ABSTRACT
Towards the end of 1125 Baldwin II led his forces into Damascene territory. William of Tyre relates that he was joined by ‘all the forces of the kingdom’, which indicates how an expedition into nearby Muslim-controlled regions was more popular with the Frankish nobles and knights than campaigning in the north. Baldwin could thus hope to take the offensive into the emirate of Damascus with the aim of making permanent acquisitions of territory. The raid undertaken by the king in late 1125 had seen enthusiastic participation by the nobility, and he could expect a similar response for a more ambitious campaign at the beginning of 1126. The battle fought near the village of Shaqhab on that day was described rather confusingly by Fulcher of Chartres, who seems to have had only a partial picture of events, which is understandable given its chaotic course.
