Battle of Turbessel (1108)

Background

After the defeat of the Crusader states in the Battle of Harran in 1104, Baldwin II of Edessa, was captured by Sokmen ibn Artuq and then became a prisoner of Shams al-Dawla Jikirmish, the Emir of Mosul. Baldwin remained a prisoner for five years, until the new Emir of Mosul, Jawali Saqawa, rebelled against Sultan Muhammad I Tapar. After he left the city in the management of his wife, Jawali took Baldwin and left. He then released him in Makesin in exchange for a ransom of 70,000 dinars and the release of Muslim prisoners. After 20,000 were paid, he took Baldwin's cousin, Joscelin of Courtenay, Lord of Turbessel, as a hostage in his place. Joscelin was then released to help Baldwin collect the rest of the ransom, and his and Baldwin's brothers-in-law were taken as hostages in his place.

Throughout Baldwin’s absence, Tancred, the regent of the Principality of Antioch, ruled in his place. However, after Baldwin’s return, Tancred refused to hand over Edessa to him, which led to a conflict between them that ended with the intervention of Bernard, Patriarch of Antioch, who ruled in favor of Baldwin. Tancred withdrew due to the strength of Baldwin’s allies, and thus the latter regained his county and took possession of it on September 18, 1108, but no agreement was met and the conflict would continue. After that, Baldwin implemented the conditions of his release and handed over a sum of ransom and prisoners. Baldwin allowed Muslims to reside in Suruç and rebuilt mosques, and he killed its judge who had insulted Islam in order to strengthen his alliance with Jawali.

As for Jawali, after releasing Baldwin, he began to consider attacking Hillah in cooperation with Badran and Mansur, the sons of Sadaqa ibn Mansour, the slain Emir of Hillah. However, Spahbed Sabawu persuaded him to abandon this plan and head to the Levant, pointing that it was far from the Sultan's zone and weakened by the Crusades. Salim ibn Malik al-Uqayli, the Emir of Qal'at Ja'bar, sought Jawali's aid, informing him that the Banu Numayr had seized Raqqa, which was ruled by his son, Ali ibn Salim. News also arrived that Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan, the Sultan of Aleppo, had attacked a Crusader caravan carrying part of the ransom money for Baldwin and that he had collected tribute from the people of Raqqa after Banu Numayr negotiated with him. Jawali indeed marched and besieged Raqqa to return it to Salim ibn Malik, but he ended the siege after seventy days in exchange for the Banu Numayr providing him with money and horses. After failing to break the siege of Mosul using messengers sent by the sultan to negotiate a truce, Jawali attacked the city of Balis, part of Ridwan's realm, on September 22 1108, besieging it, then plundering the city and massacring its inhabitants.

After Jawali attacked and captured the city of Balis, he became a real threat to the Seljuks of Aleppo. The Sultan of Aleppo, Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan, contacted Tancred, the regent of Antioch, offering him an alliance against Jawali. Tancred agreed and marched out with his armies, with Ridwan sending him six hundred soldiers as support. When Jawali learned of this, he sent to his ally, Baldwin II, asking for his help and releasing him from paying the rest of the ransom. They met in the city of Manbij, and there news reached Jawali of the Sultan's army's victory after a long siege of the city of Mosul. Thus, Jawali lost his position, as well as his treasuries and wealth within the city. The emirs began to abandon him, including Atabeg Zengi ibn Aq Sunqur and Bektash al-Nahawandi. Nevertheless, Jawali's army still had about 500 Turks and more Bedouins, then after Baldwin arrived with several hundred knights, the army was made up of 1-2,000 men. Afterwards, they left Manbij and camped at Turbessel. There, Tancred approached them with his forces consisting of 1500 men, in addition to the supporting forces that Ridwan had sent.