In March 1185, King Baldwin (Baudouin) IV of Jerusalem died at the age of 23. He is not particularly known for his exploits. Meanwhile, this doomed young man in his short life accomplished much more notable deeds than, say, his world-famous contemporary Richard the Lionheart (Richard the Lionheart, Cœur de Lion, 1157-1199), and in much more difficult conditions. During his reign, the Kingdom of Jerusalem of the Crusaders became like a nut between the ticks of the Muslim nutcracker closing around it. And Baldwin, despite the terrible illness, to last day defended the interests of his subjects.
Crusaders and their state
By the beginning of the reign of Baldwin IV, the Franks (and their descendants) owned the entire coast of Syria and Palestine from the Aman Mountains to the Sinai Desert. There was a conglomerate of autonomous, but ready to help each other Christian states - Antioch, Tripoli and Jerusalem.
The king of Jerusalem was assisted by the chancellor (he headed the office and kept the royal archive) and the seneschal, who, if necessary, performed the functions of the monarch in the civil administration of the state and was responsible for the treasury. The army was led by the constable, who was subordinate to the king, the royal household was managed by the chamberlain. But the central power was not so strong, because in the Frankish East, constantly at war with its neighbors, the king was forced to delegate significant powers to local rulers who defended the borders. The Supreme Council under the king performed a triple function: judicial, advisory and legislative.
The church in all three crusading states was Catholic, and it was headed by two Latin patriarchs - Antioch and Jerusalem, who served in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Christian churches were the centers around which the life of the state turned - after all, it was precisely for their protection that the crusades were started. The population of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the second half of the 12th century is estimated at about 620 thousand people, of which 140 were Catholic Franks, and the vast majority were Muslims or Eastern Christians (Armenians, Syrian Jacobites, Nestorians and Maronites). Both Jews and Samaritans lived in the kingdom. Although during the First Crusade in 1099 the Franks massacred Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem, but later, having established their power over Palestine, the crusaders did not encroach on the freedom of religion of the local population.
The organizational centers of the life of the Franks were cities and castles that fell under the suzerainty of the king. Of all the cities, only Jerusalem turned into a completely Christian city - there were no Muslims and almost no Jews, only Eastern Christians were allowed. In coastal cities, the Venetians, Genoese and Pisans had the greatest benefits and privileges. Italians guarded sea routes communications with the West, transported pilgrims, soldiers and settlers and, unlike the Franks, knew how to trade, and the economic well-being of the states of the Holy Land was still based on trade: there were no particularly fertile lands here. The main trade item, which was controlled by merchants from Damascus and Aleppo, was luxury goods - Damascus steel weapons, works of Arab goldsmiths, jewelry, perfumes, Persian carpets and ceramics, Chinese silk, spices and medicines from India.Surrounded by enemies
The Franks maintained trade contacts with the surrounding Muslim possessions, which did not exclude the danger of an attack by the warriors of Islam. Most cities were walled stone towers were built in the most important villages - to protect the population. For the same reason, the knightly service in Jerusalem differed from the service in the West in duration - there it took only forty days a year, and in the Middle East it was year-round when it came to the defense of the kingdom, but paid if the king sent troops beyond his borders, for example, to Egypt.
Local Eastern Christians spoke Arabic and were culturally very close to Muslims, and therefore treated the Franks as strangers. Catholics in the Middle East either tried to establish friendship and “mutually beneficial cooperation” with the local, deeply alien population, or fought with them for their shrines and for survival.
Entering adolescence, the monarch entered a new stage in the development of the disease. It became clear that a new king would soon be needed. Sibylle again began to look for a husband. The king longed for the help of the Byzantine emperor Manuel Komnenos and sent Reynald of Chatillon to him, a knight of humble origin, who through marriage with his aunt Baldwin became the prince of Antioch, but Manuel did not want to help the crusaders. Meanwhile, Saladin prepared to attack Jerusalem.
And then on November 25, 1177, Baldwin and Raynald left the city with 375 knights, joined by 80 Templars under the leadership of Master Odo de Saint-Aman, and defeated the superior forces of Saladin (26 thousand people) at the battle of Mont Gisard. The fact that Saladin underestimated the young enemy, believing that he would not dare to fight him, and the fact that the crusaders took Saladin by surprise, and the fact that the Franks really fought skillfully played a role in the victory. Baldwin pursued the enemy until sunset. Saladin lost 90 percent of his troops, including his personal guard from the Mamluks, fled back to Egypt, spreading rumors along the way that he won the battle, and not the crusaders. But for a whole year, before resuming attacks on the Franks, Saladin only licked his wounds.
Shameless Guy
In the summer of 1180, an event occurred that largely predetermined the sad fate of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Sibylla was married to Guy de Lusignan (, 1160–1194), an ambiguous adventurer who seemed like a decent candidate to Baldwin and his mother Agnes - he was a cousin English king Henry II (1133–1189). By that time, Baldwin was blind, did not own limbs, and therefore tried to abdicate the throne. But time after time, attempts to find a suitable candidate for the throne failed. Raynald of Chatillon also let him down: he attacked a trade caravan that was going from Egypt to Damascus, and directly offended Saladin, capturing his mother during one of such attacks. In 1182, an outraged Saladin renewed his attacks on the Franks, and Baldwin was forced to appoint Guy de Lusignan as regent.
