A short (as possible) history of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Kingdom of Jerusalem: foundation and life in the kingdom Golden years of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

a state created by participants in the 1st Crusade after they captured Jerusalem in 1099. It consisted of I.K. itself and vassal states: Tripoli and Edessa and the principality of Antioch. The first ruler is Godfrey of Bouillon. The main military forces - the orders of St. John the Knights and the Templars - could not withstand the onslaught of Muslims, which intensified from the middle of the 12th century. In 1187, the Egyptian Sultan Salajaddin captured Jerusalem. In 1291, the last stronghold of the crusaders, the city of Acre, fell.

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Kingdom of Jerusalem

a state created by participants in the 1st Crusade after they captured Jerusalem in 1099. It took shape territorially at the beginning of the 12th century. after new conquests of the Crusaders in the Eastern Mediterranean. In addition to Jerusalem itself, the Kingdom of Jerusalem included the counties of Tripoli and Edessa and the principality of Antioch. The first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was Godfrey of Bouillon. The Crusaders erected many castles and fortresses on the territory of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and cities and trade received significant development. The favorable geographical position of the Kingdom of Jerusalem contributed to the development of relations with Western European states, Byzantium and the Muslim East. In 1137, the Principality of Antioch was subjugated by Byzantium, and in 1144, the Seljuk Turks captured Edessa. The unstable position of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was aggravated by internal strife between the main military forces - the orders of the Johannites and Templars, the rivalry of Italian merchants and others. In 1187, the Egyptian Sultan Salah ad-Din occupied Jerusalem and most of the kingdom. At the end of the 13th century. Almost all the cities were captured by the Egyptian Mamluks. In 1291, Acre fell, the last stronghold of the crusaders.

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KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM

state, main European feudal lords as a result of the 1st Crusade in 1099 in Palestine and Syria and existed until the end. 12th century It consisted of Israel itself (Palestine) and 3 vassal states that actually retained independence: the Principality of Antioch, the County of Edessa and the County of Tripoli. Basic The majority of workers in I.K. were serfs (villans) from the conquered population. The size of their duties often depended on the arbitrariness of the lords. Slavery also existed in I.K. On the territory I. to. there were large fiefs. possessions vassal to the king; they were divided into smaller fiefs, inheritances. the owners of which were obliged to military service. service to the overlord and enjoyed great political power on their estates. independence. Often, feudal knights received various types of income from trade (tax collection) along with land (or in exchange for it). Korolev. power was limited by the High Chamber - military-political. council of queens vassals. In the 60s 12th century Attempts were made to strengthen the queens. power through direct subordination of all captives to the crown, but these attempts were unsuccessful. Affect. The strength in I.K. was the highest Catholic. clergy who owned vast estates taken, in particular, from Muslims. and local Christians. churches. Cities did not have self-government; The exception was the privileged settlements of Italian merchants in port cities (Acre, Tyre, Jaffa, etc.), managed by consuls and subordinate to their metropolises, which became important centers of Levantine trade. Uprisings of the brutally exploited local population, especially peasants and artisans, under feudal conditions. fragmentation and few chivalry, rivalry and conflicts between feudal lords-crusaders, wars between the states of the crusaders with each other, with the Muslims. states and Byzantium, finally, the turnover of the knightly population, the lack of regular support from the West. Europe - all this determined the fragility and fragility of I.K. Its basis. The strength was made up of the military monastic orders of the Templars and Johannites, which, being at odds with each other, were unable to effectively resist the onslaught of the Muslims, which intensified in the middle. 12th century In 1144 a battle took place, as a result of which Edessa was captured by the Seljuks. In 1187, Sultan Salah ad-din defeated the crusader army at Hattin, near Lake Tiberias, after which he captured Jerusalem and b. part of the kingdom. The remnants of the Crusaders' possessions were conquered by Egypt. Mamluks in con. 13th century, the capital of this so-called. 2nd I.K. - city of Acre - fell in 1291. Lit.: Zaborov M. A., Crusades, M., 1956; Richard J., Le royaume latin de J?rusalem, P., 1953. M. A. Zaborov. Moscow. -***-***-***- Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 11th - 13th centuries.

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Kingdom of Jerusalem

The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom that arose in the Levant in 1099 after the end of the First Crusade. It was destroyed in 1291 with the fall of Acre.

Founding and early history

The kingdom was created after the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099. Godfrey of Bouillon, one of the leaders of the First Crusade, was elected as 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 took the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri ("Defender of the Holy Sepulchre"). Godfried died the following year; his brother and heir, Baldwin I, was not so pious and immediately took the title "King of Jerusalem".

Baldwin successfully expanded the kingdom, capturing the port cities of Acre, Sidon and Beirut, as well as establishing his suzerainty 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 - Latins who came with the Rearguard Crusade - increased, 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 took part in the capture of ports, where they received their quarters for trade.

Baldwin died in 1118 and left no heirs; he was succeeded by his cousin Baldwin de Bourque, Count of Edessa. 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 Tire was taken in 1124.

Life in the kingdom

The new generation, born and raised in the Levant, considered the Holy Land to be their homeland and had a negative attitude towards the newly arriving crusaders. Also, they often looked like Syrians rather than Franks. Many knew Greek, Arabic and other oriental languages, and married Greek or Armenian women.

As Fulcher of Chartres wrote: “We Westerners have become Easterners; he who was a Roman or a Frank became here a Galilean or an inhabitant of Palestine; he who lived in Reims or Chartres sees himself as a citizen from Tire or Antioch.".

The structure was largely based on the feudal orders of the then Western Europe, but with many important differences. The kingdom was located on a small territory; there was little land suitable for agriculture. Since ancient times, this region's entire economy has been concentrated in cities, unlike in medieval Europe. The feudal lords, owning lands, nevertheless preferred to live in Jerusalem and other cities.

As in Europe, 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, they lived as before in rural areas. The "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 of autonomy. They supplied food to the kingdom's troops, but did not perform military service, unlike Europe; Likewise, the Italians did not bear any duties, despite living in port cities. As a result, the army of the kingdom was small and consisted of Franks - residents of the cities.

The predominance of cities in the area and the presence of Italian traders led to the development of an economy that was more commercial than agricultural. Palestine has always been a crossroads of trade routes; trade 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 made huge profits, which influenced their prosperity in the following centuries.

Since the noble lords lived more in Jerusalem than in the provinces, they had much greater influence over the king than was the case in Europe. The noble barons formed the High Council, one of the earliest forms of parliament in Western Europe. The council consisted of bishops and influential barons, and was responsible for electing the king, providing money to the king, and mobilizing armies.

The lack of troops was largely compensated by the creation of spiritual knightly orders. The Templar and Hospitaller orders were created in the early years of the kingdom and often replaced the barons in the province. Their leaders were based in Jerusalem, lived in huge castles and often bought lands that the barons could not defend. The orders were directly under papal rather than royal control; 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 are the works of William of Tire and the Muslim writer Osama ibn Munkyz.

Mid-12th century

Baldwin II was succeeded by his daughter Melisende, who ruled alongside her husband Fulk of Anjou. During their reign the greatest cultural and economic development was achieved, symbolized by the psalter of Melisende, commissioned by the queen between 1135 and 1143. Fulk, the famous commander, faced a new dangerous enemy - the atabek of Mosul, Zengi. Although Fulk successfully opposed Zengi during his reign, Guillaume of Tire criticized him for his poor management of border protection. Fulk died while 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'Hierge to lead the army after Fulk's death. 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 kingdom's friendly Emir of Damascus, as the most vulnerable enemy, despite the agreement between Damascus and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This was a complete contradiction to the advice of Melisande and Manasse, who considered the main enemy to be Aleppo, victory over which would make it possible to return Edessa. The Crusade ended in 1148 as a complete failure. Melisande ruled the country as regent until Baldwin III overthrew her government in 1153, but the following year Baldwin appointed her regent and chief adviser. Baldwin III took Ascalon from the Fatimids, the last Egyptian outpost on the Palestinian coast. At the same time, the general position of the 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, Amalric. His reign was marked by confrontation with Nur-Ad-Din and cunning attempts to prevent Saladin from taking over Egypt. Although with the support of the Byzantine emperor, Manuel Komnenos, Amalric failed the military operation against Egypt. Amalric and Nur-Ad-Din died in 1174.

