Maraclea

For the snout moth genus, see Lamoria.

Maraclea, also known as Khrab Marqiya or Maraqîya, was a small coastal Crusader town and a castle in the Levant, between Tortosa and Baniyas (Buluniyas).^[1] During the middle of the 13th century, the possession of the castle was a matter of dispute between the Principality of Antioch and the Hospitallers. In 1271, the city of Maraclea was destroyed by the Mamluks.^[2]. Its Lord, one of the vassals of Bohemond VI, named Barthélémy de Maraclée, is recorded as having fled from the Mamluk offensive, taking refuge in Persia at the Mongol Court of Abagha, where he exhorted the Mongols to intervene in the Holy Land.^[3][4]

In 1285, Qalawun blackmailed Bohemond VII into destroying the last fortifications of the area, where Barthélémy was entrenched, a square tower which had been erected some distance from the shore. Qalawun said he would besiege Tripoli if the Maraclea fort was not dismantled.

Notes

1. ^ Runciman, p. 334
2. ^ Grousset, p.693
3. ^ Grousset, p.650
4. ^ Runciman, p334

References

• History of the Crusades III, Runciman.