Outremer
Baldwin Expands the Kingdom
The amazing victories of 1101 and 1102 did not entirely remove the threat of Egypt—Jerusalem was never that strong—but it proved that neither would Egypt be able to wipe out the new kingdom. Baldwin now was able to extend his holdings significantly.
Acre was the first objective. Baldwin laid siege to it in 1103 and the city was on the point of surrendering when it was saved by an Egyptian fleet. In May 1104, sea power once again was pivotal, but this time it was a Genoese fleet that proved the difference and Acre fell to the Christians. Antioch was the great wealthy city of the north; in Palestine, it was Acre. Its capture brought great wealth to the Kingdom of Jerusalem and gave it finally a secure harbor for the Italian trading fleets.
The Egyptians made one more attempt to conquer Palestine in 1105. The Third Battle of Ramleh, on August 27, was the hardest fought of the three. It lasted most of the day, and the Egyptians for once did not fold under the initial Frankish charge. But in the end, Baldwin prevailed and the Egyptians retreated with heavy losses. The Franks likewise suffered many casualties and were able to loot the camp but not to pursue the enemy beyond the battlefield. Thereafter, the Egyptians mounted almost annual raids, some of which actually reached the walls of Jerusalem, but none were full-scale invasions and every one of them was driven back again.
Almost every year brought large groups of armed pilgrims to the Holy Land. Baldwin was able to use them to good effect, supplementing his army during the summer campaigns, and using his increased numbers to frighten various Muslim cities into paying tribute money. He captured Beirut in 1107 and Sidon in 1108. Providing important help on the latter occasion was King Sigurd of Norway, the first crowned head of Europe to visit Outremer.
In 1110, he helped Bertrand of Toulouse capture Tripoli, creating the fourth Crusader state. But the following year, he was again unable to take Tyre. The pace of his conquests slowed after that. He campaigned some in the north, mainly in support of Antioch. He built one of the great Crusader castles in 1115, the Kerak de Montreal, in the Negev desert.
In the meantime, Baldwin found time to marry. His first wife had died on the First Crusade in Armenia, along with their children. His second wife was an Armenian princess, married while Baldwin was at Edessa. The two did not get along and had no children. In 1112, Baldwin began negotiations with Adelaide of Sicily, the dowager-queen. She was very rich and was agreeable to the match, for being the Queen of Jerusalem certainly was attractive. The two were married in 1113. Baldwin put aside his Armenian princess on grounds of adultery. They were never formally divorced; the papacy protested a bit, but did nothing. Not many people challenged the king.