Page:Outlines of European History.djvu/551

 The Cnisades 467 died and was succeeded by his brother Baldwin, who left Edessa in HOC to take up the task of extending the bounds of the kingdom of Jerusalem. It will be observed that the " Franks," as the Mohammedans Founding called all the western folk, had established the centers of four domfinSy"rfa principalities. These were Edessa, Antioch, the region about Tripoli conquered by Raymond, and the kingdom of Jerusalem. The last was speedily increased by Baldwin ; with the help of the mariners from Venice and Genoa, he succeeded in getting possession of Acre, Sidon, and a number of other less impor- tant coast towns. The news of these Christian victories quickly reached the West, and in 1 1 o i tens of thousands of new crusaders started eastward. Most of them were lost or dispersed in passing through Asia Minor, and few reached their destination. The original conquerors were consequently left to hold the land against the Saracens and to organize their conquests as best they could. This was a very difficult task — too difficult to accomplish under the circumstances. The permanent hold of the Franks upon the eastern bor- ders of the Mediterranean depended upon the strength of the colonies which their various princes were able to establish. It is impossible to learn how many pilgrims from the West made their permanent homes in the new Latin principalities. Cer- tainly the greater part of those who visited Palestine returned home after fulfilling the vow they had made — to kneel at the Holy Sepulcher. Still the princes could rely upon a certain number of soldiers who would be willing to stay and fight the Mohammedans. The Turks, moreover, were so busy fighting one another that they showed less energy than might have been expected in attempting to drive the Franks from the narrow strip of terri- tory — some five hundred miles long and fifty wide — which they had conquered. The map on the opposite page shows the extent and situation of the crusaders' states,