Siege of Ascalon: Encyclopedia II - Siege of Ascalon - Background

Siege of Ascalon - Background

Ascalon was Fatimid Egypt's greatest frontier fortress. A battle was fought there in 1099 in the aftermath of the First Crusade and the fall of Jerusalem to the crusaders, but although the crusaders were victorious, internal disputes in their camp allowed Ascalon to remain in Egyptian hands. Thereafter, the Fatimids were able to launch raids into the kingdom every year, and the southern border of the crusader kingdom remained unstable.

After the failure of the Second Crusade in 1148, Conrad III of Germany attempted to besiege the fortress, but was forced to withdraw when no help was forthcoming from Jerusalem or other crusaders. Meanwhile, the territory to the east and north of Jerusalem was united under Nur ad-Din, who ruled Mosul and Aleppo and brought Damascus under his influence after the Second Crusade. In 1149 Nur ad-Din defeated the Principality of Antioch at the Battle of Inab. Nur ad-Din was unable to overrun Antioch entirely, nor was he able to penetrate far into the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but likewise there was little Jerusalem could do in the north and the east with the whole area united under one strong ruler. The crusader kingdom would have to look towards Egypt if they wanted to expand.

Around 1150, Baldwin III of Jerusalem rebuilt the city of Gaza, which at that point lay in ruins. The city was handed over to the Knights Templar, and provided some defense against the continual raids from Ascalon. Other fortresses had also been built in the area since the establishment of the kingdom, including Ibelin and Montgisard. However, Jerusalem itself was soon divided by civil war. Baldwin III was the legal heir to the kingdom, but his mother Queen Melisende had been ruling as regent since 1143. In 1152 Baldwin finally demanded full control of the kingdom; after some brief fighting he was able to accomplish this goal. Later that year Baldwin also defeated a Turkish invasion of the Kingdom.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Background", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki