High Middle Ages · Middle East · War
1124
Balak's Crusader prisoners escape Kharput
1124
In a swashbuckling episode recorded by Fulcher of Chartres, the Crusader captives at Kharput - including Baldwin II himself - overpowered their guards, seized the castle, and held it briefly. Belek Ghazi retook it within days; most of the prisoners were recaptured or killed in the scramble. Baldwin survived and was eventually ransomed, returning to Jerusalem with a reputation for endurance that cemented his authority among the Frankish barons.