Disaster and recovery

Amalric was succeeded by his young son, Baldwin IV. From an early age he learned that he had leprosy. Baldwin, however, proved himself to be an effective and energetic king and military commander.

Baldwin IV died in the spring of 1185, and Baldwin V became king.

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 Richard the Lionheart and Philip Augustus (Frederick Barbarossa died en route).

In 1192, Richard the Lionheart became a mediator in a further agreement reached, by virtue of which Margrave Conrad of Montferrat became king of Jerusalem, and Guy de Lusignan was given Cyprus. That same year, Conrad fell at the hands of an assassin in Tire.

After the death of Conrad, his relative Henry II of Champagne marries Isabella.

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Wore thorns, but he took the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri("Defender of the Holy Sepulcher"). Godfrey died the following year; his brother and successor Baldwin I was not so pious and immediately took the title "King of Jerusalem".

Capture of Jerusalem in 1099

Baldwin successfully expanded the kingdom, capturing the port cities of Acre, Sidon and Beirut, as well as establishing his suzerainty 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 - Latins who came from the Rearguard Crusade - increased, 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 took part in the capture of ports, where they received their quarters for trade.

2. Life in the kingdom

The kingdom's Latin population was always small, despite a steady flow of settlers and new crusaders. Most of the participants in the First Campaign simply returned home. There were many more Muslims, Greeks and Syrians under the kingdom's rule. The new generation, born and raised in the Levant, considered the Holy Land as their homeland, combining many cultural characteristics of different peoples. Many Franks learned to speak Greek and Arabic, and often married local Christians (Greeks, Syrians, or Armenians) and Muslim converts to Christianity.

2.1. Political structure

The device was largely based on the feudal orders of the then Western Europe, but with many important differences. The kingdom was located on a small territory; there was little land suitable for agriculture. Since ancient times, this region's entire economy has been concentrated in cities, unlike medieval Europe. The feudal lords who owned the lands preferred to live in Jerusalem and other cities. As in Europe, 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.

Since the noble lords lived more in Jerusalem than in the provinces, they had much greater influence on the king than was the case in Europe. The noble barons formed the High Council, one of the earliest forms of parliament in Western Europe. The council consisted of bishops and influential barons, and was responsible for electing the king, providing money to the king, and mobilizing the army.

The shortage of troops was largely compensated by the creation of spiritual knightly orders. The Templar and Hospitaller orders were created in the early years of the kingdom and often replaced the barons in the province. Their leaders were in Jerusalem, lived in huge castles and often bought lands that the barons could not protect. The orders were directly under papal control, and not royal, they were largely independent and were not obliged to carry out military service, however, in fact, they participated in all the main battles.

2.2. Demography

In the thirteenth storlitti, John Ibelin compiled a list of fiefs and the number of knights that belonged to each of them. Unfortunately, this list probably reflects the kingdom of the 13th century rather than the 12th, and gives no indication of the size of the non-noble, non-Latin population. At first, the kingdom was virtually devoid of a loyal subject population and had only a few servant knights who would enforce the laws and orders of the kingdom. However, since representatives of European trading enterprises and knights of military orders actively arrived in the kingdom, the kingdom's affairs quickly improved. Further immigration continued for some time and increased the kingdom's Frankish population to approximately 25–35% in the 1180s. Many Muslims who fled immediately after the conquest also returned to the kingdom, and other immigrants arrived from the east.

Although Muslims, Jews and Orthodox Christians had virtually no rights in the countryside, where they were theoretically the property of a crusader lord who owned the land, tolerance of other faiths was generally higher than in any other place in the Middle East. The Greeks, Syrians and Jews continued to live as they had lived before, under their own laws and courts, only their former Muslim overlords were replaced by the Crusaders, and the Muslims joined the lower ranks of society. The Rais, the leader of a Muslim or Syrian society, was a sort of vassal for the noble who owned the land, but since the crusader lord was often absent, the Rais and their societies had a certain autonomy. In the cities, Muslims were free to become Orthodox, although Muslims were not allowed to live directly in Jerusalem. However, they were “second-class” citizens and played no role in politics or lawmaking; they were also accepted for military service. The Italians who lived in port cities also did not bear any duties.

The Kingdom also always had a certain number of Muslim slaves. Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, could not be slaves by law, but this share was common for Muslim prisoners of war, since the same was done with Christian captives captured by Muslims. Escape was probably not difficult, and runaway slaves were always a problem, but the only legal means of emancipation was conversion to Christianity.

There were many attempts to attract settlers from Europe, who economically freed the Kingdom from its dependence on Arab, Syrian and Greek populations, but significant immigration and colonization were beyond the capabilities of medieval Europe. Therefore, although the Frankish rural population grew, it remained relatively small, and the Crusader armies were also small, drawn from the Frankish population of the cities. This meant that a minority of the event's natives had to rule over a large and disloyal population of Arabs, Greeks and Syrians.

After the loss of Jerusalem in 1187, virtually the entire Franco and Italian population fled back to Europe. The recapture of the Mediterranean coast during the Third Campaign allowed the Frankish population of the coastal cities to be restored. The cities that remained had a more homogeneous Western Catholic population, and the remainder of the Kingdom's population was predominantly Frankish and Italian.

2.3. Economy

The predominance of cities in the area and the presence of Italian traders led to the development of an economy that was more commercial than agricultural. Palestine has always been a crossroads of trade routes, and now trade has 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 made huge profits, which influenced their prosperity in the following centuries.

Jerusalem also collected money in the form of tribute, first from coastal cities that had not yet been captured, and later from other neighboring states such as Damascus and Egypt, which the Crusaders could not conquer. After Baldwin I expanded his authority over Transjordan, Jerusalem also received income from taxing Muslim caravans passing from Syria to Egypt or Arabia. Jerusalem's cash economy meant that part of the human resource problem could be solved through the use of mercenaries, a practice unusual in Europe at the time. The mercenaries could be either crusaders or Muslim soldiers, including the famous Turcopoles.

2.4. Education

Jerusalem was the center of education in the kingdom. There was a large school attached to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the relative wealth of the merchant class meant that their children were brought up there along with the children of the nobility - it is possible that William of Tire was a classmate of the future King Baldwin III. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher school taught basic reading and writing skills in Latin, but higher education had to be obtained at one of the universities in Europe: the establishment of a university was impossible in the culture of Crusader Jerusalem, where war was much more important than philosophy or theology. However, the nobility and the majority of the Frankish population had a high level of literacy: there were many lawyers and clerks, and the study of law, history and other academic sciences was a favorite pastime of the royal family and nobility. Jerusalem also had an extensive library of not only ancient and medieval Latin works, but also Arabic literature, much of which was apparently delighted by Osama ibn Munqiz and his circle during the raid of the 1150s. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher also maintained the royal manuscript workshops, where the kingdom's official documents were produced. With the exception of Latin, the standard literate language of medieval Europe, the common people of Crusader Jerusalem also conversed in vernacular forms of French and Italian, Greek, Armenian and Arabic were also somewhat common among the Frankish settlers.

2.5. Art and architecture

In Jerusalem itself, the greatest architectural project was the expansion of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Western Gothic style. This expansion combined all the individual tombs into one building and was completed in 1149. Outside of Jerusalem, the main element of construction was castles and fortresses: Krak and Montreal in Transjordan and Ibelin near Jaffa are just a few of a large number of these castles.

The art of the Crusader state was a mixture of Western, Byzantine and Islamic styles. The main cities had bathhouses, running water, and other advanced hygienic facilities that were in such short supply throughout the world. An advanced example of Crusader art is the Psalter of Melisende, now in the British Library, an illuminated manuscript created between 1135 and 1143, and stuccoed Nazarene capitals. Painting and mosaics were popular art forms in the kingdom, but many were destroyed by the Mamluks in the 13th century, with only strong fortresses surviving the onslaught.

