The Syrian emirs, who had been terrified…
May 1099 CE
The Syrian emirs, who had been terrified of the advancing Crusaders after the capture of Antioch (June 1098) and the destruction of Ma'arrat al-Numan (January 13, 1099), had quickly handed over their cities to the Franks.
On January 14, Sultan ibn Munqidh, emir of Shaizar, had dispatched an embassy to Raymond IV of Toulouse to offer provisions and food for men and horses, as well as guides to Jerusalem.
In February, the emir of Homs, Janah ad-Dawla, who had fought bravely at the siege of Antioch, offers horses to Raymond.
The qadi of Tripoli, Jalal al-Mulk, from the Banu Ammar, has sent rich gifts and invited the Franks to send an embassy to his city.
The ambassadors had marveled at the splendors of the city, and an alliance had been concluded.
The crusades had moved on to Arqa, which they had besieged from February 14 to May 13, before continuing south to Jerusalem; they have not attacked Tripoli or any other possessions of the Banu Ammar.
On May 13, the Crusaders come to Tripoli, where Jalal al-Mulk gives them money and horses.
According to the anonymous chronicle Gesta Francorum, he also vows to convert to Christianity if the Crusaders capture Jerusalem from his Fatimid enemies.