Spoke 12: The Biblewheel and The 12th Century - Field of Blood

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Field of Blood

The 12th Century was known for their wars/crusades and bloodshed. The battle of Battle of Ager Sanguinis is called after Field of Blood the place where Judas the 12th disciple bought a field and hung himself:

[2 Kings 3:22 KJV]

And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side [as] red as blood:

[2 Kings 3:23 KJV]

And they said, This [is] blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

Judas the 12th disciple's place of suicide:

[Acts 1:18 KJV]

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

[Acts 1:19 KJV]

And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

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Battle of Ager Sanguinis

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Battle of Ager Sanguinis
Part of the Crusades
Battle of Ager-Sanguinis, 1337 miniature
Date 28 June 1119 Location Near Sarmada Result Artuqid victory
Belligerents
Artuqids of Aleppo	Principality of Antioch
Commanders and leaders
Ilghazi	Roger of Salerno †
Strength
20,000[1]	7,000–11,000[1] 700 knights[2] 500 Armenian cavalry[3] 3,000 infantry[4] Turcopoles and auxiliaries[1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Most killed 570 captured, of whom 30 executed[5]

hide v t e Crusader battles in the Levant (1096–1303)

First Crusade Xerigordos Civetot Nicaea 1st Dorylaeum 1st Antioch Lake of Antioch 2nd Antioch Ma'arra Arqa 1st Jerusalem 1st Ascalon Period post First Crusade Arsuf Melitene Mersivan 1st Heraclea 2nd Heraclea 1st Ramla 2nd Ramla 1st Tripoli Harran 3rd Ramla Artah Sidon 1st Shaizar Al-Sannabra Sarmin Ager Sanguinis Hab Jaffa and Tyre Yibneh Aleppo Azaz Marj al-Saffar Ba'rin 2nd Shaizar Edessa 1144 Edessa 1146 Bosra Second Crusade 2nd Dorylaeum Ephesus Meander Valley Mount Cadmus Damascus Period post Second Crusade Inab Aintab 2nd Ascalon Lake Huleh al-Buqaia Harim 1st Bilbeis al-Babein 2nd Bilbeis 1st Damietta Montgisard Marj Ayyun Jacob's Ford Red Sea Belvoir Castle Al-Fule Kerak Cresson Hattin 2nd Jerusalem Tyre Safed Third Crusade 1st Acre Philomelion Iconium 1st Arsuf Jaffa Crusade of 1197 Fifth Crusade 2nd Damietta 3rd Jerusalem Period post Sixth Crusade 4th Jerusalem La Forbie Seventh Crusade 3rd Damietta Mansurah Fariskur End of the Crusader states in the Levant 2nd Arsuf Caesarea Haifa Safed 2nd Antioch Eighth Crusade Krak des Chevaliers 2nd Tripoli Ninth Crusade 3rd Tripoli 2nd Acre Ruad

In the Battle of Ager Sanguinis, also known as the Battle of the Field of Blood, the Battle of Sarmada, or the Battle of Balat, Roger of Salerno's Crusader army of the Principality of Antioch was annihilated by the army of Ilghazi of Mardin, the Artuqid ruler of Aleppo on June 28, 1119.

Contents

Background[edit]

Antioch and the other Crusader States were constantly at war with the Muslim states of Northern Syria and the Jazeerah, principally Aleppo and Mosul. When Ridwan of Aleppo died in 1113, there was a period of peace, at least for a few years. However, Roger of Salerno, who was ruling Antioch as regent for Bohemond II, did not take advantage of Ridwan's death; likewise, Baldwin II, count of Edessa, and Pons, count of Tripoli, looked after their own interests and did not ally with Roger against Aleppo. In 1115, Roger defeated a Seljuk Turkish invasion force led by Bursuq ibn Bursuq at the Battle of Sarmin.

In 1117 Aleppo came under the rule of the Artuqid atabeg Ilghazi.^[6] In 1118 Roger captured Azaz, which left Aleppo open to attack from the Crusaders; in response, Ilghazi invaded the Principality in 1119.^[2] Roger marched out from Artah with Bernard of Valence, the Latin Patriarch of Antioch.^[2] Bernard suggested they remain there, as Artah was a well-defended fortress only a short distance away from Antioch, and Ilghazi would not be able to pass if they were stationed there. The Patriarch also advised Roger to call for help from Baldwin, now king of Jerusalem, and Pons, but Roger felt he could not wait for them to arrive.