 Battle of Hattin. Medieval miniature |
"As long as he was alive, he always won"
Until the last second of his life, Baldwin was engaged in the affairs of Jerusalem. Disillusioned with the regents and attempts to find a worthy heir, in 1183 he appointed his five-year-old nephew, Baldwin of Montferrat, as his co-ruler. On the day of his death, the leper ruler held the last royal council.
Two years later, on July 4, 1187, Saladin defeated the crusaders and Guy de Lusignan, who, through the efforts of his wife, nevertheless became the king of Jerusalem, under Hattin. It was a mortal wound inflicted on the kingdom of Jerusalem; and in 1291 the crusaders were completely expelled from the Middle East.
But the memory of Baldwin in this region remained for a long time. In the middle of the 13th century, a Muslim in Damascus told the armourer of King Louis IX: “There were times when King Baldwin of Jerusalem, the one who was a leper, beat Saladin, although he had only 300 soldiers against Saladin’s 30 thousand. Now your sins are so great that we are driving you through the fields like cattle.”
The question is often asked why the church did not rank this virgin king and martyr as a saint, because he did a lot for Christianity and led an exceptionally righteous life. The answer is simple: Baldwin had little interest in religion. Even being mortally ill, he did not consider the possibility of retiring to a monastery. He was a knight-king, not a monk-king, and his defining traits were personal courage, courage, and pride. A chronicler recorded after his death: “Although he suffered from leprosy from childhood, he kept the borders of the Kingdom of Jerusalem inviolable with all his might and won an amazing victory over Saladin at Mont Gisard. As long as he was alive, he always won."
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[lat. regnum Hierosolymitanum], Christ. state-in, based Western Europe. knights in Palestine and the coastal strip of Syria after the 1st crusade. It consisted of the I. k. proper and vassal states - the Principality of Antioch, the counties of Tripoli and Edessa, which, although they recognized the suzerainty of I. k., actually retained independence. I. k. existed from 1099 to 1291. During the period of greatest power, I. k. controlled a strip of land 150 km wide from the sea to the Trans-Jordanian plateau and approx. 450 km in the meridional stretch from Eilat to Beirut.
The first ruler of I. k. was Gottfried of Bouillon, elected by the crusader knights. He refused to accept the title of king, and on July 22, 1099, he was proclaimed "protector of the Holy Sepulcher" (advocatus S. Sepulchri). After his death in 1100, the question arose about the legal status of the new state. education. Lat. Patriarch of Jerusalem Daibert, under the rule of which Jerusalem actually turned out to be, sought to create a theocratic state, but, having not received support among the clergy and barons, he was forced to recognize a secular ruler - Baldwin I (1100-1118), brother of Gottfried of Bouillon. On Christmas Day 1100, Baldwin was crowned "the first Latin king of Jerusalem" (rex Latinorum Hierusalem primus). Under him, the borders of I. k. were significantly expanded, Arsuf, Beirut, Sidon and Caesarea were captured, and soon he achieved recognition of suzerainty over the vassal states - the Principality of Antioch, the counties of Tripoli and Edessa. Under Baldwin I, thanks to the participants in the rearguard crusade (1101), the number of Latin inhabitants increased in the Indian capital. Italians began to play an important role in the kingdom. city-states (Venice, Pisa and Genoa), which, in the event of the capture of ports, received quarters for trade there. After the death of Baldwin I, Count Baldwin II (1118-1131) of Edessa was chosen as ruler, whose policy strengthened the position of the Crusaders. But already under the successor of Baldwin II, Fulk of Anjou, who in 1131-1143. ruled I. k. together with his wife Melisende († 1161), Muslim. Syria began to unite under the leadership of the atabeg of Mosul, Imad ad-Din Zengi (1127-1147). In 1144 the Muslims took Edessa. The son of Imad ad-Din Zengi, Nur ad-Din (1146-1174), the ruler of Aleppo and Damascus, united all of Syria under his rule. In Europe, the 2nd Crusade (1147-1149) was organized, in which the French took part. box Louis VII and Germany imp. Conrad III. This campaign did not bring significant results.
During the reign of Baldwin III (1143 (since 1153 alone) - 1162) and Amori I (1162-1174), I. k. became close to the Byzantine Empire and Fatimid Egypt, but the collapse of the latter led to the subordination of the united Syria and Egypt to Salah ad-Din , who proclaimed himself sultan. Cor. Baldwin IV the Leper (1174-1185), and then his nephew Baldwin V (1185-1186) could have opposed Salah ad-Din, but the policy of subsequent rulers (Guy Lusignan and others) led I. to collapse. In 1187, Salah ad-Din defeated the crusader army at Hattin and captured most of the kingdom, including Jerusalem. Only the port of Tire remained in the hands of the crusaders, from where Conrad of Montferrat began a military campaign against the Muslims. During the 3rd Crusade (1189-1192), Western Europe took part in Krom. sovereigns (German imp. Frederick I Barbarossa, French cor. Louis VII, English cor. Richard I Lion Heart), some important strategic points were recaptured by Christians, in particular Acre. A new kingdom arose (the so-called Second I. k.). It retained its former name, despite the fact that Jerusalem was lost (the capital of the new state was Acre, or Saint-Jean-d "Acre, now Akko, Israel).
