King of Jerusalem

Ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the Middle Ages

King of Jerusalem
Royal coat of arms
(1280s)
Details
First monarchGodfrey of Bouillon
Last monarchHenry II
Formation1099
Abolition1291
ResidenceDavid's Tower
AppointerHereditary
Election
Pretender(s)Claimants
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    Before Common Era
    • 701 BCE
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    The king or queen of Jerusalem was the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a Crusader state founded in Jerusalem by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade, when the city was conquered in 1099. Most of them were men, but there were also five queens regnant of Jerusalem, either reigning alone suo jure ("in her own right"), or as co-rulers of husbands who reigned as kings of Jerusalem jure uxoris ("by right of his wife").

    Godfrey of Bouillon, the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, refused the title of king choosing instead the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, that is Advocate or Defender of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In 1100 Baldwin I, Godfrey's successor, was the first ruler crowned as king. The crusaders in Jerusalem were conquered in 1187, but their Kingdom of Jerusalem survived, moving the capital to Acre in 1191. Crusaders re-captured the city of Jerusalem in the Sixth Crusade, during 1229–1239 and 1241–1244.

    The Kingdom of Jerusalem was finally dissolved with the fall of Acre and the end of the Crusades in the Holy Land in 1291.

    Even after the Crusader States ceased to exist, the title of "King of Jerusalem" was claimed by a number of European noble houses descended from the kings of Cyprus or the kings of Naples, and is claimed by the current king of Spain.

    Kings of Jerusalem (1099–1291)

    Silver coin: 10 Paoli Francesco III of Tuscany, 1747. On the front of the coin is the Latin phrase: "FRANCISCVS·D·G·R·I·S·A·G·H·REX·LOT·BAR·M·D·ETR" (François I, By the Grace of God, Emperor of the Romans, Always Augustus, King of Germany and Jerusalem, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, Grand Duke of Tuscany)

    The Kingdom of Jerusalem had its origins in the First Crusade, when proposals to govern the city as an ecclesiastical state were rejected. In 1099 Godfrey of Bouillon was elected as the first Latin ruler of Jerusalem and was inaugurated in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He took the title of prince and Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, meaning Advocate of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was probably in response to the opinion that only Christ could wear a crown in Jerusalem.[1] Advocatus was a title with which Godfrey was already familiar as the term was much used in the lands where the Crusaders originated; it referred to a layman who protected and administered Church estates.[2][3] The following year, Godfrey died. His brother Baldwin I was the first to use the title of king and the first to be crowned king in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem itself.

    The kingship of Jerusalem was partially elective and partially hereditary. During the height of the kingdom in the mid-12th century there was a royal family and a relatively clear line of succession. Nevertheless, the king was elected, or at least recognized, by the Haute Cour. Here the king was considered a primus inter pares (first among equals), and in his absence his duties were performed by his seneschal.

    The purpose-built royal palace used from the 1160s onwards was located south of Jerusalem's citadel.[4] The Kingdom of Jerusalem introduced French feudal structures to the Levant. The king personally held several fiefs incorporated into the royal domain, that varied from king to king. He was also responsible for leading the kingdom into battle, although this duty could be passed to a constable.

    While several contemporary European states were moving towards centralized monarchies, the king of Jerusalem was continually losing power to the strongest of his barons. This was partially due to the young age of many of the kings, and the frequency of regents from the ranks of the nobles.

    After the fall of Jerusalem in 1187, the capital of the kingdom was moved to Acre, where it remained until 1291, although coronations took place in Tyre.

    In this period the kingship was often simply a nominal position, held by a European ruler who never actually lived in Acre. When young Conrad III was king and living in Southern Germany, his father's second cousin, Hugh of Brienne, claimed the regency of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and, indirectly, his place in the succession. The claim was made in 1264 as senior descendant and rightful heir of Alice of Champagne, second daughter of Queen Isabella I, Hugh being the son of their eldest daughter. But was passed over by the Haute Cour in favour of his cousin, Hugh of Antioch, the future Hugh III of Cyprus and Hugh I of Jerusalem.

    After Conrad III's execution by Charles I of Sicily in 1268, the kingship was held by the Lusignan family, who were simultaneously kings of Cyprus. However, Charles I of Sicily purchased the rights of one of the heirs of the kingdom in 1277.

