Editing John II Komnenos (section)

===Campaigning in Cilicia and Syria (1137–1138)===
[[File:Siege de Shaizar (1138).jpg|thumb|350px|right|John II directs the Siege of Shaizar while his allies sit inactive in their camp, French manuscript 1338]]

In the Levant, the emperor sought to reinforce Byzantine claims to suzerainty over the [[Crusader State]]s and to assert his rights over Antioch.  In 1137 he conquered [[Tarsus (city)|Tarsus]], [[Adana]], and [[Mopsuestia]] from the [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia|Principality of Armenian Cilicia]], and in 1138 Prince [[Leo I, Prince of Armenia|Levon&nbsp;I of Armenia]] and most of his family were brought as captives to Constantinople.<ref>Kinnamos, pp. 21–22</ref><ref name="cilicia">J. Norwich, ''Byzantium: The Decline and Fall'', 76</ref> This opened the route to the [[Principality of Antioch]], where [[Raymond of Poitiers]], Prince of Antioch, and [[Joscelin&nbsp;II of Edessa|Joscelin II]], [[County of Edessa|Count of Edessa]], recognized themselves as vassals of the emperor in 1137. Even [[Raymond II, Count of Tripoli|Raymond II]], the [[County of Tripoli|Count of Tripoli]], hastened northwards to pay homage to John, repeating the homage that his predecessor had given John's father in 1109.<ref>Runciman, p. 309</ref> There then followed a joint campaign as John led the armies of Byzantium, Antioch, and Edessa against Muslim Syria. Aleppo proved too strong to attack during an [[Siege of Aleppo (1138)|attempted siege]], but the fortresses of Balat, [[Bizaah|Biza'a]], [[Atarib|Athareb]], [[Maarat al-Numaan|Maarat al-Numan]], and [[Kafartab]] were taken by assault.<ref>Runciman, p. 215</ref>

Although John fought hard for the Christian cause in the campaign in Syria, his allies Prince Raymond of Antioch and Count Joscelin&nbsp;II of Edessa remained in their camp playing [[dice]] and feasting instead of helping to press the siege of the city of [[Siege of Shaizar|Shaizar]]. The Crusader Princes were suspicious of each other and of John, and neither wanted the other to gain from participating in the campaign. Raymond also wanted to hold on to Antioch, which he had agreed to hand over to John if the campaign was successful in capturing [[Aleppo]], [[Shaizar]], [[Homs]], and [[Hama]]. Latin and Muslim sources describe John's energy and personal courage in prosecuting the siege. The city was taken, but the citadel defied assault. The Emir of Shaizar offered to pay a large indemnity, become John's vassal, and pay yearly tribute. John had lost all confidence in his allies, and a Muslim army under [[Imad ad-Din Zengi|Zengi]] was approaching to try to relieve the city, therefore the emperor reluctantly accepted the offer.<ref>Runciman, pp. 215–217</ref> The emperor was distracted by a Seljuq raid on Cilicia and developments in the west, where he was pursuing a [[Holy Roman Empire|German]] alliance directed against the threat posed by the [[Normans]] of [[Sicily]]. Joscelin and Raymond conspired to delay the promised handover of Antioch's citadel to the emperor, stirring up popular unrest in the city directed at John and the local Greek community. John had little choice but to leave Syria with his ambitions only partially realised.<ref>Angold (1984), p. 156</ref>