Muslims 1144-1169

Zengi

Sunni govenor of Mosul, the first Muslim ruler to present himself as Jihad's leader.
He was striving to spread Islam- this normally required the Caliph's authority.
Zengi claimed that the Muslim world needed to be united under 1 ruler then fight.
The caliph would be the symbolic head, but Zengi would govern.
Jihad is greater (internal) and lesser (external). It needed a pious leader.
He created a principality in Syria and Iraq by 1146.
The Franks allied against him with the Damascene Turks, atabeg Muin al-Din Unur.
The Seljuk and Artuqid Turks (at Diyr Bakr) limited his territory in Aleppo and Mosul.
The Franks and Byzantines attacked his land, John Comnenus almost conquered Shaizar.

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Count Joscelin II of Edessa allied with the Artuqids of Diyr Bakr.
1144, Joscelin was helping his ally so Zengi attacked to remove two enemies.
He also needed to attack Christians to restore his reputation for jihad, since he fought Muslims.
In 1139, he had taken Ba'albek from a Muslim ruler and executed all the prisoners he promised to free. This made him unpopular and unpious.
His territory was vulnerable to the Franks and Aleppo and Shaizar paid tribute to them.
November 1144, segied by tunelling and seige towers on the walls.
23rd December, Zengi burnt the tunnels and collapsed the walls.
It was entered and captured at Christmas, killing 15k Franks.
This restored his reputation and inspired him to also take Suruc in 1145.

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Franks grew under B3 and Amalric. He also lost to the Franks in 1163 at al-Buqay'a.
1156, NAD agreed upon a treaty which shared Harenc, stopping an ongoing dispute.
1157, repelled an attack on Shaizar. 1164, defeated Christians at Artah, taking Harenc.
He could turn on his allies- 1159, Manuel Comnenus threatened Aleppo with invasion.
NAD joined Manuel against Kilij Arslan, Sultun of Rum.
He was the first to unite Damascus and Aleppo against the Franks.
Zengi was less focussed on the Franks since his territory was further away.
1148, he releived Damascus and stopped the 2nd crusade.
He captured Prince Reynald of Antioch for 16 years and killed Prince Raymond.
1157, he defeated B3 and the Hospitallers at Banyas.

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Anitoch was NAD's closest threat, so he allied with the Seljuk Sultun of Rum.
They captured Hab and Kefer Lata near Aleppo, leading to the battle of Inab.
Afterwards, he campaigned in Antioch before treatying with the Franks.
He captured Apemea, Akbara and Artesai from Antioch and Tortosa castle.
NAD now had control of the Orontes, and stopped an Edessan uprising in 1146.
NAD ordered them to surrender or leave- 30k were killed.
He then subdued the rest of Edessa's towns with the sultun of Rum by 1151.
By this time, the Franks and Byzantines could not invade by Edessa so he could unify Syria.

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1149, Sayf named NAD as his heir, but it was given to another brother.
NAD was given Homs and started to consolidate land in the South.
Mu'in al-Din, ruler of Damascus, had died and Abeq formed an alliance with the Franks against NAD but the inhabitants invited him in. He married the previous ruler's daughter.
1154, Abeq was disposed of and the Franks retreated.
Finally, NAD took Ba'albek to unite the majority of Muslim Syria.
His commander was Shirkuh and his nephew Saladin was second in command.
Shirkuh captured Alexandria but he reached a stalemate and promised to leave in 1167.
1168, the Franks seized Bilbies and massacred its inhabitants.
Shawar turned to NAD for help, so Amalric withdrew.

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1169, Shirkuh entered Cairo and positioned himself as Shawar's replacement as vizier.
Shawar was murdered on January 18th and Shirkuh became vizier. He was poisoned in March and Saladin replaced him. NAD should have been happy since his land increased.
He did not fight the Franks yet since Saladin wanted to rule Egypt alone.
NAD placed his family in important positions- his brother Turan-Shah and his father Ayyub.
He created a military corp, the Salhiyya, directly loyal to him. Saladin would fight on shared campaigns and leave before NAD arrived to consolidate his land. He refused to give tribute.
NAD died on his way to fight Saladin in 1174.

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1119, the Field of Blood. Roger of Antioch was killed, huge Muslim victory.
Il-ghazi led the attack but did not take weakened Antioch since it still had strong fortifications and he did not have the men and time to garrison it.
B2 and a Tripoli army counter-attacked in August, Frankish defeat again.
Roger did not have an heir so B2 acted a regent, weakening morale.
1149, Inab, NAD conquered Antioch with Unar of Damascus.
Prince Raymond was killed in the night, without an heir.
NAD wanted a road to attack Damascus, not attack the Franks. Inab fell.
NAD did not conquer Antioch but he weakened it and demanded a treaty.
1164, Harim, NAD defeated Bohemond III, Raymond III of Tripoli and Joselin of Courtney.

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