The first ruler of the new state Conrad of Montferrat 24 apr. 1192 was killed by the Assassins (see Neo-Ismailites). His successors, Kings Henry of Champagne (1192-1197), Amaury II Lusignan (brother of Guy Lusignan; 1197-1205), sought to protect the borders of I. k. Amory II managed to restore the coastal strip of I. k. from Jaffa to Beirut. Amory II was succeeded by Mary of Montferrat (1205-1212; until 1210 she ruled with regent Jean Ibelin). Her husband John of Brienne in 1210-1212 as king, and after the death of his wife as regent (1212-1225) with his daughter Isabella (Iolanthe) led a military campaign in Egypt. In 1219, he managed to take the port of Damietta (now Dumiyat, Egypt) and obtain consent from the Sultan of Egypt to exchange it for Jerusalem. The deal failed due to the resistance of the papal legate.
To get help from the West, John Brienne gave his daughter Isabella in marriage to the Germans. imp. Friedrich II of Hohenstaufen, who overthrew his father-in-law from the throne and became the head of I. k. Through negotiations with the Muslims. the rulers of the imp. Frederick II succeeded in recapturing Jerusalem. According to the agreement signed on 18 Feb. 1229 in Jaffa, truce with Egypt. Sultan al-Kamil was extended for 10 years, 5 months and 40 days; Territorial concessions for the Franks were negotiated: the Sidon seigneury (without Beaufort) within its former borders, the seigneury of Toron, the region of Nazareth and Sephoria, the lands of Lydda and Ramla, the "pilgrims' road", Bethlehem and Jerusalem were returned to Christians (in Jerusalem, sacred places for Muslims - the mosque Al -Aksa and the Qubbat-es-Sakhra mosque (Dome of the Rock) - remained in their hands, none of the Christians were allowed to enter there). The emperor also promised the sultan help in the fight against his enemies, both Muslims and Christians. Frederick II entered Jerusalem on March 17, 1229, proclaiming himself the next day the ruler of I. k. The barons were dissatisfied with the policy of Frederick II in I. k. The "Lombard wars" that began between the emperor and the barons ended in 1243 with the victory of the baronial coalition. Having retained the formal rule of the Hohenstaufen, the barons tried to organize collegial rule under the leadership of John (Jean) Ibelin, then his son Balian. In 1244 Jerusalem was retaken by the Muslims.
From 1250 to 1254, the organizer of the 7th and 8th crusades, the French, ruled the state. box Saint Louis IX, but after his departure, anarchy, rivalry between the Genoese and the Venetians (“the war of St. Sava”) and feuds between pretenders to the throne (Hugo III and Charles of Anjou) intensified. The Mamluk sultan Baibars captured the cities and fortresses of I. k. In 1291, the last stronghold of the crusaders in the East fell - the fortress of Saint-Jean-d "Acre.
I. k. occupied only the south. part of the possessions of the crusaders - from Ascalon in the south to Beirut in the north. In addition to Jerusalem, he owned the cities of Nablus, Acre and Tire; they also formed part of the royal domain. The rest of the territory was divided into 4 baronies and other seigneuries. The principality of Galilee with its capital in Tiberias, the county of Jaffa and Ascalon, the lordship of Sidon, the lordship of Kerak were considered baronies. The rulers of these possessions had the right to have their own court, mint coins and have their own seal. The barons were vassals of the king. In addition to 4 baronies, there were 22 large seigneuries in I. k. - Arsuf, Hebron, Beirut, Ibelin, and others. Catholics had significant influence. hierarchs: for help and participation in the crusades, the Roman Catholic Church received extensive land holdings.
royalty in I. k. was essentially limited to the High Chamber (Haute Cour), which consisted of representatives of the highest nobility and chivalry. Special legal provisions (assises) of the High Chamber determined the order of feudal service, the rights of seigneurs, the duties of vassals, the principles of jurisdiction relating to the upper strata of I. k. Another court was established for commoners - the Chamber of Citizens (Cour des Bourgeois). Last the legal provisions of both chambers made up the legal code "Jerusalem assizes" (Assises de royaume de Jérusalem), which also included legal treatises written, in particular, by John (Jean) Ibelin.
The nobility in I. k. lived mainly in Jerusalem, etc. major cities, owned both land and bezants (in the form of income from trade, proceeds from market taxes, etc.) fiefs. Italian the cities provided communication between I. to. with the West. Europe, but since the purpose of their trade was foreign markets, there were no prerequisites for economic and political consolidation in the I. to. Ties between the individual states of the crusaders and the lords were very weak. At the same time, I. k. had close contacts with Cilician Armenia and the Byzantine Empire, the “eastern” features of the social and political organization to-rykh it inherited. On the social structures I. to. influenced and pre-existing Muslims. institutions. Already after the 1st Crusade and the capture of Jerusalem, most of the knights returned to the West. Europe. Due to the subsequent emigration from the West, the population of the West increased. possessions in the East, which over time received the general name "Outremer" (Overseas). In general, I. k. was a state, where a small layer of Western knights ruled an Arab. and sir. population.
