Part 36

Ilghazi's Turkmen followers managed to release him, and they launched a surprise attack against Radwan's camp, forcing him to withdraw to Aleppo. The breakdown of this alliance began to show before even a single step was taken towards its original aim of fighting the Crusaders,189 but none of that shook Jekermish's resolve to attack the real enemy. Once he had dealt with the efforts of these rulers allied against him, he hastened to launch an attack against Edessa. He overcame the attacks launched by the troops of Richard (of Salerno) who was ruling Edessa at that time on behalf of the imprisoned Baldwin. As soon as Jekermish returned to Mosul, however, he was faced with new troubles regarding the Seljuks. Only a short time passed before Kilij Arslan ibn Sulayman, the Sultan of the Seljuks of Rum, moved to attack Edessa, and the representatives of Jekermish in Harran took the opportunity to send word to him that they would surrender the city to him. Kilij Arslan arrived and entered Harran, and the people rejoiced at the Jihad against the Franks.190 He stayed there for several days, after which he had to return to his own land because of a severe illness that struck him, but he left behind a group of commanders in Harran to protect it.191 It seems that Kilij Arslan began to prevail because of the power, independence and influence over his counterparts among other Muslim rulers in the region that he enjoyed due to their ongoing disputes and conflicts aimed at achieving limited local victories. Moreover, the problems that Jekermish was facing in Mosul and the deterioration of his relationship with the Seljuks kept him from focusing fully on the Jihad against the Crusaders. This led to Kilij Arslan coming to the attention of Jekermish's representatives in Harran, who summoned him and surrendered the city to him. This explains what happened shortly afterwards, when Kilij Arslan was summoned by the people of Mosul so that he could rule them as well, after their ruler, Jekermish, was killed.192 Jihad of Jekermish and Suqman ibn Artuq Crusader hordes in Syria and Palestine, the many princes who had not taken part became eager to go to the East, motivated by personal, worldly ambitions to acquire booty and land, above and beyond the religious motives of attaining reward and forgiveness. It is said that the Crusaders in the East were in urgent need of fighters and colonists, with the following aims: — Continuing the war against the Muslims — Further expansion — Guarding what they had already gained — Protecting these gains from any attempt on the part of the Muslims to recapture them. Western society responded to this phenomenon with a wave of new Crusader energy, which led to the flow of more Crusader masses towards the East. The Lombards formed the first of these groups, setting out from northern Italy in 494 AH/1101 CE, led by Anselm of Buis, the Archbishop of Milan, and accompanied by a number of rulers, including Albert Count of Achen, Guibert Count of Parma, and Hugh Count of Montebello.193 It seems that this Lombard group, despite the large number of its participants, was no different in quality from the masses that had gone before, because it included only a small number of fighting knights; the vast majority were common folk who did not know how to fight and were lacking in discipline. When they reached the outskirts of Constantinople, they committed acts of plunder and pillage which made the Byzantine Emperor hasten to send them on to Asia Minor. That occurred in Jumada I (March). They settled in Nicomedia, awaiting the arrival of other Crusader groups.194 In fact, it was not long before another group arrived, composed of Frenchmen led by Stephen Count of Blois. He was joined by a number of other rulers, such as Stephen Count of Burgundy, Hugh Count of Varmandois, Baldwin Count of Hainaut and Hugh Pierrefond Bishop of Macon, in addition to a German expedition led by Konrad (Count of Luxembourg). This group crossed the Bosporus and camped at Nicaea, close to the Lombard camp. The number of people gathered there was between two and three hundred thousand fighters. The Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos appointed his friend Raymond of Toulouse as their commander in chief, and they were joined by a number of Byzantine troops, led by Tzitas.195 The battle of Merzifon The huge Crusader army moved from Nicomedia to Dorylaeum with the aim of reaching the holy land, provided that during its march it would reopen the route through Asia Minor. Hence the Emperor ordered Stephen of Blois to take the army via the route that the previous Crusaders had taken, which passed through Dorylaeum and Konya. The Lombards refused to head towards the holy land until after Bohemond was freed, for they viewed him as an exemplary model and a hero, and the only warrior they trusted to lead them to victory. They insisted that the campaign head towards Cappadocia, and Ibn al-Atheer states that the aim of this Crusader campaign was to free Bohemond.196 In spite of the arguments from some of the leaders, the campaign headed towards the Danishmend lands via Ankara, which belonged to Kilij Arslan, they then made their way to Gangra (£ankr) which is located south of Paphlagonia, so as to take the main route leading to Amasya and Niksar.