    In that year, he sent Roger of Sanseverino to the East as his bailiff. Roger captured Acre and obtained a forced homage from the barons. Roger was recalled in 1282 due to the Sicilian Vespers and left Odo Poilechien in his place to rule. His resources and authority was minimal, and he was ejected by Henry II of Cyprus when he arrived from Cyprus for his coronation as King of Jerusalem.

    Acre was captured by the Mamluks in 1291, eliminating the crusader presence on the mainland.

    House of Boulogne (1099–1118)

    Monarch Image Birth Marriages Death
    Godfrey
    1099–1100
    c. 1060
    Flanders
    son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne and Ida of Lorraine
    never married 18 July 1100
    Jerusalem
    aged about 40
    Baldwin I
    1100–1118
    c. 1058
    Lorraine, France
    son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne and Ida of Lorraine
    Godehilde de Toeni
    no children

    Arda of Armenia
    1097
    no children

    Adelaide del Vasto
    1112
    no children
    2 April 1118
    Arish, Egypt
    aged about 60

    House of Rethel (1118–1153)

    Monarch Image Birth Marriages Death
    Baldwin II
    1118–1131
    1075
    France
    son of Hugh I, Count of Rethel and Melisende of Montlhéry
    Morphia of Melitene
    1101
    four daughters
    21 August 1131
    Jerusalem
    Melisende
    1131–1153
    with Fulk until 1143
    with Baldwin III from 1143
    1105
    Jerusalem
    daughter of King Baldwin II and Morphia of Melitene
    Fulk V, Count of Anjou
    2 June 1129
    2 sons
    11 September 1161
    Jerusalem
    aged 56

    House of Anjou (1153–1205)

    In 1127 Fulk V, Count of Anjou, received an embassy from King Baldwin II of Jerusalem. Baldwin II had no male heirs but had already designated his daughter Melisende to succeed him. Baldwin II wanted to safeguard his daughter's inheritance by marrying her to a powerful lord. Fulk was a wealthy crusader and experienced military commander, and a widower. His experience in the field would prove invaluable in a frontier state always in the grip of war.

    However, Fulk held out for better terms than mere consort of the Queen; he wanted to be king alongside Melisende. Baldwin II, reflecting on Fulk's fortune and military exploits, acquiesced. Fulk then resigned his titles to his son Geoffrey and sailed to become King of Jerusalem, where he married Melisende on 2 June 1129. Later Baldwin II bolstered Melisende's position in the kingdom by making her sole guardian of her son by Fulk, Baldwin III, born in 1130.

    Fulk and Melisende became joint rulers of Jerusalem in 1131 with Baldwin II's death. From the start Fulk assumed sole control of the government, excluding Melisende altogether. He favored fellow countrymen from Anjou to the native nobility. The other crusader states to the north feared that Fulk would attempt to impose the suzerainty of Jerusalem over them, as Baldwin II had done; but as Fulk was far less powerful than his deceased father-in-law, the northern states rejected his authority.

    The death of Fulk, as depicted in MS of William of Tyre's Historia and Old French Continuation, painted in Acre, 13C. Bib. Nat. Française.

    In Jerusalem as well, Fulk was resented by the second generation of Jerusalem Christians who had grown up there since the First Crusade. These "natives" focused on Melisende's cousin, the popular Hugh II of Le Puiset, count of Jaffa, who was devotedly loyal to the Queen. Fulk saw Hugh as a rival, and in 1134, in order to expose Hugh, accused him of infidelity with Melisende. Hugh rebelled in protest and secured himself to Jaffa, allying himself with the Muslims of Ascalon. He was able to defeat the army set against him by Fulk, but this situation could not hold. The Patriarch interceded in the conflict, perhaps at the behest of Melisende. Fulk agreed to peace and Hugh was exiled from the kingdom for three years, a lenient sentence.

    However, an assassination attempt was made against Hugh. Fulk, or his supporters, were commonly believed responsible, though direct proof never surfaced. The scandal was all that was needed for the queen's party to take over the government in what amounted to a palace coup. Author and historian Bernard Hamilton wrote that the Fulk's supporters "went in terror of their lives" in the palace. Contemporary author and historian William of Tyre wrote of Fulk "he never attempted to take the initiative, even in trivial matters, without (Melisende's) consent". The result was that Melisende held direct and unquestioned control over the government from 1136 onwards. Sometime before 1136 Fulk reconciled with his wife, and a second son, Amalric, was born.