3. Mid 12th century

3.1. Reign of Melisende and the Second Crusade

After Baldwin II, the throne was inherited by his daughter Melisende, who ruled together with her husband Fulk of Anjou. During their reign, the greatest cultural and economic development was achieved, symbolized by the Psalter of Melisende, commissioned by the queen between and years. Fulk, the famous commander, faced a new dangerous enemy - the atabek of Mosul, Zengi. Although Fulk successfully opposed Zengi during his reign, Guillaume of Tire criticized him for his poor management of border protection. Fulk died hunting in 1143. Zengi took advantage of this and captured the County of Edessa in . Queen Melisende, who became regent under her son Baldwin III, appointed a new constable, Manasse Gyerge, who led the army after Fulk's death. In the year, participants in the Second Crusade arrived in the kingdom.

3.2. Alliance with Byzantium

Melisande ruled the country as regent until her own son, Baldwin III, overthrew her government in 1999, but the following year he appointed him regent and chief adviser. Baldwin III took Ascalon to the Fatimid Empire, the last Egyptian outpost on the Palestinian coast. At the same time, the general position of the Crusader states worsened as Nur ad-Din captured Damascus and united Muslim Syria under his rule.

Baldwin's government began to face significant difficulties. He suffers from a chronic lack of men and resources to defend the kingdom, and help from the West has all but disappeared. Seeking alternative allies, Baldwin turned to the Byzantine emperor for help. To strengthen the kingdom's defenses against growing Muslim forces, he formed the first direct alliance with the Byzantine Empire in the kingdom's history by marrying Theodora Komnenos, the niece of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. Manuel, in turn, also married Baldwin's cousin Maria. As the historian William of Tyre wrote, Baldwin hoped that Manuel could “at the expense of his own wealth, alleviate the lot of the kingdom and change its poverty into abundance.” Although Baldwin died childless in 1162, a year after his mother Melisende, the kingdom passed to his brother Amalric, who renewed the alliance with Byzantium. The importance of the alliance was demonstrated in 1164, when the Crusaders suffered a very serious blow at the Battle of Charim under the walls of Antiochus. Prince of Antioch, Bohemund III was captured by

It's no secret that the Middle East today is one of the most troubled 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, for 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 over time learned to live peacefully with the local Muslim population.

Background

The Kingdom of Jerusalem appeared on the world map in 1099 as a result of the Crusaders’ capture of the city where the Savior was crucified. They arrived in the region at the call of Pope Urban II, who was approached by the Byzantine Emperor Alexei I 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, rumors emerged of atrocities committed by 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 idle, which led to armed skirmishes over the most trifling reasons. Sending them to the Middle East ensured peace and also provided hope for economic growth in the future (due to spoils).

Initially, the liberation of Jerusalem was not part of 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 Godfrey of Bouillon, to whom medieval chronicles ascribe all the virtues of a true knight, faithful to Christian commandments. 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, citing the fact that he could not wear it where the Savior himself wore the crown of thorns. The only thing he agreed to was to accept the title of “Defender of the Holy Sepulcher.”

Reign of the first king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

Godfrey 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 incurred the wrath of the Pope.

However, being a skilled politician, Baldwin the First expanded the Kingdom of Jerusalem, capturing several port cities, and became ruler of Antioch and the county of Tripoli. Also, under him, the number of Catholic residents there grew.

Baldwin died in 1118 and left no heirs.

Kings of the Kingdom of Jerusalem before the Second Crusade

The successor of the childless Baldwin the First, bypassing his brother, who was in France, was his relative, the Count of Edessa de Bourque. He also expanded the boundaries of the state. In particular, de Burke managed to make his vassals the ruler of the Principality of Antioch, the young Bohemond II, his grandson, and in 1124 he captured Tire.

Long before ascending the throne, in order to strengthen his position in the region, Baldwin de Bourque married the daughter of the Armenian prince Gabriel, Morphia (see Jean Richard, “The Latin-Jerusalem Kingdom,” 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 her death, her father took all measures to prevent his widower son-in-law, Fulk of Anjou, from divorcing her and passing the throne to his children from his first marriage. To do this, during his lifetime, Baldwin the Second declared his first grandson, bearing his name, and his daughter co-rulers.

