Waiting for al-Afdal

 Fun Fact:

Najm al-Din Ilghazi Ibn Artuq was a daring general, competent emir, and co-ruler of Jerusalem under the Seljuk Empire of Sultan Malik-Shah, of the Sunni Muslim persuasion. His weakness for wine or fermented mare's milk was matched only by his penchant for cruel violence. Ilghazi and his brother Sokmen became co-rulers of Jerusalem after their father's death. 

Antioch had fallen, and the Fatimids of Egypt, Ismaili Shi'ite Muslims, sent and army with 40 trebuchets under vizier Malik al-Afdal to attack Jerusalem in August of 1098, following the death of Malik-Shah. The barrage of stones brought down a portion of the walls. Ilghazi and Sokmen surrendered, turning over the business of running Jerusalem to al-Afdal, who released them and their supporters. The brothers went to Damascus and al-Afdal went back to Egypt after placing Iftikhar al-Dawla in charge of the holy city.

Meanwhile, the crusaders experienced division and strife after the fall of Antioch as Bohemond claimed that as the first lordly entrant into the city, he should rule it. Although Raymond of Toulouse objected strenuously, Bohemond refused to be swayed; he thus established the second crusader state after that of Baldwin at Edessa.

A reduced and divided army departed Antioch for Jerusalem in November. They marched south, conquering towns, taking tribute from those emirs caught between Seljuq and Fatimid rule, and fighting among themselves. Bohemond returned to Antioch while the rest continued toward the goal, bickering all the way.

On June 7, 1099, the crusaders, some 15,000 strong, about a third of the force that had departed from Constantinople, came within sight of Jerusalem, a city guarded by thick walls, gatehouses, and watchtowers. For the first month of the siege, the defenders waited for al-Afdal to send a relief force. The crusaders constructed heavy equipment.

The crusaders opened the attack on July 14 with three mangonels to drive the defenders from the walls and then brought in the battering ram. After breaking through two walls, they opened the way for a massive siege tower covered in skins and crowned by a gold cross. The tower advanced as the defenders hurled pots of Greek fire. Godrey rode atop the tower and the man next to him received a stone hurled from the city which crushed his skull and neck. 

Frankish flaming arrows sent the defenders for cover long enough for the tower bridge to be lowered to the wall. Godrey and his men stormed across to fight their way down to the city streets, where they opened the gates for the whole army to charge through. Since the Christians had been expelled on the approach of the crusaders, all inside were subject to the sword. However, al-Dawla and his chosen made a deal to preserve themselves, and Raymond of Toulouse ushered them from the city to the Fatimid stronghold at Ascalon.

Jerusalem had fallen to the Franks. Al-Afdal never showed.

The above information was taken from chapter 9 of Dan Jone's Crusaders.

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