as the work of Baldwin I.

LITERATURE.--The _Historia Hierosolymitana_ of Fulcher, who had accompanied
Baldwin as chaplain to Edessa, and had lived in [v.03 p.0246] Jerusalem
during his reign, is the primary authority for Baldwin's career. There is a
monograph on Baldwin by Wolff (_Koenig Baldwin I. von Jerusalem_), and his
reign is sketched in R. Roehricht's _Geschichte des Koenigreichs Jerusalem_
(Innsbruck, 1898) C. i.-iv.

(E. BR.)

BALDWIN II., count of Edessa (1100-1118), king of Jerusalem (1118-1131),
originally known as Baldwin de Burg, was a son of Count Hugh of Rethel, and
a nephew of Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin I. He appears on the first
crusade at Constantinople as one of Godfrey's men; and he helped Tancred to
occupy Bethlehem in June 1099. After the capture of Jerusalem he served for
a time with Bohemund at Antioch; but when Baldwin of Edessa became king of
Jerusalem, he summoned Baldwin de Burg, and left him as count in Edessa.
From Edessa Baldwin conducted continual forays against the Mahommedan
princes; and in the great foray of 1104, in which he was joined by
Bohemund, he was defeated and captured at Balich. Tancred became guardian
of Edessa during Baldwin's captivity, and did not trouble himself greatly
to procure his release. Baldwin, however, recovered his liberty at the
beginning of 1108, and at once entered upon a struggle with Tancred for the
recovery of Edessa. In September 1108 he regained his principality; but the
struggle with Tancred continued, until it was composed by Baldwin in 1109.
For the next ten years Baldwin ruled his principality with success, if not
without severity. Planted in the farthest Christian outpost in northern
Syria, he had to meet many attacks, especially from Mardin and Mosul, in
revenge for the provocation offered by his own forays and those of the
restless Tancred. In 1110 he was besieged in Edessa, and relieved by
Baldwin I.; in 1114 he repelled an attack by Aksunkur of Mosul; in 1115 he
helped to defeat Aksunkur at Danith. At the same time, if Matthew of Edessa
may be trusted, he also carried his arms against the Armenians, and
plundered in his avarice every Armenian of wealth and position. In 1118 he
was on his way to spend Easter at Jerusalem, when he received the news of
the death of Baldwin I.; and when he arrived at Jerusalem, he was made
king, chiefly by the influence of the patriarch Arnulf. In a reign of
thirteen years, Baldwin II. extended the kingdom