After the murder of Fulk while hunting, Melisende became the sole leader of the kingdom and became 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 to ensure that the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem came under his rule. He entered 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 beginning of the Second Crusade. In 1148, troops from Europe, led by the French king, his wife Alienora of Aquitaine, and the German emperor Conrad, arrived in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Being 18 years old, young Baldwin III 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 completely 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 Christians in the Middle East.

Conrad and Baldwin, who went to Damascus, achieved nothing and were forced to lift the siege. The retreat of the Christians inspired their enemies, and the losses caused great damage to the fighting capacity of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. So after Louis and Conrad left the Middle East with their armies, the situation there became much more tense than before.

Amory the First

Baldwin the Third barely managed to conclude a truce with Damascus, and his victory on Lake Tiberias in 1158 restored the country’s former authority. This allowed the king to marry the niece of the Byzantine emperor, Theodora Komnenos. Four years later, the monarch died, possibly from poisoning, leaving no heirs.

After the death of Baldwin the Third, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was headed by his brother, who ascended the throne under the name Amalric the First. In 1157, he married Agnes de Courtenay, daughter of Count Josselin of Edessa and great-granddaughter of Costandin 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. However, Agnes did not become queen, although for most of the next century the kings of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were her direct descendants.

Amaury the First directed his efforts to seize territories in Egypt and strengthen his influence in this country, which he partially succeeded. At the same time, he married for a second time to the niece of the Emperor of Byzantium, Maria, strengthening ties with this state. She bore him a daughter, Isabella.

The situation in the Middle East changed dramatically after Caliph al-Adid appointed the then little-known Salah ad-Din as vizier in January 1169. In 1170, the latter with an army invaded the lands of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and captured Eilat. All of Amaury the First's appeals to European monarchs remained unanswered. In 1974, without outside support, he laid siege to Banias, which was often called the key to the gates of Jerusalem. Unsuccessful and contracting typhoid fever, he returned to his capital, where he died. Before his death, he gave the city of Nablus to his wife Maria and their common daughter Isabella, and also appointed his son Baldwin, who was only 13 years old at that time, as heir.

Rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem: Descendants of Amalric the First

Upon ascending the throne, young Baldwin the Fourth found himself completely under the influence of his mother Agnes de Courtenay. He soon 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 Montgisard. From that time on, his clashes with Muslim troops did not stop until peace was concluded in 1180. At the same time, the widowed Sibylla was married to Guy de Lusignan. However, the new son-in-law soon lost favor with 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 reigned for only a year. Then the country was actually ruled by his mother’s second husband, Guy de Lusignan, 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 held the Crusader state in the Holy Land from 1090 to 1185 (Richard, "The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem", part one).

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 himself to be a most skillful diplomat, achieving the surrender of the city on honorable terms. After leaving Jerusalem, Sibylla wrote a letter to Salah ad-Din asking him to release her husband and was able to reunite with him in 1188.

Jerusalem Crusader State in the 13th century

In the summer of 1190, Sibylla and her daughters died during a plague epidemic. Although her husband Guy de Lusignan continued to consider himself a 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, taking the advice of Richard the Lionheart. The marriage ended with the death of the spouse from an accident. Then Isabella remarried to Guy de Lusignan's brother, who became known as Amaury the Second.

The king and queen died almost simultaneously in 1205, allegedly from poisoning from stale fish.

They were succeeded by the queen's eldest daughter, Maria de Montferrat. She married Jean de Brienne and died after giving birth. Her daughter Iolanta 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 found nothing better than to start a war with the Templars, trying to capture Acre, where the patriarch was located. However, the emperor soon changed his mind and decided to take the weapons with him, leaving the Christian population of the kingdom of Jerusalem practically 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 Crusaders' domination in the Holy Land. Nevertheless, over the next few centuries, several European aristocratic dynasties passed down Jerusalem as inheritance. In 1268 it was abolished. To replace him, the title of King of Jerusalem and Cyprus was established. Its first bearer was Hugo the Third, the son of Isabella de Lusignan. 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. Later 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 Christians and women of other faiths in order to acquire relatives who could provide support in difficult situations. Moreover, if the aristocrats lived in cities, 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

The most popular work about the Kingdom of Jerusalem was Ridley Scott's film "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 mod Stainless steel 6.1 is also available today. The Kingdom of Jerusalem (voice acting, engine, land types and climates have been updated) is presented there quite realistically, and each region has its own resources.

