Crusader Invasion of Damascus (1129)

In October 1129, the Frankish expedition lifted the siege of Damascus in pouring rain. The convoy retreats through the Raphanie gorges when the Burid horsemen emerge from the rearguard. The banners of Tripoli are toppled, the columns break and the retreat turns into flight: only a few groups led by Fulk of Anjou and Baldwin II reach the Galilee. Identity: Damascus Crusade 1129 (Baldwin II), not Rafaniyya 1133 (English Wikipedia).

Baudouin II brought together overseas barons, Templars, knights from Champagne and Angevins to impose a protectorate on Damascus and secure the road to Bostra. But the siege encountered fierce resistance from the Damascene militias; the autumn rains soak the camp, food is lacking and the Bedouin alliances of the Franks disintegrate. The retirement decision is made in haste, without an effective coverage plan. Identity: Damascus Crusade 1129 (Baldwin II), not Rafaniyya 1133 (English Wikipedia).

The campaign yielded a single conquest, the capture of Banyas. The crusader army camped some six miles from Damascus, at Dārayyā. A foraging expedition led by William of Bures was crushed at Burāq, in the Marj al-Ṣuffar. A storm and fog prevented the planned attack on the city, then the rains made the road impassable: withdrawal was decided on 5 December, the baggage abandoned, and the rearguard harassed without the retreat ever losing its order.

The rout of Raphanie ruined Latin ambitions: Damascus strengthened its tribal alliances, consolidated its walls and shortly after came under the direct influence of Nur ad-Din. The Frankish barons, ruined by the losses of horses and equipment, renounced for years any offensive towards the Orontes. Despite this failure, Fulk married Mélisende and acceded to the throne in 1131, inheriting a weakened kingdom. Identity: Damascus Crusade 1129 (Baldwin II), not Rafaniyya 1133 (English Wikipedia).