Helvis of Ibelin
Helvis of Ibelin was a daughter of Balian of Ibelin and his wife, Maria Komnene, who was the dowager Queen of Jerusalem. Helvis was a member of the House of Ibelin. She was lady of Sidon by marriage.
Life
Helvis' mother was the widow of King Amalric of Jerusalem, which made Helvis a half-sister of Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem. Helvis was one of four siblings: although their order of birth is uncertain, the manuscripts of the Lignages d'Outremer suggest she was the elder daughter, and possibly the eldest child.Helvis' siblings were John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut, Margaret of Ibelin, and Philip of Ibelin, Regent of Cyprus.
Helvis spent her early life in Jerusalem, though during Saladin's siege of the city in 1187, Helvis, her mother and siblings were escorted to live in Tripoli. Her father Balian remained in Jerusalem and negotiated its surrender to Saladin, but joined his family in Tripoli afterward. They then went to Tyre, where they formed the strongest support for Conrad of Montferrat, who married Helvis's half-sister Queen Isabella in November 1190.
First marriage
Helvis firstly married Reginald of Sidon, a widower over forty years her senior. Reginald had been imprisoned by Saladin and married Helvis soon after his release in April 1190.The couple had the following children:
- Agnes, married Raoul (Ralph) de Saint-Omer of Tiberias, seneschal of Jerusalem.
- Fenie, married Eudes de Saint-Omer of Tiberias, Constable of Tripoli, Lord of Gogulat.
- Balian, who married Margaret of Brienne, and succeeded Reginald in Sidon in 1202.
Second marriage
When Guy of Montfort arrived at Jaffa, he took part in King Aimery's expedition into Galilee. Aimery rewarded Guy's service by arranging his marriage to Helvis. They married in 1204.The couple had the following children:
- Philip, who stayed in the Holy Land and became Lord of Tyre
- Pernelle, who became a nun at the abbey of Saint-Antoine des Champs in Paris