Now you know who ruled such crusader states as the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Edessa 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 of the region.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem was formed as a result of the First Crusade and was the largest and strongest Christian entity in the Middle East. At the very end of the 1st century, the crusaders captured Jerusalem, and Godfrey, Duke of Lower Lorraine, became the ruler of the city.

He began to be called the “Defender of the Holy Sepulcher.” Gottfried is a character in many medieval legends. He is credited with extraordinary piety and religiosity - he prayed for a long time, observed fasting, and was also modest and unpretentious in everyday life. Legend has it that Godfrey even refused the title of King of Jerusalem because he did not want to wear the crown in the city where Christ himself died. Godfrey became the founder of a dynasty whose coat of arms was a golden cross on a white background.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem faced many problems from the very beginning of its existence. Having captured Jerusalem, thousands of crusaders went further - to the north, where they were defeated. Godfrey remained in the city with only a few thousand knights and soldiers. In addition, the rulers of the Kingdom experienced an acute shortage of horses, which made guarding Jerusalem an almost impossible task.

Godfrey died at the very beginning of the 12th century during the Battle of Acre or from cholera - it is not known for certain. His brother Baldwin became the new ruler, and took the title of King of Jerusalem. He was not distinguished by the piety of Gottfried, but, on the contrary, was ambitious, loved luxury and power.

Baldwin was also not a model Christian. So, having married for the first time, he soon married again in order to take possession of his wife’s rich inheritance. Accused of bigamy, Baldwin sent his second wife back with nothing - he had previously squandered her fortune.

Nevertheless, the king showed zeal in political and military affairs. During the reign of Baldwin, the borders of the kingdom expanded significantly - several large cities were captured, including Acre, and dominion was established over a number of principalities.

The number of inhabitants of the Kingdom of Jerusalem under King Baldwin increased significantly due to the Europeans who moved here. Cities that had helped Baldwin repel Muslim attacks, such as Genoa and Pisa, became involved in the life of Jerusalem. The Italian fleet helped Baldwin capture ports, so the Italians received significant areas as a reward, where they began to settle and trade. At the same time, a Latin patriarch appeared in Jerusalem. Various knightly orders, for example the Johannites, began to emerge and gain strength on the territory of the kingdom. The knights were not subordinate to either the king or the Pope: they were independent and were not obliged to perform military service, however, they participated in all major battles. The Al-Aqsa Mosque became the main abode of the Knights of the Templar Order.
After the death of the childless Baldwin in 1118, his cousin, Baldwin de Burke, Count of Edessa, came to power. The new king continued the policy of expanding the kingdom and new conquests. So, in 1124 the city of Tire was captured. Baldwin II became a character in many legends and tales, was considered a pious ruler, and before his death he became a monk.

After the death of Baldwin II in 1131, the throne passed to his daughter Melisende, who ruled the kingdom with her husband. This period became the point of greatest prosperity of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. However, after 12 years of reign, the king died while hunting, and power passed to the couple’s son, Baldwin III, and Melisende remained with him as an adviser. The new king was a religious, educated and pious man. Some historians even consider him the best ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
After Baldwin III, his brother Amaury III ascended the throne, pursuing a fairly tough policy. After his death, young Baldwin IV, who suffered from leprosy from infancy, became king. A serious illness did not prevent him from being an energetic ruler and an excellent military leader. The borders of the kingdom during the reign of Baldwin III were under reliable protection.

The king died in 1185 and from that moment the decline of the Kingdom of Jerusalem began. Several rulers changed who could no longer maintain power over the Kingdom. The city was captured, leading to the Crusade in 1189, led by King Richard I the Lionheart. The Crusaders approached Jerusalem twice, but never captured the city.

In 1229, King Frederick II ascended the throne, and for a time managed to return Jerusalem to Christians. But already in 1244 the city was again taken by Muslims. This marked the end of Christian reign in Jerusalem.

In 1285, Henry II became the last king of Jerusalem. He ruled for only 6 years, until the Mamluks captured Acre, the last capital of the kingdom and a stronghold of the Crusaders. The few knights who managed to escape fled to Cyprus.

