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Siege of Edessa

Siege of Edessa was a siege conducted on 28 November 1144 at Edessa, in what is now Turkey; it lasted 26 days. It was part of Crusades, which ran from 1095 to 1291. The recorded result: Zengid victory.

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The Crusader States in 1135
The Crusader States in 1135. Amitchell125, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought28 November 1144lasted 26 days
WhereEdessa, Turkey37.150N, 38.800E
OutcomeZengid victory
BelligerentsCounty of EdessaagainstZengids
Casualties and losses5,000–6,000 civilians killedandUnknown
Part ofCrusades1095 to 1291

Where it sits in Crusades

First Siege of Arsuf 1099, 1099Battle of Melitene, 1100Battle of the Dog River, 1100Siege of Caesarea Maritima, 1101Siege of Tripoli, 1102Battle of Jaffa, 1102Siege of Acre, 1103Siege of Edessa, 1104Siege of Acre, 1104Battle of Harran, 1104Battle of Akkum, 1108Battle of Turbessel, 1108Siege of Beirut, 1110Battle of Shaizar, 1111Siege of Tyre, 1111Battle of Al-Sannabra, 1113Battle of Sarmin, 1115Battle of Ager Sanguinis, 1119Battle of Hab, 1119Battle of Saruj, 1122Battle of Gerger, 1123Battle of Yibneh, 1123Battle of Manbij, 1124Siege of Aleppo, 1124Battle of Azaz, 1125Battle of Beirut, 1126Battle of al-Atharib, 1130Battle of Ceyhan River, 1130Battle of Rafaniyya, 1133Battle of Qinnasrin, 1135Battle of Tripoli, 1137Battle of Ba'rin, 1137Battle of Teqoa, 1138Siege of Aleppo, 1138Siege of Shaizar, 1138Siege of Edessa, 1144Fall of Saruj, 1145Siege of Edessa, 1146Battle of Inab, 1149Battle of Aintab, 1150Siege of Ascalon, 1153Siege of Paneas, 1157Battle of Lake Huleh, 1157Siege of Shaizar, 1157Battle of Marash, 1161Battle of al-Buqaia, 1163Battle of Harim, 1164Siege of Alexandria, 1167Battle of al-Babein, 1167Siege of Bilbeis, 1168Siege of Damietta, 1169Siege of Gaza, 1170Siege of Ayla, 1171Siege of Alexandria, 1174Battle of Montgisard, 1177Battle of Hama, 1178Battle of Banias, 1179Battle of Marj Ayyun, 1179Battle of Jacob's Ford, 1179Crusader raids on the Red Sea, 1182Battle of Belvoir Castle, 1182Battle of Al-Fule, 1183Siege of Kerak, 1183Battle of Cresson, 1187Siege of Kerak, 1187Siege of Tiberias, 1187Battle of Hattin, 1187Conquest of Jerusalem, 1187Siege of Tyre, 1187Siege of Belvoir Castle, 1187Siege of Laodicea, 1188Siege of Al-Shughur, 1188Siege of Sahyun Castle, 1188Siege of Trapessac, 1188Siege of Safed, 1188Battle of St. Matthew's Day, 1217Battle of Lyndanisse, 1219Battle of Lihula, 1220Battle of Hama, 1230Battle of Trapessac, 1237Battle of the Ice, 1242Siege of Jerusalem, 1244Battle of Forbie, 1244Battle of Jaffa, 1256Fall of Haifa, 1265Fall of Caesarea, 1265Fall of Arsuf, 1265Battle of the Orontes, 1265Siege of Safed, 1266Battle of Al-Ruways, 1266Battle of Wesenberg, 1268Fall of Jaffa, 1268Fall of Beaufort Castle, 1268Siege of Antioch, 1268Fall of Krak des Chevaliers, 1271Fall of Gibelacar, 1271Fall of Montfort Castle, 1271Siege of Margat, 1285Fall of Tripoli, 1289Siege of Acre, 1291Fall of Ruad, 1302Battle of Amorgos, 1312Battle of Adramyttion, 1334Battle of Megara, 1359Battle of Tripoli, 1367Battle of Rudau, 1370Battle of Beirut, 152010991520Siege of Edessa, 1144
107 placed engagements of Crusades in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date28 November 1144
to 24 December 1144
PlaceEdessa, Turkey
37.150N, 38.800E
KindSiege, medieval
Territorial changeStart of the Second Crusade
Casualties and losses5,000–6,000 civilians killedUnknown
Commanders
  • Hugh (archbishop of Edessa)
  • Basil bar Shumna
  • Imad al-Din Zengi
Siege of EdessaSiege of EdessaBattle of EdessaBattle of UrfaSiege of EdessaSiege of EdessaSiege of EdessaBattle of EdessaAleppoGaziantepDiyarbakırAdıyamanKilisMardinKahramanmaraşAl Hasakah100 km37.150N, 38.800E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Edessa
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Edessa today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-06-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 496 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 445 to 801 m, 356 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 59% built-up, 18% cropland, 12% grassland.

built-up: 59%cropland: 18%grassland: 12%tree cover: 8%built-up 59%cropland 18%grassland 12%tree cover 8%
west to east, 10.0 km459 to 705 mnorth to south, 10.0 km490 to 603 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 9 times between AD 163 and 1920.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1144

Siege of Edessa is one of 438 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 622 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2083368, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Edessa (1144), revision 1371517961, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.