Battle of Sarmin

Battle of Sarmin
Part of the Crusades
Date September 14, 1115 Location Sarmin, modern Syria Result Crusader victory
Belligerents
Principality of Antioch County of Edessa	Seljuk Turks
Commanders and leaders
Prince Roger of Salerno Baldwin, Count of Edessa	Bursuq bin Bursuq of Hamadan
Strength
10,700	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown, probably light	Unknown, probably heavy

Coordinates: 35°54′N 36°43′E / 35.90°N 36.72°E / 35.90; 36.72

In the Battle of Sarmin (or Battle of Tell Danith) on September 14, 1115, Prince Roger of Salerno's Crusader army surprised and routed the Seljuk Turkish army of Bursuq bin Bursuq of Hamadan.

In November 1114, a severe earthquake struck the Principality of Antioch, damaging many of its castles. The following spring, while supervising the repair of his strongholds, Prince Roger heard rumors of a Turkish invasion. Since 1111, the Seljuk Sultan of Baghdad had directed a series of attacks on Antioch and the County of Edessa, which were both established in 1098 by Frankish crusading lords and their followers. In 1115, the Sultan sent Bursuq against Antioch. Jealous that their authority would be diminished if the Sultan's forces proved victorious, several Syrian Muslim princes allied themselves with the Latins.

Roger sent spies to observe his enemy's movements, gathered provisions for his army and put his principality into a state of defense. His 2,000-man army, which included both knights and infantry, assembled 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Antioch at Jisr al-Hadid, a bridge over the Orontes River. He then advanced to Atharib, about c. 60 km (37 mi) east of Antioch and c. 35 km (22 mi) west of Aleppo. Here Roger came to an agreement with his Muslim allies, Toghtekin of Damascus, Ilghazi of Mardin and Lulu of Aleppo. Subsequently, both Christians and Muslims were embarrassed by this pact.

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