The state was created as a result First Crusade . After the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders in 1099, the royal crown was offered to one of the leaders of the crusaders, Duke of Lower Lorraine Godfrey of Bouillon. But he refused the high honor, accepting only the title of “Defender of the Holy Sepulcher.” Godfrey died a year later, and his brother Baudouin, who was at that time Count of Edessa, succeeded him and became the first king of Jerusalem.

Ardennes dynasty, 1099-1131

Ardennes-Angevin dynasty, 1131-1186.

Fulco I/V Angevin 1131-1143

Baudouin V of Montferrat 1185-1186

Kings from different families

These kings, representatives of different dynasties, gained power through marriages with heirs to the throne.

Guy (Guido) Lusignan 1186-1192

Conrad of Montferrat 1192

Henry I of Champagne 1192-1197

Amalric (Amalric) II Lusignan 1197-1205

Maria Iolanthe of Montferrat 1206-1219

Jean de Brienne (husband of Maria Iolanta) 1210-1225

Hohenstaufen dynasty, 1225-1268

In 1225, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II married the daughter of Jean de Brienne, Iolanthe (Isabella), after which he took the title of King of Jerusalem. The former king, Jean de Brienne, was forced to relinquish his royal crown.

During the crusade in 1228/1229, Frederick II took Jerusalem from the Muslims, concluded a peace (and even allied) treaty with the Egyptian Sultan, and then left the Holy Land forever, retaining, however, the title of King of Jerusalem. His successors, Conrad II and Conrad III (Conradin), were also recognized as kings of Jerusalem.

Frederick II of Hohenstaufen 1225/9-1250

Conrad II of Hohenstaufen 1250-1254

Conrad III (Conradin) 1254-1268

Lusignan Dynasty, 1243-1267

With the departure of Frederick II to Europe in 1229, the daughter of Henry 1 of Champagne and Isabella of Jerusalem, Alice, was elected regent of the kingdom. In 1243, the Hohenstaufens were deprived of the right to exercise their royal prerogatives, but the kings of Cyprus, who ruled the remnants of the Kingdom of Jerusalem until 1269, bore only the title of ruler.

Alice of Cyprus (Champagne) 1229/43-1246

Henry I of Cyprus 1246-1253

Hugo II of Cyprus 1253-1267

Aquitaine-Norman-Lusignan dynasty, 1267-1291.

After the suppression of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in 1268, the ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Hugo III of Cyprus, took for himself the title of King of Jerusalem.

Hugo III of Cyprus 1267-1277/84

Charles of Anjou (nominally) 1278-1286

Henry II of Cyprus 1284/1286-1291

In 1291, the Crusaders were finally expelled from Palestine. Further, the title of kings of Jerusalem was retained in their title by the kings of Cyprus.

Jerusalem Latin Patriarchs

during the existence of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

Arnoul 1099

Daibert 1099-1102

Ebremar 1102-1105

Daibert (secondary) 1105

Ebremar (secondary) 1105-1108

Ghibelin 1108-1112

Arnoul 1112-1118

Gvaramund (Garmon) 1119-1128

Stefan 1128-1130

William I of Malines 1131-1145

Fulcher 1146-1157

Amalric 1157-1180

Irakli... 1180-1191

Albert I (?) 1191-1193

Geimar Monk 1194-1202

Soffred 1202-1203/4

Albert II Avogardo 1204/1205-1214

Radulf (Raoul de Merencourt) 1214-1225

Thomas of Capua (not recognized by the pope) 1225

Herald of Lausanne 1225-1238

Robert of Nantes 1240-1254

Obizzo, Patr. Antioch (not recognized by the Pope) 1254

Jacob Pantaleon 1255- 1261

William II d "Agen 1261-1270

Thomas Agni Cozentsky 1272-1277

John of Vercella 1278-1279

Elijah (in Rome) 1279-1287

Nicholas de Anapis 1288-1291

Book materials used: Sychev N.V. Book of Dynasties. M., 2008. p. 350-352, 359-360.

Read further:

Kings of Jerusalem(genealogical table).

Jerusalem, Hebrew Yerushalayim. City in Palestine.