Baldwin II captured by Belek Ghazi

April 18, 1123

Hunting in northern Syria, the King of Jerusalem and a small escort were ambushed by Turkish horsemen under Belek Ghazi and dragged to captivity at Kharput castle. Baldwin would not be ransomed for over a year, during which his constable Eustace Grenier ran the kingdom in his absence. The capture was the second time a king of Jerusalem had been held prisoner, underscoring the chronic vulnerability of the Latin East.