    In 1143, while the king and queen were on holiday in Acre, Fulk was killed in a hunting accident. His horse stumbled, fell, and Fulk's skull was crushed by the saddle, "and his brains gushed forth from both ears and nostrils", as William of Tyre describes. He was carried back to Acre, where he lay unconscious for three days before he died. He was buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Though their marriage started in conflict, Melisende mourned for him privately as well as publicly. Fulk was survived by his son Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou by his first wife, and Baldwin III and Amalric I by Melisende.

    Baldwin III ascended the throne with his mother as co-ruler, in 1143. His early reign was laced with squabbles with his mother over the possession of Jerusalem, till 1153, when he took personal hold of the government. He died in 1163, without heirs, and the kingdom passed to his brother, Amalric I, although there was some opposition among the nobility to Amalric's wife Agnes; they were willing to accept the marriage in 1157 when Baldwin III was still capable of siring an heir, but now the Haute Cour refused to endorse Amalric as king unless his marriage to Agnes was annulled. The hostility to Agnes, it must be admitted, may be exaggerated by the chronicler William of Tyre, whom she prevented from becoming Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem decades later, as well as from William's continuators like Ernoul, who hints at a slight on her moral character: "car telle n'est que roine doie iestre di si haute cite comme de Jherusalem" ("there should not be such a queen for so holy a city as Jerusalem").

    Nevertheless, consanguinity was enough for the opposition. Amalric agreed and ascended the throne without a wife, although Agnes continued to hold the title Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon and received a pension from that fief's income. The church ruled that Agnes's children were legitimate and preserved their place in the order of succession. Through them Agnes would exert much influence in Jerusalem for almost 20 years. Almaric was succeeded by his son by Agnes, Baldwin IV.

    The marriage of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Maria Comnena at Tyre

    Almaric's first wife Agnes of Courtenay was now married to Reginald of Sidon;Maria Comnena, the dowager Queen, had married Balian of Ibelin in 1177. His daughter by Agnes, Sibylla, was already of age, the mother of a son, and was clearly in a strong position to succeed her brother, but Maria's daughter Isabella had the support of her stepfather's family, the Ibelins.

    In 1179, Baldwin began planning to marry Sibylla to Hugh III of Burgundy, but by spring 1180 this was still unresolved. Raymond III of Tripoli attempted a coup, and began to march on Jerusalem with Bohemund III, to force the king to marry his sister to a local candidate of his own choosing, probably Baldwin of Ibelin, Balian's older brother. To counter this, the king hastily arranged her marriage to Guy of Lusignan, younger brother of Amalric, the constable of the kingdom. A foreign match was essential to bring the possibility of external military aid to the kingdom. With the new French king Philip II a minor, Guy's status as a vassal of the King and Sibylla's first cousin Henry II of England – who owed the Pope a penitential pilgrimage – was useful.

    By 1182, Baldwin IV, increasingly incapacitated by his leprosy, named Guy as bailli. Raymond contested this, but when Guy fell out of favour with Baldwin the following year, he was re-appointed bailli and was given possession of Beirut. Baldwin came to an agreement with Raymond and the Haute Cour to make Baldwin of Montferrat, Sibylla's son by her first marriage, his heir, before Sibylla and Guy. The child was crowned co-king as Baldwin V in 1183 in a ceremony presided by Raymond. It was agreed that, should the boy die during his minority, the regency would pass to "the most rightful heirs" until his kinsmen – the Kings of England and France and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor – and the Pope were able to adjudicate between the claims of Sibylla and Isabella. These "most rightful heirs" were not named.

    Baldwin IV died in spring 1185, and was succeeded by his nephew. Raymond was bailli, but he had passed Baldwin V's personal guardianship to Joscelin III of Edessa, his maternal great-uncle, claiming that he did not wish to attract suspicion if the child, who does not seem to have been robust, were to die. Baldwin V died during the summer of 1186, at Acre. Neither side paid any heed to Baldwin IV's will.

