Who founded the County of Edessa in 1098?

Baldwin of Boulogne founded the County of Edessa in 1098.

During the First Crusade, Baldwin of Boulogne separated from the main army, which was moving toward Antioch and Jerusalem, and travelled east toward Edessa. There he formed an alliance with Thoros, the city’s Armenian Christian ruler. Thoros adopted Baldwin as his son and heir, and Baldwin married Thoros’s daughter, Arda of Armenia.

In March 1098, Thoros was removed from power and Baldwin succeeded him. Medieval accounts disagree about whether Thoros was assassinated or abdicated, and they also leave uncertainty about Baldwin’s precise role. Baldwin then established the first Crusader state, taking the title of count. The new county became a frontier polity centred on Edessa and extending toward the Euphrates.

Baldwin’s rule in Edessa was brief. In 1100, after his brother Godfrey of Bouillon died, Baldwin became king of Jerusalem. His cousin Baldwin of Bourcq—later Baldwin II of Jerusalem—succeeded him as count of Edessa. Godfrey, Raymond, and Bohemond were important First Crusade leaders, but they did not found this county.