Battle of Inab
| Battle of Inab | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Seljuk Sultanate (modern Syria) 36°31′5.002″N 36°57′13.000″E / 36.51805611°N 36.95361111°E | |
| Result |
Zengid victory |
Assassins
Ali ibn Wafa' †
Or 1,400[3]
The Battle of Inab, also called Battle of Ard al-Hâtim or Fons Muratus, was fought on 29 June 1149, during the
Background
After the death of Nur ad-Din's father
In June 1149, Nur ad-Din invaded Antioch and besieged the fortress of
Battle
Prince Raymond allied himself with Ali ibn-Wafa, a leader of the Assassins and an enemy of Nur ad-Din. Before he had collected all his available forces, Raymond and his ally mounted a relief expedition. Amazed at the weakness of Prince Raymond's army, Nur ad-Din at first suspected that it was only an advance guard and that the main Frankish army must be lurking nearby.[6] Upon the approach of the combined force, Nur ad-Din raised the siege of Inab and withdrew. Rather than staying close to the stronghold, Raymond and ibn-Wafa camped with their forces in open country. After Nur ad-Din's scouts noted that the allies camped in an exposed location and did not receive reinforcements, the atabeg swiftly surrounded the enemy camp during the night.[7]
On 29 June, Nur ad-Din attacked and destroyed the army of Antioch. Presented with an opportunity to escape, the Prince of Antioch refused to abandon his soldiers. Raymond was a man of "immense stature" and fought back, "cutting down all who came near him".[6] Nevertheless, both Raymond and ibn-Wafa were killed, along with Reynald of Marash. A few Franks escaped the disaster. Much of the territory of Antioch was now open to Nur ad-Din, the most important of which was a route to the Mediterranean. Nur ad-Din rode out to the coast and bathed in the sea as a symbol of his conquest. [citation needed]
The contemporary historian William of Tyre blamed the Antiochenes' defeat on Raymond's rashness.[8] One modern historian says the Crusader defeat at Inab was "as disastrous at that of the Ager Sanguinis"[9] a generation earlier. Yet another remarks that it "was not part of a watershed moment, and should not be seen in the context of the Second Crusade".[10]
Aftermath
After his victory, Nur ad-Din went on to capture the fortresses of
Upon receiving news that King
After the victory at Inab, Nur ad-Din became a hero throughout the Islamic world. His goal became the destruction of the
Footnotes
- ^ Morton, Nicholas. The Crusader States and Their Neighbours: A Military History, 1099–1187. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2020.
- ^ Asbridge, Thomas. The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land. United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster, 2012.
- ^ a b Oldenbourg, p 336
- ^ a b c Mallett, p 55
- ^ Gibb 1969, p. 515.
- ^ a b c Oldenbourg, p 337
- ^ Smail, p 183
- ^ Mallett, p 49
- ^ Smail, p 33
- ^ Mallett, p 60
- ^ a b c Mallett, pp. 48–49
References
- Gibb, Hamilton A.R. (1969). "The Career of Nur-ad-Din". In Baldwin, Marshall W. (ed.). A History of the Crusades. Vol. 1. The University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 513–527.
- Mallett, Alex. "The Battle of Inab". Journal of Medieval History 39, 1 (2013): 48–60.
- Oldenbourg, Zoé. The Crusades. New York: Pantheon Books, 1966.
- Smail, R. C. Crusading Warfare, 1097–1193. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1995. ISBN 1-56619-769-4.