Roger camped in the pass of Sarmada, while Ilghazi besieged the fort of al-Atharib.^[5] A force under Robert of Vieux-Pont set out to break the siege, and Ilghazi feigned a retreat, Robert's men were drawn out from the fort and ambushed.^[5]

The battle[edit]

Ilghazi was also waiting for reinforcements from Toghtekin, the Burid emir of Damascus, but he too was tired of waiting.^[5] Using little-used paths, his army quickly surrounded Roger's camp during the night of June 27.^[5] The prince had recklessly chosen a campsite in a wooded valley with steep sides and few avenues of escape.^[5] Roger's army of 700 knights, 500 Armenian cavalry and 3,000 foot soldiers, including turcopoles, hastily formed into five divisions.^[7] These drew up in a V-shaped line with the tip farthest from the Muslim battle array. From left to right, the divisions were commanded by Robert of St. Lo, Prince Roger, Guy de Frenelle, Geoffrey the Monk and Peter. Meanwhile, Roger told off a sixth division under Renaud Mansoer to protect the Antiochene rear.^[8]

As the Muslim army waited, the qadi Abu al-Fadl ibn al-Khashshab, wearing his lawyer's turban but brandishing a lance, rode out in front of the troopers. At first they were incredulous at being harangued by a scholar but at the end of his passionate evocation of the duties and merits of the jihad warrior, according to Kamal ad-Din, the contemporary historian of Aleppo, these hardened professionals wept with emotion and rode into battle.

That morning, June 28, the battle was begun by an archery duel between the Antiochene infantry, posted in front of the knights, and the Turkish bowmen. The crusader army was at first successful when the right-hand divisions of Peter and Geoffrey the Monk attacked and defeated the Artuqids opposed to them. Guy de Frenelle's center division had some success also, but the battle was soon decided on the left flank.^[9] Robert of St. Lo and the Turcopoles were driven back into Roger's division, disrupting it. A north wind blew dust in the faces of the Antioch knights and footmen, confusing them further.^[5] Soon, Artuqid flanking forces enveloped the crusaders.^[5]

During the fighting, Roger was killed by a sword in the face at the foot of the great jewelled cross which had served as his standard.^[5] The rest of the army was killed or captured; only two knights survived. Renaud Mansoer took refuge in the fort of Sarmada to wait for King Baldwin, but was later taken captive by Ilghazi. Among the other prisoners was likely Walter the Chancellor, who later wrote an account of the battle. The massacre led to the name of the battle, ager sanguinis, Latin for "the field of blood."

Name "ager sanguinis"[edit]

The description ager sanguinis is possibly a Biblical reference to the field purchased by Judas with the money he had been given to betray Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles records that Judas killed himself in the field, and it was thus known as acheldemach^{[dubious – discuss]} in Aramaic, and ager sanguinis in the Vulgate.^{[citation needed]}

Casualties[edit]

The Turks captured 70 knights and 500 soldiers of inferior rank. The high-ranking prisoners were ransomed and 30 men^{[dubious – discuss]} who could not pay their way out were executed.^[5]

Aftermath[edit]

The battle proved that the Muslims could defeat a Crusader army without the help of the Seljuks.^{[dubious – discuss]} However, Ilghazi soon went on an alcoholic binge^[10] and did not advance to Antioch, where Patriarch Bernard was organizing whatever defense he could. Even so, because of the loss of the Antiochene field army, Atharib, Zerdana, Sarmin, Ma'arrat al-Numan and Kafr Tab rapidly fell into Muslim hands.^[10]

Ilghazi was defeated by Baldwin II of Jerusalem and Count Pons at the Battle of Hab on August 14, and Baldwin took over the regency of Antioch.^[11] Subsequently, Baldwin recovered some of the lost towns.^[12] Even so, the defeat at the Field of Blood left Antioch severely weakened, and subject to repeated attacks by the Muslims in the following decade. Eventually, the Principality came under the influence of a resurgent Byzantine Empire.

The Crusaders regained some of their influence in Syria at the Battle of Azaz six years later in 1125.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ager_Sanguinis

Comparing 2Kings the 12th Book   with the 12th Century

2Kings 3 - Listen 1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. 4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool. 5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel. 7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I [am] as thou [art], my people as thy people, [and] my horses as thy horses. 8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom. 9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab! 11 But Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here [is] Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah. 12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 14 And Elisha said, [As] the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. 15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. 17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 18 And this is [but] a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. 19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. 20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border. 22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side [as] red as blood: 23 And they said, This [is] blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. 24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in [their] country. 25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about [it], and smote it. 26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through [even] unto the king of Edom: but they could not. 27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him [for] a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to [their own] land.