[Ereğli, Konya|Heraclea]] on 15 September. Tancred arrived first at [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]] where he persuaded the Seljuk garrison to raise his flag on the citadel. Baldwin reached Tarsus the next day and, in a reversal, the Turks allowed Baldwin to take possession of two towers. Heavily outnumbered, Tancred decided not to fight for the town. Shortly thereafter, a group of Norman knights arrived, but Baldwin denied entry to them. The Turks slaughtered the Normans during the night, and Baldwin's men blamed him for their fate and massacred the remaining Seljuk garrison. Baldwin took shelter in a tower and convinced his soldiers of his innocence. A pirate captain, [[Guynemer of Boulogne]], sailed up the [[Berdan River]] to Tarsus and swore fealty to Baldwin, who hired Guynemer's men to garrison the city while he continued his campaign.{{sfn|Runciman|1951|pp=195–212|loc=The Armenian Interlude}}

Tancred had meanwhile seized the town of [[Mamistra]]. Baldwin reached the town on around 30 September. The Norman [[Richard of Salerno]] wanted to take revenge for Tarsus, causing a skirmish between the soldiers of Baldwin and Tancred. Baldwin left Mamistra and joined the main army at [[Marash]], but Bagrat persuaded him to launch a campaign across a region densely populated by Armenians and he left the main army on 17 October. The Armenians welcomed Baldwin, and the local population massacred the Seljuks, seizing the fortresses [[Ravendel]] and [[Turbessel]] before the end of 1097. Baldwin made Bagrat the governor of Ravendel.{{sfn|Edgington|2019}}

The Armenian lord [[Thoros of Edessa]] sent envoys to Baldwin in early 1098, seeking his assistance against the nearby Seljuks.<ref>Morris, Rosemary (2006). " T'oros of Edessa (d. 1098)". ''The Crusades – An Encyclopedia''. pp. 1185–1186.</ref> Before departing for Edessa, Baldwin ordered the arrest of Bagrat, accused of collaboration with the Seljuks. Bagrat was tortured and forced to surrender Ravendel. Baldwin left for Edessa in early February, being harassed en route by the forces of Balduk, emir of [[Samsat|Samosata]]. Reaching the city, he was well-received by both Thoros and the local Christian population. Remarkably, Thoros adopted Baldwin as a son, making him co-regent of Edessa. Strengthened by troops from Edessa, Baldwin raided Balduk's territory and placed a garrison in a small fortress near Samosata.<ref>Laurent, J. (1924). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/44169349?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Ab611751299c5f14821d8740e2d498e82&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Des Grecs aux Croisés: Étude sur l'histoire d'Edesse entre 1071 et 1098]. ''Byzantion'', 1, 367–449.</ref>

Shortly after Baldwin's return from the campaign, a group of local nobles began plotting against Thoros, likely with Baldwin's consent. A riot broke out in the town, forcing Thoros to take refuge in the citadel. Baldwin pledged to save his adoptive father, but when the rioters broke into the citadel on 9 March and murdered both Thoros and his wife, he did nothing to stop them. On the following day, after the townspeople acknowledged Baldwin as their ruler, he assumed the title of Count of Edessa, and so established the first of the [[Crusader state]]s.<ref>MacEvitt, Christopher (2006). "Edessa, County of". ''The Crusades – An Encyclopedia''. pp. 379–385.</ref>

While the Byzantines had lost Edessa to the Seljuks in 1087, the emperor did not demand that Baldwin hand over the town. Moreover, the acquisition of Ravendel, Turbessel and Edessa strengthened the position of the main crusader army later at Antioch. The lands along the Euphrates secured a supply of food for the crusaders, and the fortresses hindered the movement of the Seljuk troops.{{sfn|Runciman|1951|pp=206–207|loc=Baldwin and Thoros}}

As his force was small, Baldwin had used diplomacy to secure his rule in Edessa. He married [[Arda of Armenia]], who later became queen consort of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]], and encouraged his retainers to marry local women. The city's rich treasury enabled him to employ mercenaries and to buy Samosata from Balduk. The resultant treaty for the transfer of Samosata was the first friendly arrangement between a crusader leader and a Muslim ruler, who remained governor of the city.{{sfn|Runciman|1951|p=205|loc=Expedition against Samosata}}

An important figure in the kingdom in the 12th century was [[Belek Ghazi]], grandson of the former Seljuk governor of Jerusalem, [[Artuk Bey|Artuk]]. Belek was to play a small role in this story who, as an [[Artuqids|Artuqid]] emir, had hired Baldwin to suppress a revolt in [[Saruj]].<ref>Taef El-Azhari (2006). "Balak (d. 1124)". ''The Crusades – An Encyclopedia''. pp. 129–130.</ref> When the Muslim leaders of the town approached Balduk to come to their rescue, Balduk hurried to Saruj, but it soon became apparent that his forces were not able to resist a siege and the defenders yielded to Baldwin. Baldwin demanded Balduk's wife and children as hostages, and upon his refusal, Baldwin had him captured and executed. With Saruj, Baldwin now had consolidated the county and ensured his communications with the main body of Crusaders.{{sfn|Archer|1904|pp=61–64|loc=Baldwin at Edessa}} Kerbogha, ever on guard to defeat the Crusaders, gathered a large army to eliminate Baldwin. During his march towards Antioch, Kerbogha besieged the walls of Edessa for three weeks in May, but could not capture it. This delay played a crucial part in the Crusader victory at Antioch.{{sfn|Runciman|1992|p=123|loc=Armenian Interlude}}