In the Battle of Ba'rin (also known as Battle of Montferrand) in 1137, a Crusader force commanded by King Fulk of Jerusalem was scattered and defeated by Zengi, the Atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. This setback resulted in the permanent loss of the Crusader castle of Montferrand in Baarin.[1]
Background
When Zengi became ruler of Mosul in 1127 and Aleppo in 1128, the Crusaders faced a dangerous opponent. For several years afterward, Zengi gained power at the expense of neighboring Muslim states. By occasionally allying itself with the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Muslim emirate of Damascus successfully resisted Zengi's efforts to conquer that city.
Battle
In 1137, Zengi invested in the castle of Ba'rin, about 10 miles northwest of Homs. Raymond II obtained help from King Fulk; however when Fulk arrived in Tripoli, he learned that the Byzantine Emperor was invading the Principality of Antioch.[2] Fulk immediately held a council and decided that Ba'rin should be helped first.[2] The Franks advanced against Zengi, whereupon Zengi decimated their infantry.[2] Raymond II and some of his knights were captured while Fulk recognised the futility of any further resistance and retired into the fortress with the loss of all of the baggage intended for Ba'rin.[2] The Christian chronicler William of Tyre "gave no tactical information, and neither did the Arab historians."[3] Zengi then resumed his siege of Ba'rin while the imprisoned Franks appealed for aid to Antioch, Jerusalem, and Edessa, who answered the appeal.[2]
Aftermath
After their defeat, Fulk and some of the survivors took refuge in Montferrand castle, which Zengi surrounded again. "When they ran out of food they ate their horses, and then they were forced to ask for terms."[4] Meanwhile, large numbers of Christian pilgrims had rallied to the army of Byzantine Emperor John II Comnenus, Raymond of Antioch and Joscelin II of Edessa.
With this host approaching the castle, Zengi suddenly granted Fulk and the other besieged Franks terms. In return for their freedom and evacuation from the castle, a ransom was set at 50000 dinars. The Franks, unaware of the imminent arrival of the large relieving army, accepted Zengi's offer.[4]
In April 1137, John Comnenus laid siege to Shaizar, but his efforts were unsuccessful when Zengi relieved the city in May. The Franks never recovered Ba'rin.
Hermes, Nizar F. "The Poet(ry) of Frankish Enchantment: The Ifranjiyyāt of Ibn Qaysarānī". Middle Eastern Literatures. 20.3 (2017): 267–287. doi:10.1080/1475262x.2017.1385695
Smail, R. C. Crusading Warfare, 1097–1193. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, (1956) 1995. ISBN1-56619-769-4
