Battle of Inab
Late medieval depiction of the Battle of Inab from the 14th century
| date | June 29, 1149 |
|---|---|
| place | Murad Fountain, near Inab |
| output | Muslim victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| around 4,000 horsemen, 1,000 foot troops |
by 6,000 riders |
| losses | |
|
heavy |
unknown |
In the battle of Inab , Nur ad-Din defeated Raymond of Antioch on June 29, 1149 .
prehistory
Only ad-Din had brought Aleppo under his control after the death of his father Zengi in 1146 . He began attacking the Principality of Antioch and defended Damascus in 1148 during the Second Crusade , which began with the aim of avenging the destruction of Edessa by Zengi in 1144. In June 1149 he invaded Antioch and besieged the fortress of Inab with the help of Unur of Damascus and a Turkmen army. Only ad-Din had about 6,000 soldiers, mostly cavalry , at his disposal.
The battle
After Nur ad-Din had defeated Raimund of Antioch at Baghras, he moved south to besiege Inab. Raimund, supported by the assassin leader Ali ibn-Wafa , came to Inab's aid. Only ad-Din overestimated the size of the advancing army, so he ordered a retreat. Raimund wanted to strengthen Inab's crew, although Ali advised against it. Only ad-Din learned in the meantime the true strength of the opposing force, which comprised approx. 4,000 horsemen and approx. 1,000 foot soldiers and was therefore smaller than his own.
The Christian army camped on June 28, 1149 at the Murad well in a depression. During the night, Nur ad-Din's forces surrounded the camp. Raimund decided to attack in the morning. The terrain was extremely unfavorable for this; as the riders stormed up the slope, the wind allegedly rose and blew sand into their eyes. Raimund's army was destroyed, Raimund and Ali killed in the process. Only ad-Din had Raimund's head sent to the Caliph of Baghdad in a silver box as a gift . Most of the principality was now open to Nur ad-Din, including the road to the Mediterranean . Nur ad-Din went down to the coast and bathed in the sea as a symbol of his conquest.
consequences
Then he turned against Antioch himself, but was not able to conquer it. Although leaderless due to the prince's death, the city was defended by his widow Konstanze and the Latin patriarch Aimery. Balduin III. from Jerusalem hastened from the south to lift the siege.
After the victory of Inab, Nur ad-Din was made a hero in the Islamic world. His goal now was the destruction of the crusader states and the strengthening of Islam through jihad ; he had already had religious schools and new mosques built in Aleppo and had expelled from his empire those whom he believed to be heretics , especially the Shiites .
literature
- Steven Runciman : History of the Crusades. CH Beck, Munich 2001.