Welcome to a history of Europe Key Battles, the Battle of Hatene, Part 3, of 4

Last week I described the story of the Second Crusade,

when the kings of France and Germany led an expedition

to revive the fortune of the Crusader states.

The campaign, however, was a fiasco and failed to make

any gains. If anything, the position of the most powerful ruler in the region, Nour al-Din

had been strengthened. In the years that followed, the scattered remains of the county of Odessa were separately absorbed by Nur al-Din and local Turkish warlords.

Count Jocelyn II of Odessa tried to buy a measure of security by agreeing a submissive truce with Aleppo.

But when the count was captured in 1150,

Nur al-Din paid little notice of Dusserlind's supposed status as a client ally,

and threw him in prison, where he lingered until his death nine years later.

The loss of Odessa prompted a stream of Frankish and Eastern Christian refugees to flee to Antioch and Jerusalem.

The Crusader States has lost the impetus of their first few years.

They are now exhausted, militarily and financially.

Their warlike zeal of before, replaced by a cautious determination

to survive. In the summer of 1149, Neur Aladdin, taking advantage of a reproschement

with a rival in Damascus, launched an offensive against Antioch.

With a formidable invasion army spearheaded by 6,000 mounted warriors,

he advanced into the Christian county and laid siege to the small fort of Inab.

When this news reached Antioch, Prince Raymond reacted swiftly, compelling Nour al-Din to retreat.

Believing the area secured, Roman set up camp on the open plain. A fatal error.

No Aradin had moved off only a short distance, and under cover of darkness

...