County of Edessa

The County of Edessa was one of the Crusader states in the 12th century, based around Edessa, a city with an ancient history and an early tradition of Christianity.

In the late Byzantine period Edessa became the centre of intellectual life within the Syriac Orthodox Church. As such it also became the centre for the translation of Ancient Greek philosophy into Syriac language, which provided a stepping stone for the subsequent translations into Arabic language. When the Crusades arrived, it was still an important enough to tempt a side-expedition after the Siege of Antioch.

The first Count of Edessa became King of Jerusalem, and subsequent Counts were their cousins. Unlike the other Crusader states, the County was landlocked; it was remote from the other states and was not on particularly good terms with its closest neighbor, the Principality of Antioch. Half of the county, including its capital, was located east of the Euphrates, far to the east, rendering it particularly vulnerable. The west part of the Euphrates was controlled from the stronghold of Turbessel. The eastern border of Edessa was the Tigris River, but the County may not have extended quite that far.

The Siege of Edessa in 1144 was the first major setback for Outremer and provoked the Second Crusade. All the later Crusades, however, were troubled by strategic uncertainties and disagreements. The Second Crusade didn't even try to recover Edessa, calculating it to be strategically better to take Damascus. But the campaign against it failed, so nothing was accomplished and Edessa was lost for the christians. The modern city is Şanlıurfa in Turkey, which retains nothing of its former importance; and the Eastern Orthodox Church community largely disappeared after the Armenian Genocide of World War I.