County of Edessa: Map & History
The County of Edessa was a 12th-century Crusader state in Upper Mesopotamia.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The County of Edessa was a 12th-century Crusader state in Upper Mesopotamia. Its seat was the city of Edessa.
Modern Countries Once Part of County of Edessa
At its mapped extent, County of Edessa covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside County of Edessa's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
County of Edessa in Depth
History of Edessa
In 1098, Baldwin of Boulogne left the main Crusading army, which was travelling south towards Antioch and Jerusalem. He went first south into Cilicia, then east to Edessa, where he convinced its lord, Thoros, to adopt him as son and heir. He also married Thoros' daughter, Arda of Armenia, who eventually became the first queen of Jerusalem. Thoros was a Christian of Armenian origin but of Greek Orthodox religion and largely disliked by his Armenian Apostolic subjects, which led to his removal from power in March 1098. Different sources claim he was assassinated or abdicated, and it is debated whether Baldwin played a role in this. Nonetheless, Baldwin succeeded Thoros as ruler, taking the title of count (having been Count of Verdun as a vassal of his brother in Europe).
Government
Turbessel was firstly the lordship of Joscelin I when he was not yet the count of Edessa. It controlled the area west of the Euphrates, and held the border against Antioch. It then was a special holding of Courtenay counts of Edessa, and again became their seat after the loss of the city of Edessa. It was sold with the remaining parts of the county to the Byzantines just before it was conquered by Muslims. After the sale, the wife and family of Joscelin II moved with the proceeds to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, near Acre.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: County of Edessa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
County of Edessa: Key Facts
| Capital | Edessa |
|---|---|
| Religion | Catholic Church |
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 1098 |
| Dissolved | 1150 |
Preceded by
Facts from Wikidata Q232806 (CC0).
County of Edessa Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which County of Edessa appears, with the other states of the time.
County of Edessa Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 40,929 km² in 1132 CE.
County of Edessa: Frequently Asked Questions
When did County of Edessa exist?
County of Edessa is dated to 1099 CE – 1151 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of County of Edessa?
The capital of County of Edessa was Edessa (1098–1144; 1146), (modern-day Şanlıurfa, Turkey), Turbessel (1144–1146; 1146–1150), (modern-day Gündoğan, Oğuzeli, Gaziantep, Turkey).
How large was County of Edessa at its peak?
At its peak in 1132 AD County of Edessa covered about 40,929 km².
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Cusco
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Niani, Kangaba