The Roman Catholic Church sought to control the church possessions in the East (on the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, see Art. Latin Patriarchates). At least once a year, papal legates visited the Holy Land, and the popes often interfered in the elections of the Latins. Jerusalem Patriarch. Local Christ. the population was subordinated to lat. church hierarchy. The majority of Orthodox bishops moved to Byzantium, where a branch of the Jerusalem patriarchs remained in exile. At the same time, in the sources of the XII-XIII centuries. several are mentioned. orthodox bishops who lived in I. k. They ordained priests and sent worship services for the local Eastern Christ. population, but did not possess adm. power. Catholic prelates did not interfere in inner life Palestinian Arab Christians, who, paying the established fees lat. bishops, continued to conduct worship according to Byzantine. rite and commemorate the Orthodox Liturgy. patriarchs in exile.
The army of I. k. was not numerous and consisted mainly of "Latins". The lack of troops was largely compensated by the creation of spiritual and knightly orders. The Orders of the Templars and Hospitallers (see Order of Malta) were created at the beginning. 12th century They reported directly to the Pope of Rome, were mostly independent and did not carry military service, although in fact they participated in all the main battles. Franks, born and raised in lat. In the East, they considered the Holy Land to be their homeland and had a negative attitude towards the newly arrived crusaders. Some of them knew Greek, Arabic. and others east. languages, married east. women.
Thanks to Muslim-Christ. contacts in I. k., the life and customs of the crusaders underwent significant orientalization: they began to decorate their houses with carpets, add spices to food, visit baths, and so on. The art of I. k. was a kind of mixture of Western, Byzantine. and Muslims. styles. The Crusaders built the fortresses of Krak de Moab (now El-Karak, Jordan), Montfort, Beaufort, and others. the architectural structures of the crusaders were purposefully destroyed: religious buildings in Jerusalem were destroyed after 1187, most of the castles were torn down after they were taken by Muslims. Illuminated manuscripts of historical and liturgical works come from the art workshops of Saint-Jean-d'Acre, of which the most famous is the illuminated Psalter of Kor. Melisende (Melisende Psalter - Lond. Brit. Lib. Egerton, 1139). many literary and historical works of great interest to researchers have been written (in particular, the "Chronicle" by William of Tire).
Source: Fulcherii Carnotensis Historia Hierosolymitana / Hrsg. H. Hagenmeyer. HDlb., 1913; Willelmi Tyrensis archiepiscopi Chronicon / Ed. R. B. C. Huygens. Turnhout, 1986. 2 vol.; La Continuation de Guillaume de Tyr (1184-1197) / Éd. M. R. Morgan. P., 1982; Regesta regni Hierosolymitani, 1097-1291 / Ed. R. Rohricht. Oeniponti, 1893-1904. N.Y., 1960r. 2vol.; Le cartulaire du chapitre du Saint-Sépulcre de Jérusalem / Publ. par G. Bresc-Bautier. P., 1984; Papsturkunden für Kirchen in Heiligen Lande / Hrsg. v. R. Hiestand. Gott., 1985; Jerusalem Pilgrimage, 1099-1185 / Ed. J. Wilkinson. L., 1988; Die Kanzlei der lateinischen Konige von Jerusalem. Hannover, 1996. 2 vol.
Lit.: Dodu G. Histoire des institutions monarchiques dans le Royaume latin de Jérusalem. P., 1894; Grousset R. Histoire des croisades et du royaume franc de Jérusalem. P., 1934-1936, 19912. 3 vol.; Richard J. Le Royaume latin de Jerusalem. P., 1953 (Russian translation: Richard J. Latin-Jerusalem Kingdom. St. Petersburg, 2002); Prawer J. Histoire du Royaume latin de Jerusalem. P., 1969-1970, 20072. 2 vol.; idem. Crusader Institutions. Oxf.; N.Y., 1980; Runciman S. A History of the Crusades. Camb., 1975. 3 vol.; Mayer H. E. Bistümer, Kloster und Stifte im Königreich Jerusalem. Stuttg., 1977; Fences M.A. Crusaders in the East. M., 1980; Hamilton B. The Latin Church in the Crusader States: The Secular Church. L., 1980; Outremer: Stud. in the History of the Crusading Kingdom of Jerusalem presented to J. Prawer / Ed. B. Z. Kedar, H. E. Mayer, R. C. Smail. Jerusalem, 1982; Hoch M. Jerusalem, Damascus und der Zweite Kreuzug: Konstitutionelle Krise und äussere Sicherheit des Kruezfahrerkönigreiches Jerusalem, A. D. 1126-1154. Fr./M., 1993; Pringle R. The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Corpus. Camb., 1993-2007. 3vol.; Mayer H. E. Kings and lords in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Aldershot; Brookfield 1994; Luchitskaya S. I. “Jerusalem assizes” - a monument of medieval law // From the history of the socio-political and cultural life of the ancient world and the Middle Ages. M., 1985. S. 79-95; she is. Source study features of the "Jerusalem assizes" in medieval studies of the 19th-20th centuries. // SV. 1988. Issue. 51. S. 51-68; she is. How Jerusalem kings died // In their circle: An individual and a group in the West and East of Europe before the beginning of the New Age / Ed.: M. A. Boytsov, A. G. Exle. M., 2003. S. 191-229.
S. I. Luchitskaya
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The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom that emerged in the Levant in 1099 after the completion of the First Crusade. It was destroyed in 1291 with the fall of Acre.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was created after in 1099, one of the leaders of the First Crusade was elected the first king.
