Negotiations to save the remains of the county of Edessa

Summary:
Baldwin III, as tension rose between him and queen Melisende, heard that the situation in the county of Edessa was very bad. Mas'ud of Ikonion was taking places near the border with his realm, allowing the landowners and their families free passage to Tell Bashir in return for surrender, while Nur al-Din was also active; when Mas'ud had to go home, the situation was no better. Baldwin set off northwards, taking Humphrey of Toron and Guy of Beirut, and adding Raymond II as he passed Tripoli; barons from Melisende's areas did not answer his summons. At Antioch, he found Byzantine envoys with a proposal from Manuel I. Manuel had sent a major Byzantine office-holder with many troops and large sums of money, to garrison the remaining towns and forts of Edessa, offering in return a yearly income for countess Beatrice and her children sufficient for honourable comfort. He sent envoys to Antioch to seek support for this plan. Some Latins said it was not yet time for such extreme measures, others that something must be done before the county of Edessa was completely overrun. Baldwin said that Jerusalem and Antioch left him little time for Edessa, and backed the Byzantine plan, ensuring its success 
Dates:
1150 
envoys from Manuel I, who proposed to take over remaining Edessene fortresses (Anonymi 215)
  • They were sent by Manuel 1 to Antioch, to propose that Beatrice 4001 and Anonymi 214 should be given an annual revenue sufficient to ensure them a comfortable life, in return for handing over to the emperor the remaining towns and fortresses of the county of Edessa (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 16.4-13
major Byzantine office-holder, sent to save the remains of the county of Edessa (Anonymus 1016)
  • He was sent with many troops and a very large sum of money to garrison the remaining towns and fortresses of the county of Edessa, so as to save them from Muslim attacks; the proposal became controversial among the Latins (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 16.1-17
Baldwin III, king of Jerusalem (Baldwin 53)
  • As tensions rose with Melisende 4002, he heard that the situation in the county of Edessa was very bad; Masud 17001 had taken the frontier fortresses, and Nur al-Din 4001 was also active; the Christians were retreating to Tell Bashir, with no army to protect them; he resolved to go there (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 15.1-6
  • He took Humphrey 4003 and Guy 4006, but none of the barons in Melisende 4002's area answered his summons; he went to Tripoli, where he was joined by Raymond 4004, then on to Antioch, where he met Anonymi 215, who brought a proposal from Manuel 1 (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 15.7-16.12
  • He decided the controversy over the proposal of Manuel 1, some saying that things were not yet bad enough to adopt it, others that something must be done before the county of Edessa was completely overrun; he said that Jerusalem and Antioch left him little time for Edessa, and backed the Byzantine plan (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 16.13-30
Beatrice, wife of Joscelin II of Edessa (Beatrice 4001)
  • It was proposed by Manuel 1 that she and Anonymi 214 should receive a yearly revenue sufficient to keep them in honourable comfort, in return for ceding to Byzantium her remaining possessions in the county of Edessa (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 16.4-8
Guy Brisebarre, lord of Beirut (Guy 4006)
  • He was part of the expedition taken northwards by Baldwin 53, to attempt to save the remains of the county of Edessa (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 15.6-10
Humphrey of Toron (Humphrey 4003)
  • He was part of the expedition taken northwards by Baldwin 53, to attempt to save the remains of the county of Edessa (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 15.6-10
Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (Manuel 1)
  • He sent Anonymus 1016 with many troops and a great deal of money, to garrison remaining towns and fortresses belonging to the county of Edessa; he also sent Anonymi 215 to Antioch, to ask the Latins to accept this, in return for a comfortable annuity for Beatrice 4001 and Anonymi 214 (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 16.1-11
Mas'ud, sultan of Ikonion (Masud 17001)
  • He took from the Byzantines Mar'ash together with the other frontier towns (:) لم يزل في أيديهم الى ان استولى السلطان عز الدين مسعود ... عليها في ما أخذه من بلادهم Ibn Shaddad 365
  • He captured most of the border land between Ikonion and the county of Edessa; his forces were large, irresistible to local landowners, so the lord of each place and his family accepted safe-conduct to Tell Bashir in return for surrender; he had to return before completing his campaign, but it was continued by Nur al-Din 4001 (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 15.11-30
Nur al-Din al-Malik al-'Adil of Aleppo (Nur al-Din 4001)
  • He was active throughout the old county of Edessa, so that its people were caught between him and Masud 17001 (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 16.22-30
Raymond II, count of Tripoli (Raymond 4004)
  • He joined at Tripoli the expedition taken northwards by Baldwin 53, to attempt to save the remains of the county of Edessa (:) William of Tyre bk. 17, 15.8-10