Jalal al-Mulk Abu'l-Hasan

Jalal al-Mulk Abu'l-Hasan (Arabic: جلال الملك أبو الحسن بن عمارة‎) was the Emir of Tripoli during the First Crusade.

Abu'l-Hasan descended from the house of the Banu Ammar, which was known more for its learning than its warfare. Abu'l-Hasan was able to maintain his Emirate's independence, following the incursions of the Fatimids and the Seljuk Turks into the Levant, by playing neighboring powers off of each other.^[1] Under Abu'l-Hasan's reign, the First Crusade came to the Levant. Following the Siege of Antioch, the Crusaders began to make their way down to Jerusalem in early 1099. Soon, the party of Raymond IV approached Tripoli. Fearing the advancing Crusaders, he attempted to strike an alliance with them.

However, due to the prosperity of Tripoli and the surrounding countryside, Raymond wished to make Tripoli his subject rather than his ally. He soon began the Siege of Arqa, while encouraging Raymond of Pilet and Raymond, Viscount of Turenne to capture Tortosa, a subject of Abu'l-Hasan's, as well, which they did. The Siege of Arqa, which lasted from 14 February to 13 May 1099, was a failure, and Raymond was eventually persuaded to leave the city in the hands of Tripoli.^[2] As the Crusaders approached Abu'l-Hasan's capital, he attempted to buy his immunity. He offered 300 Christian captives, compensating them with 15,000 bezants and 15 horses. The Crusaders left Tripoli untouched on 16 May. Abu'l-Hasan did not live to see the Siege of Tripoli, passing his Emirate on to his successor, Fakhr al-Mulk.^[3]

References

Sources

• Runciman, Steven (1951). A History of the Crusades I: The First Crusade. Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-141-98550-3.