Ha l lar Kar s nda Dani mendliler/// Danishmends Against the Crusaders

Danishmends, which was one of the oldest Turkish states founded in Anatolia, ruled of vast lands from the Black Sea coast in the north to Syria in the south. They struggled against the forces in Anatolia as well as carrying out campaigns against the first two Crusades and the European Christians, who were trying to move down to Syria through Anatolia. They played a very important role in the diminishment of the Crusaders during the First and the Second Crusades with the support they gave to the Seljuks. They fought successfully against the Crusader states that ruled Edessa (Urfa), Antioch (Antakya) and the lands in between.