Battle of Inab facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Inab |
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| Part of the Crusades | |||||||
 The battle of Inab (from the Passages d'outremer) |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Principality of Antioch Assassins |
Zengids Burids |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Raymond of Poitiers † Ali ibn Wafa' † |
Nur ad-Din Zangi Unur of Damascus shirkuh |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 400 cavalry and 1,000 infantry Or 1,400 |
6,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Inab was a major fight during the Second Crusade. It happened on June 29, 1149. In this battle, the army of Nur ad-Din Zangi, a powerful Muslim leader, defeated the combined forces of Prince Raymond of Poitiers from the Principality of Antioch and the Assassins led by Ali ibn-Wafa.
This victory was a big deal for Nur ad-Din. After the battle, the area around Antioch was attacked and its eastern border was moved much closer to the city. This made the Principality of Antioch smaller and weaker.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
After Nur ad-Din's father, Zengi, died in 1146, the province of Aleppo was left vulnerable. Prince Raymond of Antioch saw this as a chance to expand his own territory. He attacked Aleppo, which was part of the Seljuq Empire.
Nur ad-Din's Rise to Power
Nur ad-Din quickly took control of Aleppo. He also successfully defended Edessa in 1147. By late 1148, he was strong enough to attack Antioch itself. He tried to capture a fortress called Afamiya. Raymond managed to push him back and even captured some of his supplies.
A few months later, Nur ad-Din returned to attack another place called Yaghra. Again, Raymond, with a smaller army, forced him to retreat to Aleppo.
The Siege of Inab
In June 1149, Nur ad-Din decided to invade Antioch again. This time, he brought help from Unur of Damascus and a group of Turcoman soldiers. Nur ad-Din had about 6,000 troops, mostly cavalry (soldiers on horseback). They began to surround the fortress of Inab.
Raymond's Risky Plan
Prince Raymond and his Christian neighbor, Count Joscelin II of Edessa, were not friends. Raymond had refused to help Joscelin when Edessa was under attack in 1146. Joscelin even made a deal with Nur ad-Din against Raymond. Other Crusader leaders, like Raymond II of Tripoli and Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, also refused to help the Prince of Antioch.
Even though he had little support, Prince Raymond felt confident. He had beaten Nur ad-Din twice before. So, he decided to fight on his own. He gathered an army of 400 knights and 1,000 foot soldiers.
The Battle of Inab
Prince Raymond formed an alliance with Ali ibn-Wafa, a leader of the Assassins. The Assassins were a group known for their skilled fighters. Ali ibn-Wafa was also an enemy of Nur ad-Din.
Setting the Trap
Before gathering all possible forces, Raymond and Ali ibn-Wafa rushed to help Inab. Nur ad-Din was surprised by how small Raymond's army was. He first thought it might be just a small group, with the main Crusader army hiding nearby. When Raymond and his ally approached, Nur ad-Din lifted the siege of Inab and pulled back.
Instead of staying close to the fortress, Raymond and ibn-Wafa made a big mistake. They set up their camp in an open area. Nur ad-Din's scouts noticed that the Crusader camp was exposed and that no more soldiers were coming to help them. So, Nur ad-Din quickly surrounded their camp during the night.
The Fight and Its Outcome
On June 29, Nur ad-Din attacked the army of Antioch. Prince Raymond had a chance to escape, but he refused to leave his soldiers behind. Raymond was a very tall and strong man. He fought bravely, "cutting down all who came near him."
However, both Prince Raymond and Ali ibn-Wafa were killed in the battle. Another important leader, Reynald of Marash, also died. Only a few Crusader soldiers managed to escape.
This victory meant that much of Antioch's land was now open to Nur ad-Din. He gained control of a path all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. Nur ad-Din rode to the coast and bathed in the sea. This was a symbolic act to show his great victory.
Historians later said that Raymond's quick and risky decisions led to the defeat. Some even compared it to another terrible Crusader defeat, the Battle of Ager Sanguinis, which happened years earlier.
After the Battle
After his big win, Nur ad-Din continued his attacks. He captured several important fortresses. These included Artah, Harim, and ‘Imm. These forts protected the way to Antioch itself. Harim was later taken back by the Crusaders in 1157 but lost for good in 1164.
The Siege of Antioch
Nur ad-Din sent most of his army to surround Afamiya. After taking valuables from the area, he then surrounded Antioch. The city was almost defenseless because its prince and army were gone.
Inside Antioch, people were divided. Some wanted to surrender, while others wanted to fight. The group that wanted to surrender won. This group was led by Raymond's widow, Constance, and the church leader, Aimery of Limoges. They paid Nur ad-Din a large sum of money to leave. Some of this money came from the church leader's own belongings.
A small group of Nur ad-Din's soldiers stayed behind to stop any help from reaching the city. Nur ad-Din then went to the sea to bathe, celebrating his victory. He also took valuables from the lands around Saint Simeon's Monastery. Then he rejoined his army to capture Afamiya.
New Borders and Further Conquests
When Nur ad-Din heard that King Baldwin III of Jerusalem was coming north with some Templars (a group of Crusader knights) to help Antioch, he started talking about peace. The border between Antioch and Aleppo was redrawn. Nur ad-Din gained more land, and the armies went home.
Count Joscelin, Raymond's enemy, now found his own lands in great danger. Nur ad-Din captured Joscelin in 1150. What was left of his County of Edessa was then left by its Christian people.
After his victory at Inab, Nur ad-Din became a hero across the Islamic world. His main goal became to destroy the Crusader states. He also wanted to strengthen Islam through jihad, which means a holy struggle or effort. He had already built religious schools and new mosques in Aleppo. He also removed people he considered to be against his beliefs from his land. The idea of jihad was used to keep a constant state of war against the Christian Crusader states.
Nur ad-Din went on to capture the remaining parts of the County of Edessa. In 1154, he brought Damascus under his control. These actions further weakened the Crusader states in the region.
Images for kids
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Recovery of Raymond's body after the battle