He refused to accept this title, not wanting to wear a royal crown where the Savior wore a thorny one; instead, he assumed the title of Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri ("Defender of the Holy Sepulcher").
Godfried died the following year, his brother and heir, Baldwin I, was not so pious and immediately assumed the title "King of Jerusalem".
Baldwin successfully expanded the kingdom, capturing the port cities of Acre, Sidon and Beirut, as well as asserting his sovereignty over the crusader states in the North - the county of Edessa (founded by him), the principality of Antioch and the county of Tripoli.
Under him, the number of inhabitants increased - Latins who came with the Rearguard Crusade, and a Latin patriarch also appeared.
The Italian city-states (Venice, Pisa and Genoa) began to play an important role in the kingdom. Their fleet participated in the capture of ports, where they received their quarters for trade.
Around 1070, a hospital for pilgrims was founded in Jerusalem by the Order of St. John (Hospitallers). Another monastic order - the Templars - settled in the temple, converted from the al-Aqsa mosque.
Baldwin died in 1118 and left no heirs, his cousin Baldwin de Burk, Count of Edessa, became his successor. Baldwin II was also a capable ruler, and although he was captured by the Seljuks several times during his reign, the borders of the state expanded, and in 1124 Tire was taken.
Life in the kingdom
The new generation, born and raised in the Levant, considered their homeland and had a negative attitude towards the newly arrived crusaders. They also often looked like Syrians rather than Franks. Many knew Greek, Arabic and other oriental languages, married Greek or Armenian women.
As Fulcherius of Chartres wrote:
“We Westerners have become Easterners; he who was a Roman or a Frank has here become a Galilean or an inhabitant of Palestine; he who lived in Reims or Chartres sees himself as a city dweller from Tyre or Antioch.”
The device was largely based on the feudal order of the then Western Europe, but with many important differences. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was located on a small territory, there were few lands suitable for agriculture.
Since ancient times, in this region, the entire economy was concentrated in cities, in contrast to medieval Europe. The feudal lords, while owning lands, nevertheless preferred to live in Jerusalem and other cities.
As in Europe, the barons had vassals, while being vassals of the king.
Agriculture was based on the Muslim version of the feudal system - iqta (allotment system), this order was not changed.
Although Muslims (as well as Jews and Eastern Christians) were persecuted in some cities and were not allowed to live in Jerusalem, in rural areas they lived as before. Rais, the leader of the community, was a kind of vassal of the baron who owned the land, and since the barons lived in cities, the communities had a high degree autonomy.
They supplied the troops of the Kingdom of Jerusalem with food, but did not carry military service, unlike Europe; similarly, the Italians did not bear any duties, despite living in port cities. As a result, the army of the kingdom was not numerous and consisted of the Franks - the inhabitants of the cities.
The dominance in the area of cities and the presence of Italian merchants led to the development of an economy that was more commercial than agricultural.
Palestine has always been a crossroads of trade routes; trade has now spread to Europe. European goods, such as textiles from Northern Europe, appeared in the Middle East and Asia, while Asian goods were transported back to Europe. The Italian city-states received huge profits, which influenced their heyday in the following centuries.
Since the noble lords lived more in Jerusalem than in the provinces, they had a much greater influence on the king than they did in Europe.
The noble barons made up the High Council, one of the earliest forms of parliament in Western Europe. The council consisted of bishops and influential barons, was responsible for the election of the king, the provision of money to the king, the mobilization of armies.
The lack of troops was largely compensated by the creation of spiritual and knightly orders. The Knights Templar and Hospitaller orders were created during the early years of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and often replaced barons in the provinces. Their leaders were based in Jerusalem, living in huge castles and often buying lands that the barons could not defend.
The orders were directly under papal administration, not royal; they were largely independent and were not required to carry out military service, however, in fact, they participated in all the main battles.
Important sources of information on the life of the Kingdom of Jerusalem are the works of William of Tire and the Muslim writer Usama ibn Munkiz.
Mid 12th century
Baldwin II was succeeded by his daughter Melisende, who ruled with her husband Fulk of Anjou. During their reign, the greatest cultural and economic development, whose symbol is the Melisende psalter, commissioned by the queen between 1135 and 1143.
Fulk, the famous general, faced a new dangerous enemy- Atabeg of Mosul Zengi. Although Fulk successfully opposed Zengi during his reign, Guillaume of Tyre criticized him for his poor organization of frontier guards. Fulk died hunting in 1143. Zengi took advantage of this and captured the county of Edessa in 1146. Queen Melisande, who became regent under her son Baldwin III, appointed a new Manasse D'Ierzh, who led the army after the death of Fulk.
In 1147, participants in the Second Crusade arrived in the kingdom.
Having met in Tripoli, the leaders of the crusaders, King Louis VII of France and King Conrad III of Germany, decided to attack the Emir of Damascus, friendly to the kingdom, as the most vulnerable enemy, despite the agreement between Damascus and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This was in complete contradiction to the advice of Melisande and Manasseh, who considered the main enemy to be Aleppo, the victory over which made it possible to return Edessa.
The crusade ended in 1148 with a complete failure. Melisande ruled the country as regent until Baldwin III overthrew her government in 1153, but the very next year Baldwin appointed her as regent and chief adviser.