    After the funeral, Joscelin had Sibylla named as her brother's successor, although she had to agree to divorce Guy, just as her father had divorced her mother, with the guarantee that she would be allowed to choose a new consort. Once crowned, she immediately crowned Guy. Meanwhile, Raymond had gone to Nablus, home of Balian and Maria, and summoned all those nobles loyal to Princess Isabella and the Ibelins. Raymond wanted instead to have her and her husband Humphrey IV of Toron crowned. However, Humphrey, whose stepfather Raynald of Châtillon was an ally of Guy, deserted him and swore allegiance to Guy and Sibylla.

    Monarch Image Birth Marriages Death Notes
    Fulk
    1131–1143
    with Melisende
    1089/1092
    Angers, France
    son of Fulk IV, Count of Anjou and Bertrade de Montfort
    Ermengarde of Maine
    1109
    4 children

    Melisende of Jerusalem
    2 June 1129
    2 sons
    13 November 1143
    Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    aged about 52
    Baldwin III
    1143–1163
    with Melisende until 1153[5]
    1130
    son of King Fulk and Queen Melisende
    Theodora Komnene
    1158
    no children
    10 February 1163
    Beirut, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    aged 33
    Crowned co-king with his mother Melisende on Christmas Day 1143 shortly after the death of his father Fulk. Just 13 year old when he ascended to the throne, he immediately had to deal with the loss of Edessa in 1144 and the Second Crusade through 1149. He engaged his mother in a civil war from 1152 to 1154, with the two eventually reconciling.[6] He was responsible for the military first success after the Second Crusade, the siege of Ascalon of 1153, resulting in the capture of a strategic fortress from the Fatimids. In 1156, Baldwin was forced into a treaty with Nūr-ad-Din, and later entered into an alliance with the Byzantine Empire. Melisende died on 11 September 1161, and Baldwin succumbed two years later on 10 February 1163. Childless, he was succeeded by his brother, Amalric.
    Amalric I
    1163–1174[7]
    1136
    son of King Fulk and Queen Melisende
    Agnes of Courtenay
    1157
    3 children

    Maria Komnene
    29 August 1167
    2 children
    11 July 1174
    Jerusalem
    aged 38
    Crowned as King of Jerusalem on 18 February 1163. He married Agnes of Courtenay and, after an annulment, Maria Komnene. Three of Amalric's children would assume the throne of Jerusalem. He undertook a series of four invasions of Egypt from 1163 to 1169, taking advantage of weaknesses of the Fatimids. The campaign was generally indecisive, but did lay the groundwork for the takeover of Egypt by Saladin in 1171. Amalric died at a young age, on 11 July 1174, and was succeeded by his son Baldwin IV of Jerusalem.
    Baldwin IV the Leprous
    1174–1185
    with Baldwin V from 1183
    1161
    Jerusalem
    son of King Amalric and Agnes of Courtenay
    never married 16 March 1185
    Jerusalem
    aged 24 [8]
    Became king on 5 July 1174 at the age of 13. As a leper he was not expected to live long, and served with a number of regents, and served as co-ruler with his cousin Baldwin V of Jerusalem beginning in 1183. Baldwin IV's rule began simultaneously with the death of Nūr-ad-Din and the rise of Saladin. Notably, Baldwin and Raynald of Châtillon defeated Saladin at the celebrated battle of Montgisard on 25 November 1177, and repelled his attacks at the battle of Belvoir Castle in 1182 and later in the siege of Kerak of 1183.[9] He died on 16 March 1185.
    Baldwin V
    1183–1186
    with Baldwin IV until 1185[10]
    1177
    son of William of Montferrat and Sibylla of Jerusalem
    never married August 1186
    Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    aged 9
    Became sole king upon the death of his uncle in 1185 under the regency of Raymond III of Tripoli.[11] Raymond negotiated a truce with Saladin which went awry when Baldwin V died in the summer of 1186.[12] He was succeeded in the kingdom by his mother Sibylla of Jerusalem—daughter of Amalric—and his stepfather, the French knight Guy of Lusignan.
    Sibylla
    1186–1190
    with Guy
    c. 1157
    daughter of King Amalric and Agnes of Courtenay
    William of Montferrat, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon
    1176
    one son

