Baldwin III of Jerusalem vs Jani Beg

Baldwin III was crowned King of Jerusalem at age 13, but his mother Melisende served as regent. This arrangement led to a power struggle that culminated in Baldwin asserting his independence in 1152.

Baldwin III led a campaign to capture the Fatimid fortress of Ascalon, the last major Muslim stronghold on the Palestinian coast. After a five-month siege, the city fell, securing the southern border of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and opening trade routes.

Baldwin III married Theodora Komnene, a niece of Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. This alliance strengthened ties between Jerusalem and the Byzantine Empire, securing Byzantine support for crusader campaigns.

Baldwin III died at age 33, possibly from malaria or poisoning. His death without a direct heir led to the succession of his brother Amalric I, and marked the end of a period of relative stability for the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Jani Beg besieged the Genoese trading colony of Caffa in Crimea. During the siege, the Mongol army reportedly catapulted plague-infected corpses into the city, contributing to the spread of the Black Death to Europe. The siege was eventually lifted.

Jani Beg continued the Golden Horde's conflict with the Ilkhanate, launching campaigns into the Caucasus. The war weakened both states and contributed to the decline of the Ilkhanate, but also drained the Golden Horde's resources.

Jani Beg led the Golden Horde army in the conquest of Tabriz, the capital of the Chobanid dynasty in Persia. The city was sacked, and the Golden Horde reached its greatest territorial extent, controlling the Caucasus and parts of Persia.