Baldwin III took the last Egyptian outpost on the Palestinian coast from the Fatimids. In the same time general position Crusader states worsened as Nur ad-Din captured Damascus and united Muslim Syria under his rule.
Baldwin III died in 1162, a year after his mother, and was succeeded by his brother, Amaury. His reign was marked by opposition to Nur ad-Din and insidious attempts to prevent the takeover of Egypt. Although supported by the Byzantine emperor, Manuel Komnenos, Amori failed in the military operation against Egypt. Amori and Nur-ad-Din died in 1174.
Disaster and Recovery
Amory I was succeeded by his young son, . FROM early years he found out that he had leprosy. Baldwin, however, proved to be an efficient and energetic ruler and military commander.
Baldwin IV died in the spring of 1185, the title of king passed to his nephew, the infant Baldwin V. Count Raymond of Tripoli became regent. Baldwin V was a weak child and died in the summer of 1186. The royal power passed to Sibylla, sister of Baldwin IV and mother of Baldwin V
Loss of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade
The subsequent fall of Jerusalem essentially ended the first Kingdom of Jerusalem. The capture of the city shocked Europe, leading to the Third Crusade, which was launched in 1189, led by Philip Augustus (Frederick Barbarossa died en route).
In 1192 Richard the Lionheart mediated a further agreement by which Margrave Conrad of Montferrat became King of Jerusalem and Guy de Lusignan was granted Cyprus. In the same year, Conrad fell at the hands of an assassin in Tire.
After the death of Conrad, Isabella marries his relative Henry II of Champagne.
When Frederick II Staufen became king of Jerusalem in 1229, he managed to temporarily return Jerusalem to the Christians, taking advantage of the contradictions between the Muslim rulers.
The capture of Jerusalem in 1244 by the Khorezmians (the remnants of the Turkmen troops of Jalal ad-Din Mankburna), called by the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, as-Salih Ayyub, was the end of Christian dominion over this ancient holy city.
Photo gallery
1099 - 1291
Tyre (1187-)
Acre (1191-)
Jerusalem (1229-)
Acre (1244-)
Founding and early history
The kingdom was created after the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders in 1099. Gottfried of Bouillon, one of the leaders of the First Crusade, was elected the first king of the new state. He refused to accept this title, "not wanting to wear a royal crown where the Savior wore a thorny" and took another - Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri("Defender of the Holy Sepulcher"). After Godfrid died in 1100, his successor brother Baldwin immediately assumed the title of "King of Jerusalem".
Life in the kingdom
The new generation, born and raised in the Levant, considered the Holy Land their homeland and had a negative attitude towards the newly arrived crusaders. They also often looked more like Syrians than Franks. Many knew Greek, Arabic and other oriental languages, and married Greek or Armenian women.
Mid-twelfth century. Heirs of Amory I
Baldwin II was succeeded by his daughter Melisende of Jerusalem, who ruled alongside her husband Fulk of Anjou. During their reign, the greatest cultural and economic development was achieved, the symbol of which is the Melisende psalter, commissioned by the queen between and 1143. Fulk, the famous commander, faced a new dangerous enemy - the atabeg of Mosul Zangi. Although Fulk successfully opposed Zangi during his reign, Guillaume of Tire censured him for his poor frontier guards. Fulk died hunting in 1143. Zangi took advantage of this and captured the county of Edessa in . Queen Melisande, who became regent for her son Baldwin III, appointed a new constable, Manasse Yerzh, who led the army after the death of Fulk. In 1147, members of the Second Crusade arrived in the kingdom.
In 1163, the crusaders managed to take revenge in the battle with the army of Emir Nur-ad-Din at Al-Bukaya, but in 1176 the Byzantine emperor Manuel suffered a terrible defeat from
It's no secret that the Middle East today is one of the most turbulent regions of our planet, and threats to European civilization come from there. There is an opinion that the roots of these phenomena should be sought in the depths of centuries, because they are an echo of the Crusades. That is why, in order to understand the reasons for the confrontation between East and West, as well as to find ways for their peaceful coexistence, some researchers recommend carefully studying history. For example, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Edessa and neighboring states are of interest, where Christians who arrived from Europe and their descendants eventually learned to coexist peacefully with the local Muslim population.
background
The Kingdom of Jerusalem appeared on the world map in 1099 as a result of the capture by the crusaders of the city where the Savior was crucified. They arrived in the region at the call of Pope Urban II, to whom the Byzantine emperor Alexei I addressed with a request to protect Christians from the Turks. This was preceded by the Battle of Manzikert. The defeat of Byzantium led to the loss of Armenia and the eastern part of Asia Minor, which, according to historians, was the beginning of the end of this great empire. In addition, there were rumors about the atrocities of both Sunnis and Shiites against Christians in Palestine.
The protection of fellow believers was not the only reason that forced the pope to bless the soldiers for the Crusade. The fact is that by this time relative stability had been established in most of Europe, and thousands of well-trained knights were left without work, which led to armed clashes over the most trifling reasons. Sending them to the Middle East ensured peace, and also gave hope for an economic recovery in the future (due to trophies).
Initially, the liberation of Jerusalem was not included in the plans of the Crusaders. However, later they changed, and on July 15, 1099, the city was captured and ... plundered.