    Guy of Lusignan
    April 1180
    2 daughters
    25 July (probable), 1190
    Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    aged about 40
    Crowned as queen and king of Jerusalem in the summer of 1186, shortly after the death of Baldwin V. They immediately had to deal with the threat posed by Saladin, and, in particular the battle of Hattin in 1187. During the battle Guy was captured, and remained in Saladin's custody until 1188. After the fall of Jerusalem, Sibylla fled to Tripoli, later joining Guy in Acre to meet the vanguard of the Third Crusade. She died on 25 July 1190.
    Guy of Lusignan
    1186–1190/1192
    with Sibylla until 1190
    c. 1150 or 1159/1160
    son of Hugh VIII of Lusignan and Bourgogne de Rançon
    Sibylla of Jerusalem
    April 1180
    2 daughters
    18 July 1194
    Nicosia, Cyprus
    aged about 45
    Isabella I
    1190/1192-1205
    with Conrad until 1192
    with Henry II 1192–1197
    with Amalric II from 1198
    1172
    Nablus, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    daughter of King Amalric I and Maria Komnene
    Humphrey IV of Toron
    November 1183
    no children

    Conrad of Montferrat
    24 November 1190
    one daughter

    Henry II, Count of Champagne
    6 May 1192
    2 daughters

    Amalric of Lusignan
    January 1198
    3 children
    5 April 1205
    Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    aged 33
    Sister to Sibylla, became heiress to the kingdom upon her death, sometime after 25 July 1190. After much political haranguing, she married Conrad of Montferrat on 24 November 1190, with him become de jure king. In April 1192, Conrad was elected king but on 28 April 1192, he was felled by two Assassins before he could be crowned. Richard was suspected as supported the murder, a suspicion that remains unproven.[13]
    Conrad I of Montferrat
    1190/1192–1192
    with Isabella I
    mid-1140s
    Montferrat, Holy Roman Empire
    son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg
    unidentified woman
    before 1179
    no children

    Theodora Angelina
    1186/1187
    no children

    Isabella I of Jerusalem
    24 November 1190
    one daughter
    28 April 1192 (murdered)
    Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    aged mid-40s
    Henry I of Champagne
    1192–1197
    with Isabella I[14]
    29 July 1166
    Champagne
    son of Henry I, Count of Champagne and Marie of France
    Isabella I of Jerusalem
    6 May 1192
    2 daughters
    10 September 1197
    Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    aged 31
    Became king on 5 May 1192 when he married Isabella. Henry was the nephew of both Richard I of England and Philip II of France, but did not use the royal title. He died in Acre on 10 September 1197 after a fall from his window at the palace in Acre.
    Aimery/Amalric II of Lusignan
    1198–1205
    with Isabella I[15]
    1145
    son of Hugh VIII of Lusignan and Bourgogne de Rançon
    Éschive d'Ibelin
    before 29 October 1174
    6 children

    Isabella I of Jerusalem
    January 1198
    3 children
    1 April 1205
    Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem
    aged 60
    As Isabella's next husband, they were crowned king and queen of in January 1198. A former commander at the Battle of Hattin of 1187 as well as King of Cyprus since the death of Guy of Lusignan in 1194, his rule was a period of peace and stability in both of his realms. In particular, he signed a truce with al-Adil, now Ayyubid sultan of Egypt in 1198 which secured the Christian possession of the coastline from Acre to Antioch. This truce essentially prevented the remnants of the Fourth Crusade from their mission. He died on 1 April 1205. His son Hugh I of Cyprus succeeded him in Cyprus, while Isabella I continued to rule the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Isabella died four days later on 5 April 1205 and was succeeded by her daughter by Conrad, Maria of Montferrat, who served through 1212, with her husband John of Brienne after 1210.

