Ruler of Mosul, Aleppo, founder of the Zengid dynasty
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When did he rise to power?
1120s, earned support from the Seljuk Sultan of Baghdad
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What had happened by 1127?
He had been appointed Atabeg of Mosul
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What had happened by 1128?
He had seized control of Aleppo
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What was his reputation?
Fearless and ruthless warrior. Generals who displeased him were exiled and their sons castrated. If soldiers deserted, two of their neighbours were cut in half. He once allowed his wife to be gang-*****.
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Where was his power base?
Iraq, but he wanted to expand into southern Syria.
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What prompted him to attack Edessa?
He heard of a pact between Jocelyn II, ruler of Edessa, and one of Zengi’s rival Iraqi warlords.
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When did Zengi capture Aleppo?
Christmas Eve, 1144
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What siege tactics did he use?
Set fire to the wooden props his men had put under the towers defending the city.
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Who was slaughtered?
Frankish Christian’s. Churches were also destroyed
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Why was the capture of Edessa significant?
It was the first major Latin Crusader Kingdom to fall, and filled the Franks of the Near
East with dread that the other states would fall as well.
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What did this prompt?
The call for the Second Crusade in 1145
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What was significant about Zengi?
He was the first Muslim to operate from more than one power base, i.e. Mosul (Iraq) and Aleppo (Syria) and was the first effective ruler to use the jihad to motivate his followers.
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Who did Zengi surround himself with?
Poets and scholars, he became the focus of holy war ideology and recruitment.
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Card 2
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Who was he?
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Ruler of Mosul, Aleppo, founder of the Zengid dynasty
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