Base
The undisputed leader of the crusaders was Gottfried of Bouillon, who in medieval chronicles is credited with all the virtues of a real knight, faithful to Christian precepts. Having founded the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the barons and counts turned to him with a request to become the first ruler of the new state. Remaining true to his principles, Gottfried refused the crown, arguing that he could not wear it where the Savior himself wore the crown of thorns. The only thing he agreed to was to take the title of "Defender of the Holy Sepulcher."
Reign of the first king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Gottfried of Bouillon died in 1100, leaving no male offspring. His brother Baldwin was immediately crowned and began to rule Jerusalem, although he did not take any part in its siege and liberation, as he was busy capturing the Armenian Christian principalities of Tarsus, Tel Bashir, Ravendan and Edessa. Moreover, in the last city-state, he was adopted by the ruler Thoros and married his daughter. She went down in history as the first Queen of Jerusalem, Arda of Armenia. However, having subsequently killed his father-in-law and founded his own county of Edessa, Baldwin divorced, which brought the wrath of the pope.
Nevertheless, being a skilled politician, Baldwin the First expanded the kingdom of Jerusalem, capturing several port cities, and became the ruler of Antioch and the county of Tripoli. Also, under him, the number of inhabitants of the Catholic faith increased there.
Baldwin died in 1118, leaving no heirs.
Kings of the Kingdom of Jerusalem before the Second Crusade
The successor of the childless Baldwin the First, bypassing his brother, who is in France, was his relative - Count of Edessa de Burk. He also expanded the borders of the state. In particular, de Burke managed to make his vassals the ruler of the Principality of Antioch - the young Bohemond II, grandson, and in 1124 Tire was taken by him.
Long before his ascension to the throne, in order to strengthen his position in the region, Baldwin de Burke married the daughter of the Armenian prince Gabriel - Morphia (see Jean Richard, "The Kingdom of Jerusalem in Latin", the first part). She gave her husband three daughters. The eldest of them - Melisende - became the third and one of the most famous queens of Jerusalem. Before his death, her father took all measures so that his widower-in-law, Fulk of Anjou, could not divorce her and pass the throne to his children from his first marriage. For this, even during his lifetime, Baldwin the Second declared his first grandson, bearing his name, and his daughter as co-rulers.
After the murder of Fulk while hunting, Melisende became the sole ruler of the kingdom and was known as the patroness of the church and the arts.
Having become an adult, her eldest son Baldwin the Third decided that it was time to do everything possible so that the Kingdom of Jerusalem of the Crusaders came under his authority. He got into a confrontation with his mother, who fled with his younger brother Amaury. As a result of the intervention of the clergy, the son gave the city of Nablus under the control of Melisende, but she continued to engage in diplomatic activities for the benefit of the kingdom.
Second crusade
After the fall of Edessa in 1144, Melisende sent a message to the Pope asking for help in liberating the county. It was not ignored, and the pontiff announced the start of the Second Crusade. In 1148, troops from Europe, led by the French king, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and German Emperor Conrad, arrived in the Latin-Jerusalem kingdom. Being 18 years old, the young Baldwin the Third showed sufficient prudence, supporting the position of his mother and his constable, who believed that Aleppo should be attacked in order to quickly again hoist the flag of the Kingdom of Jerusalem over Edessa. However, the arriving monarchs had very different plans. They intended to capture Damascus, despite the fact that the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem had good diplomatic relations with this city-state. As a result, the "guests" from Europe won, which subsequently had disastrous consequences for the Christians of the Middle East.
Conrad and Baldwin, who went to Damascus, achieved nothing and were forced to lift the siege. The retreat of the Christians encouraged their enemies, and the losses caused great damage to the fighting capacity of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. So after Louis and Conrad with their armies left the Middle East, the situation there became much more tense than before.
Amory First
Baldwin the Third hardly managed to conclude a truce with Damascus, and the victory he won in 1158 on Lake Tiberias restored the country's former authority. This allowed the king to marry the niece of the Emperor of Byzantium, Theodora Komnenos. After 4 years, the monarch died, possibly from poisoning, leaving no heirs.
After the death of Baldwin III, the kingdom of Jerusalem was headed by his brother, who ascended the throne under the name of Amory the First. In 1157, he married Agnes de Courtenay, daughter of Josselin, Count of Edessa, and great-granddaughter of Kostandin the First. The church did not want to bless this marriage, since the young people had a common great-great-grandfather, but they insisted on their own. The couple had three children: Sybil, Baldwin and Alix. Nevertheless, Agnes did not become queen, although for most of the next century the kings of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were her direct descendants.
Amory the First directed his efforts to seizing territories in Egypt and strengthening his influence in this country, which he partially succeeded. At the same time, he married for the second time with the niece of the emperor of Byzantium, Mary, strengthening ties with this state. She bore him a daughter, Isabella.
The situation in the Middle East changed dramatically after the Caliph al-Adid appointed the then little-known Salah ad-Din vizier in January 1169. In 1170, the latter with an army invaded the lands of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and captured Eilat. All appeals of Amory the First to the European monarchs remained without a response. In 1974, without outside support, he laid siege to Banias, which was often called the key to the gates of Jerusalem. Unsuccessful and contracted typhoid fever, he returned to his capital, where he died. Before his death, he gave the city of Nablus to his wife Mary and their common daughter Isabella, and also appointed his son Baldwin, who at that time was only 13 years old, as the heir.
Rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem: Descendants of Amory the First
Assuming the throne, the young Baldwin the Fourth was completely under the influence of his mother, Agnes de Courtenay. Soon he fell ill with leprosy, and this disease caused his early death (at the age of 24). However, from the moment he came of age until his death, the young king, despite his illness, managed to prove himself a wise ruler.
Since it was obvious that the young man would not be able to leave offspring, his sister Sibylla was married to Guillaume de Montferrat. Thus, she became a relative of the King of France and the Emperor. The marriage did not last long, as the husband died a few months after the wedding, without seeing the birth of his son Baldwin.
Meanwhile, the leper king defeated the army of Salah ad-Din at the battle of Montgisar. From that time on, his skirmishes with the Muslim troops did not stop until the conclusion of peace in 1180. Then the widowed Sibylla was married to Guy de Lusignan. However, soon the new son-in-law lost the favor of the monarch, who decided to make his sister's young son, Baldwin de Montferrat, his heir.
In the spring of 1185, after the death of his uncle, the boy became king, but he reigned for only a year. Then the second husband of his mother, Guy de Lusignan, actually began to rule the country, to whom Sibylla publicly gave the crown, removing it from her head. Thus, with the exception of the reign of Baldwin de Montferrat, the Ardennes-Angevin dynasty owned the state of the crusaders in the Holy Land from 1090 to 1185 (Richard, "The Kingdom of Jerusalem", the first part).
Surrender of the city
During the reign of Guy de Lusignan, terrible misfortunes occurred that led the country to collapse. It all started with the Battle of Hattin in 1187, when the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was defeated by the troops of Salah ad-Din. Guy de Lusignan himself was captured, and in 1187 Sibylla and the famous crusader knight Balian de Ibelin were forced to organize the defense of Jerusalem. The forces were unequal, and it became obvious that the besieged Christians were in danger of extermination. Balian de Ibelin proved to be the most skillful diplomat, having achieved the surrender of the city on honorable terms. After leaving Jerusalem, Sibylla wrote a letter to Salah ad-Din asking him to let her husband go and was able to reunite with him in 1188.
Crusader state of Jerusalem in the 13th century
In the summer of 1190, Sibylla and her daughters died during a plague. Although her husband Guy de Lusignan continued to consider himself king, Isabella, the daughter of Amaury the First from her second marriage, began to rule the country. She was divorced from her first husband and married to Conrad of Montferrat. The latter received confirmation of his title, but did not have time to be crowned, as he was killed by two assassins. Just 8 days later, Isabella, pregnant with his daughter Mary, married Henry of Champagne on the advice of Richard the Lionheart. The marriage ended with the death of the spouse from an accident. Then Isabella remarried with her brother Guy de Lusignan, who became known as Amaury the Second.
The king and queen died almost simultaneously in 1205, allegedly from poisoning with stale fish.
They were succeeded by the Queen's eldest daughter, Marie de Montferrat. She married Jean de Brienne and died after childbirth. Her daughter Iolanthe was crowned, but her father ruled the country. At the age of 13, she was married to the Holy Roman Emperor. As a dowry, Frederick II received the title of King of Jerusalem and pledged to join the crusade. In Palermo, the queen gave birth to a daughter and a son, Conrad. In 1228, after her death, Frederick sailed to the Holy Land, where he was crowned. There he did not find anything better than to start a war with the Templars, trying to capture Acre, where the patriarch was. However, the emperor soon changed his mind and decided to take away weapons with him, leaving the Christian population of the kingdom of Jerusalem almost defenseless.
Before his shameful secret escape to Europe, he entrusted the administration of the state to Balan of Sidon.
Title change
The capture of the kingdom by the Khorezmians in 1244 put an end to the history of the domination of the Crusaders in the Holy Land. Nevertheless, over the next few centuries, some European aristocratic dynasties passed on the inheritance of Jerusalem. In 1268 it was abolished. He was replaced by the title of King of Jerusalem and Cyprus. Hugo the Third, the son of Isabella de Lusignan, became its first bearer. He changed the coat of arms of Cyprus, adding to it the symbols of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. His descendants held this title until 1393. After it was changed, since Jacques the First also became the king of Armenia.
The life of ordinary people in Christian states in the Holy Land
The new generation, born in Palestine, considered it their homeland and had a negative attitude towards the crusaders who had recently arrived from Europe. Many knew local languages and married Christian women of other faiths in order to acquire relatives who could provide support in difficult situations. Moreover, if the aristocrats lived in cities, then the local population - mostly Muslim - was engaged in agriculture. Only Franks were drafted into the army, and Eastern Christians were obliged to supply it with food.
In art, literature and multimedia products
by the most popular piece about the Kingdom of Jerusalem was the film by Ridley Scott "Kingdom of Heaven", which tells about the confrontation with Salah ad-Din and the surrender of Jerusalem. Some events from the history of the crusader state are reflected in computer games. For example, in Assassin's Creed. By the way, the new Stainless steel 6.1 mod is also available today. The kingdom of Jerusalem (voice acting, engine, land types and climate updated) is presented quite realistically there, and each region has its own resources.
Now you know who ruled such crusader states as the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Edessia and Antioch, and what events took place in the Middle East after the end of the First Crusade and before the Christians actually lost control over the region.