    Houses of Aleramici and Brienne (1205–1228)

    Monarch Image Birth Marriages Death
    Maria
    1205–1212
    with John I from 1210
    1192
    daughter of Conrad of Montferrat and Queen Isabella
    John of Brienne
    14 September 1210
    one daughter
    1212
    aged 20
    John I
    1210–1212
    with Maria
    c. 1170
    son of Erard II of Brienne and Agnes de Montfaucon
    Maria of Jerusalem
    14 September 1210
    one daughter

    Stephanie of Armenia
    one son

    Berengaria of León
    1224
    4 children
    27 March 1237
    aged about 67
    Isabella II
    also called Yolande
    1212–1228
    with Frederick from 1225
    1212
    daughter of John of Brienne and Queen Maria
    Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
    9 November 1225
    2 children
    25 April 1228
    Andria, Kingdom of Sicily
    aged 16
    Frederick
    1225–1228
    with Isabella II
    1194
    son of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor and Constance of Sicily
    Constance of Aragon
    15 August 1209
    one son

    Isabella II of Jerusalem
    9 November 1225
    2 children

    Isabella of England
    15 July 1235
    4 children
    13 December 1250
    Apulia, Kingdom of Sicily
    aged 55

    House of Hohenstaufen (1228–1268)

    Monarch Image Birth Marriages Death
    Conrad II
    1228–1254
    25 April 1228
    Andria, Kingdom of Sicily
    son of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and Queen Isabella II
    Elisabeth of Bavaria
    1 September 1246
    one son
    21 May 1254
    Lavello, Kingdom of Sicily
    aged 26
    Conrad III
    1254–1268
    25 March 1252
    Wolfstein Castle, Landshut, Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire
    son of King Conrad II and Elisabeth of Bavaria
    never married 29 October 1268
    Castel dell'Ovo, Naples, Kingdom of Sicily
    aged 16

    House of Lusignan (1268–1291)

    Monarch Image Birth Marriages Death
    Hugh
    1268–1284
    1235
    son of Henry of Antioch and Isabella of Cyprus, a granddaughter of Queen Isabella I
    Isabella of Ibelin
    after 25 January 1255
    11 children
    24 March 1284
    Nicosia, Cyprus
    aged 49
    John II
    1284–1285
    1259/1267
    son of King Hugh and Isabella of Ibelin
    never married 20 May 1285
    Nicosia, Cyprus
    aged 17 or 26
    Henry II
    1285–1324
    in title only after 1291
    1271
    son of King Hugh and Isabella of Ibelin
    Constance of Sicily
    16 October 1317
    no children
    31 August 1324
    Strovolos, Cyprus
    aged 53

    Regents

    The frequent absence or minority of monarchs required regents to be appointed many times throughout the Kingdom's existence.

    Regent Regent for Relation to the monarch Became regent Regency ended
    Eustace Grenier, Constable of the Kingdom Baldwin II 1123
    King held captive by the Ortoqids
    1123
    death
    William I of Bures, Prince of Galilee 1123
    King held captive by the Ortoqids
    1124
    return of the King from captivity
    Queen Melisende Baldwin III mother 1154
    as the King's advisor
    1161
    death
    Raymond III, Count of Tripoli Baldwin IV cousin 1174
    minority of the King
    1176
    majority of the King
    Guy of Lusignan brother-in-law 1182
    appointed by the King in his illness
    1184
    deposed by the King
    Raymond III, Count of Tripoli Baldwin V first cousin once removed 1185
    minority of the King
    1186
    death of the King
    John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut Maria half-uncle 1205
    minority of the Queen
    1210
    majority of the Queen
    King John I Isabella II father 1212
    minority of the Queen
    1225
    the Queen's marriage
    Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II father 1228
    minority of the King
    1243
    majority of the king
    Alice of Champagne, Queen of Cyprus half-aunt 1243
    absence of the king
    1246
    death
    Henry I of Cyprus half-cousin; son of Alice and Hugh I 1246
    absence of the King
    1253
    death
    Plaisance of Antioch, dowager Queen of Cyprus half-cousin-in-law 1253
    absence/minority of the King
    1261
    death
    Conrad III half-cousin-in-law once removed
    Isabelle de Lusignan half-cousin once removed; daughter of Alice 1261
    minority of the King
    1264
    death
    Hugh of Antioch half-second cousin; son of Isabelle 1264
    minority of the King
    1268
    death of the King, ascension to the throne

    Later claims

    Over the years, many European rulers claimed to be the rightful heirs to the kingdom. None of these claimants, however, has actually ruled over any part of Outremer:

