Editing Baldwin III of Jerusalem (section)

==Recovery==
During the civil war, Nur ad-Din had been busy consolidating his control of Damascus following the death of Mu'in ad-Din. With Syria united under one ruler, Jerusalem could only expand its influence to the south, towards [[Egypt]]. Egypt was weakened by civil wars as well, after the succession of a series of young [[Fatimid]] [[caliph]]s. Around 1150 Baldwin refortified [[Gaza City|Gaza]] to place some pressure on the nearby Egyptian outpost of [[Ascalon]], and in 1153 Baldwin successfully [[Battle of Ascalon (1153)|besieged and captured Ascalon]] itself.<ref>"...With his new freedom of action Baldwin conquered Ascalon in 548/1153" Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 213</ref> This secured the border with Egypt, although it would later lead to aggressive campaigns against Jerusalem's southern border. Ascalon was added to Amalric's fief of Jaffa, creating the double County of Jaffa and Ascalon. In 1152 Baldwin also defeated an [[Ortoqid]] invasion of the kingdom from northern Syria.<ref name=":0" />

In 1156 Baldwin was forced to sign a treaty with Nur ad-Din. However, in the winter of 1157&ndash;1158 Baldwin led an expedition into Syria, where he besieged [[Shaizar]]. The expedition was forced to withdraw when a dispute arose between [[Thierry, Count of Flanders]] and [[Raynald of Châtillon]], the new husband of Constance of Antioch, both of whom wanted Shaizar for themselves. Baldwin was, however, able to capture [[Harem, Syria|Harim]], a former territory of [[Antioch]], and in 1158 he defeated Nur ad-Din himself.<ref>Gibb, Hamilton A. R. (1969). "[http://images.library.wisc.edu/History/EFacs/HistCrus/0001/0001/reference/history.crusone.i0031.pdf The Career of Nūr-ad-Din]". In Setton, Kenneth M.; Baldwin, Marshall W. (eds.). ''A History of the Crusades: Volume One. The First Hundred Years''. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 513–528.</ref>