Part 38

The Turks implemented the same plan as before, burning crops, destroying food supplies, and filling in wells. When the horde reached Konya, they found the city empty; the Seljuk garrison had vacated the city after resisting William's attack, carrying with them all the supplies in the city and even stripping its gardens and orchards of anything that could be of benefit to the Crusaders.206 The Crusaders did not stay in Konya for long before heading towards Heraclea via a route that was fiftyfive miles long. They suffered a great deal of hardship, with extreme hunger and thirst, enduring Turkish attacks from time to time in which some were killed. When they entered Heraclea, they found the city deserted.207 The Muslims were lying in wait for the Crusaders, hiding in the forests around Heraclea, and they ambushed them when they were drinking water from the river that emerges behind the city. The Crusaders fell into disarray and the Turks pounced on them and destroyed them utterly, except a very few who managed to escape with difficulty, among whom were William IX and Wolf IV; these headed for Tarsus and thence to Antioch.208 Outcome of the battles of Kilij Arslan Each of these three groups met a very sad end, which affected the course of the Crusader movement on one hand, and on the other hand, affected the Turks in general and the Seljuks in particular. The most important of these effects were as follows: a) The Seljuks exacted revenge for what had befallen them at Dorylaeum. After that they would never again be expelled from Anatolia. These consecutive victories also raised their morale. b) The route that crossed Asia Minor into Syria remained unsafe for both Crusader and Byzantine armies, despite the successes of the first Crusader groups in penetrating it. The Crusader migrants became afraid to take this land route, which led from Constantinople to Edessa, unless they were in huge armies. They were no longer able to come except by sea, which incurred huge expenses that few were able to afford. This land route remained closed to the Crusaders for several years.209 c) The Crusaders blamed the Byzantines for the calamities that had befallen them and held them responsible for what had happened. Rumours spread amongst them that Raymond had been acting on the Emperor's instructions when he took the army that he was leading away from the designated route so that the soldiers would meet their deaths in a previouslyplanned ambush. In fact, Rome wanted to find a scapegoat to bear responsibility for its mistakes, so they put the blame on the Byzantines and regarded them as responsible for the disasters that had occurred.210 d) Kilij Arslan's pride grew after these victories, and he was soon joined by the Turks of Anatolia; he was able to seize control of the interior, after which he stayed in his capital Konya, which lay on the main route connecting Constantinople to Syria.211 e) The Danishmend continued their conquests in the Euphrates valley with no obstacles, and they reached the edges of the kingdom of Edessa. They also conquered Malatya (Melitene), capturing its ruler, on 23 DhulHijjah 495 AH/18 September 1102 CE. f) The Crusaders' departure to Syria led to a new round of disputes and competition between the Seljuks and Danishmend; the two great Turkish tribes fought to take possession of Malatya and take the ransom for Bohemond. Thus the Turkish front in that region disintegrated.212 Consequences of the death of Kilij Arslan Zangi ibn Jekermish contacted Kilij Arslan I asking him for help. At that time he was in Malatya, and he promised to hand Mosul and the surrounding area over to him. The Seljuk sultan Kilij Arslan took this opportunity to expand his territory at the expense of the warring rulers, so he hastened to help Zangi. When Jawali learned of his march, he withdrew from the city, especially since Jekermish had died suddenly in captivity, and he had intended to use him as a bargaining chip; he also realized that Kilij Arslan I was so powerful that he would not be able to confront him in battle face to face. Hence he decided to form an alliance against him so as to support his own position.213 Despite this, Kilij Arslan I was able to enter Mosul where he was welcomed by the population; he promised to respect their freedom and made some administrative arrangements.214 As for Jawali, he withdrew to Sinjar, where he held discussions with Ilghazi al-Artuqi and Radwan the ruler of Aleppo, at the end of which they agreed to drive Kilij Arslan I out of Mosul, then after that go to attack Antioch. The war against Kilij Arlsan I ended with his defeat: he drowned in the Khabur River215 in 500 AH/1107 CE.216 Kilij Arslan I is regarded as one of the prominent figures produced by the Seljuks of Rum,217 and the Near East was affected by his sudden death. The Seljuks of Rum, among whom no strong leader appeared to take the place of Kilij Arslan, were subjected to increasing pressure from the Byzantine Empire, which resumed its interference in their internal affairs. Alexios Komnenos managed with ease to regain his control over the western parts of Asia Minor and along the southern coast.