    • Count Hugh of Brienne claimed the regency of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and indirectly, his place in the succession in 1264 as senior heir of Alice of Jerusalem, second daughter of Queen Isabella I, and Hugh I of Cyprus. Hugh, although the son of their eldest daughter, was passed over by the Haute Cour in favour of his cousin Hugh of Antioch, the future Hugh III of Cyprus and Hugh I of Jerusalem. The Brienne claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem continued, but the family had afterwards next to no part in affairs in Outremer.
    • Frederick of Meissen, Landgrave of Thuringia, briefly used the title of King of Jerusalem (alongside the titles of King of Sicily and Duke of Swabia) after the death of Conradin in 1268,[16][17] as grandson of Frederick II, who had crowned himself King of Jerusalem in his own right. This claim was never recognized in Outremer or elsewhere.
    • After the end of the kingdom, Henry II of Cyprus continued to use the title of King of Jerusalem. After his death the title was claimed by his successors, the kings of Cyprus.
    • The title was also continuously used by the Angevin kings of Naples, whose founder, Charles I of Anjou, had in 1277 bought a claim to the throne from Mary of Antioch. Thereafter, this claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem was treated as a tributary of the crown of Naples, which often changed hands by testament or conquest rather than direct inheritance. As Naples was a papal fief, the Popes often endorsed the title of King of Jerusalem as well as of Naples, and the history of these claims is that of the Neapolitan Kingdom. At the time of their dethronement, the Habsburg Emperors of Austria used the title King of Jerusalem, as did the Savoyard kings of Italy, and the title is among those claimed by Felipe VI of Spain.
    • In 1948 King Abdullah I of Jordan was crowned king of Jerusalem by the Coptic bishop.[18]

    Family tree

    From its founding following the first crusade to the Poitiers-Lusignan line ruling Cyprus after the fall of Jerusalem.

    See also

    References

    1. ^ Murray 2006, pp. 533–535, Godfrey of Bouillon (d. 1100).
    2. ^ Holt 1986, p. 23.
    3. ^ Jotischky 2004, pp. 59–60, 62.
    4. ^ Adrian J. Boas. Jerusalem in the Time of the Crusades: Society, Landscape and Art in the Holy City under Frankish Rule. pp. 79–82. Routledge 2009. ISBN 9780415488754. [1]
    5. ^ Barker, Ernest (1911). "Baldwin III". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 3. (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press. pp. 246–247.
    6. ^ Mayer, Hans Eberhard. “Studies in the History of Queen Melisende of Jerusalem.” Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Volume 26 (1972), pp. 93–182.
    7. ^ Barker, Ernest (1911). "Amalric". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 1. (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press. pp. 778–779.
    8. ^ Barker, Ernest (1911). "Baldwin IV". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 3. (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press. p. 247.
    9. ^ Barker, Ernest (1911). "Raynald of Châtillon". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 22. (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press. p. 936.
    10. ^ Goldsmith, Linda (2006). In The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. p. 1104.
    11. ^ Gerish, Deborah (2006). In The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. p. 139.
    12. ^ Barker, Ernest (1911). "Raymund of Tripoli". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 22. (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press. p. 935.
    13. ^ Jacoby, David (2006). In The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. pp. 273–274.
    14. ^ Goldsmith, Linda (2006). In The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. pp. 570-571.
    15. ^ Gerish, Deborah (2006). In The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. p. 24.
    16. ^ Dobenecker, Otto (1915). Margarete von Hohenstaufen, die Stammutter der Wettiner. I (1236–1265). Neuenhahn, Jena: Festschrift des Gymnasiums zur Erinnerung an die Erhebung des Herzogtums S.-Weimar zum Großherzogtum (= Beilage zum Jahresberichte des Großh. Gymnasiums in Jena).
    17. ^ "Friedrich der Freidige". Archived from the original on 27 August 2005.
    18. ^ Pipes, Daniel (2017). Nothing Abides: Perspectives on the Middle East and Islam. London and New York: Routledge. p. 23.

    Bibliography

    • Holt, Peter Malcolm (1986). The Age of the Crusades – The Near East from the Eleventh Century to 1517. Pearson Longman. ISBN 978-0-58249-302-5.
    • Jotischky, Andrew (2004). Crusading and the Crusader States. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-582-41851-6.
    • Murray, Alan V. (2006). The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1576078624.

    Further reading

    • Adam G. Beaver, A Holy Land for the Catholic Monarchy: Palestine in the Making of Modern Spain, 1469–1598