Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem


The Kingdom of Jerusalem, one of the Crusader states that was created in 1099, was divided into a number of smaller seigneuries. According to the 13th-century jurist John of Ibelin, the four highest crown vassals in the kingdom proper were the count of Jaffa and Ascalon, the prince of Galilee, the lord of Sidon, and the lord of Oultrejordain.
There were also a number of independent seigneuries, and some land held under direct royal control, such as Jerusalem itself, Acre and Tyre.

Northern states

Aside from the Kingdom of Jerusalem, there were also three other major Crusader states in the Near East:
These states nominally bore some dependency on the kingdom of Jerusalem. The king of Jerusalem was bound to reconcile them in case of disputes, or between a vassal prince and the Latin patriarch of Antioch, and could claim the regency in case of a vacancy or minority in their successions.
Edessa was perhaps the most closely tied to the kingdom, despite its distance. Its first two counts became kings of Jerusalem, and the county was bestowed as a royal gift on Joscelin I of Edessa.
The County of Tripoli, the nearest of them, is sometimes considered to have been a vassal lordship under the king's suzerainty, although it preserved an extraordinary degree of sovereignty.
Antioch was almost independent, for it was founded already before the kingship and its first holder was a rival of kings, the original leader of the crusade. Later in its history, it would at times recognize Byzantine or Armenian suzerainty, or none at all.
These states dated their documents by the reigns of their own rulers, carried out their own foreign policy, and sent military aid to the kingdom of their own will, rather than through feudal obligation; therefore, they are generally recognized as sovereign and are treated more fully under their own articles.
The Principality of Antioch, County of Tripoli and the Kingdom of Jerusalem were autonomous states.

County of Jaffa and Ascalon

, on the Mediterranean coast, was fortified after the First Crusade, and was held by the Le Puiset family until the revolt of Hugh II in 1134. Afterwards, it was usually held directly by the royal family or one of their relatives. After 1153, it became the double County of Jaffa and Ascalon, when the Fatimid fortress of Ascalon was conquered. It passed in and out of direct royal control, and became titular after the loss of the counties to the Muslims in the 13th-century. A number of seigneuries were vassals to the count of Jaffa, including the Lordship of Ramla, Lordship of Ibelin and Lordship of Mirabel.

Counts of Jaffa

Jaffa was taken by the Crusaders in June 1099 during the siege of Jerusalem and became part of the kingdom shortly thereafter. The counts of Jaffa were:
Jaffa merged with newly-conquered Ascalon in 1153, becoming the County of Jaffa and Ascalon.

Counts of Jaffa and Ascalon

After the siege of Ascalon in 1153, the frontier fortress of Ascalon joined Jaffa in a combined county. The counts of Jaffa and Ascalon were:
Jaffa was occupied by the Mamluks in 1268.

Lordship of Ramla

Originally held by the bishop of Ramla-Lydda, in 1126 Ramla became part of Jaffa, and a separate lordship was created after Hugh II's revolt in 1134. The castle of Ibelin happened to be located quite near Ramla. It was later a part of the Lordship of Ibelin, inherited from Helvis of Ramla, daughter of Baldwin I of Ramla and wife of Barisan of Ibelin. The Lords of Ramla were:
  • Baldwin I of Ramla, 1134–1138
  • Barisan of Ibelin, 1138–1150
  • Manasses of Hierges, 1150–1152
  • Hugh of Ibelin, son of Barisan of Ibelin, 1152–1169
  • Baldwin of Ibelin, brother of Hugh of Ibelin, 1169–1186
  • Thomas of Ibelin, son of Baldwin of Ibelin, 1186–1187
  • Ramla occupied by Ayyubids, 1187–1191
  • Balian of Ibelin, brother of Baldwin of Ibelin, 1191–1193
  • John of Ibelin, son of Balian, 1193–1247
  • Lordship held by Counts of Jaffa and Ascalon after 1247.

    Lordship of Ibelin

The Lordship of Ibelin was also created out of Jaffa. The lordship was given as a reward to Barisan of Ibelin, whose wife Helvis of Ramla already owned lands in the vicinity. The castle of Ramla, the family's other inheritance, was nearby, and together these territories formed a wealthy entity. Balian of Ibelin married Maria Comnena, widow of Amalric I of Jerusalem, and the Ibelins became the most powerful noble family of the kingdom, later ruling also over Beirut. The lords of Ibelin were:
  • Barisan of Ibelin, c. 1134–1150
  • Hugh of Ibelin, son of Barisan of Ibelin, 1150–1170
  • Balian of Ibelin, son of Barisan of Ibelin, 1170–1193
  • John of Ibelin, son of Balian, 1193–1236
  • Lordship held by Counts of Jaffa and Ascalon after 1236.

    Lordship of Mirabel

was separated from Jaffa after the revolt in 1134, and given to Baldwin of Ibelin in 1166, although it was separate from Ibelin. He was succeeded by his son Thomas of Ibelin, ruling from 1186–1188.

Principality of Galilee

The Principality of Galilee was established by Tancred in 1099 and was centered around Tiberias in Galilee proper, and was sometimes called the Principality of Tiberias or the Tiberiad. The principality became the fief of the families of Saint Omer, Montfaucon, and then Bures. The principality was destroyed by Saladin in 1187, although the title was used by relatives and younger sons of the kings of Cyprus afterwards. The principality had its own vassals, the Lordships of Beirut, Nazareth and Haifa, which often had their own sub-vassals.

Princes of Galilee

The princes of Galilee were:
The sons of William II of Bures were titular princes of Galilee after the death of Eschiva of Bures in 1187: Hugh II of Saint Omer from 1187–1204 and Raoul of Saint Omer from 1204–1219. Eschiva of Saint Omer was daughter of Raoul of Saint Omer, and she was titular princess of Galilee from 1219–1240 and 1247 until after 1265. Her husband was titular prince of Galilee from 1219–1240.

Lordship of Nazareth

was the original site of the Latin patriarch, established by Tancred. It was created as a seigneury in Galilee in 1115. The archbishop of Nazareth also ruled over Haifa.

Lordship of Haifa

was partly an ecclesiastical domain ruled by the archbishop of Nazareth, and partly created from other lands in the Principality of Galilee. The lords of Haifa were:
  • Geldemar Carpenel, 1100–1101
  • Tancred, 1101–1103
  • Rorgius, 1103–1107
  • Pagan, 1107–1112
  • Royal domain, 1112–1187
  • Haifa occupied by Ayyubids, 1187–1191
  • Vivian, c. 1140s
  • Pagan, 1190–?
  • Rorgius II, ?–1244?
  • Garsias Alvarez, c. 1250
  • Gilles d'Estrain, c. 1260
  • Haifa taken by Mamluks, 1265.

    Lordship of Beirut

Beirut was captured in 1110 and given to Fulk of Guînes. It was one of the longest-lived seigneuries, surviving until the final collapse of the kingdom in 1291, although only as a tiny strip on the Mediterranean coast surrounding Beirut. It was important for trade with Europe, and had its own vassals.
Beirut taken by Mamluks in 1291.
The vassals of the lord Beirut were the lords of Banias and the lords of Toron.

Lordship of Banias

was under the control of the Assassins from 1126–1129, when it was given to the Franks following the purge of the sect in Damascus by Taj al-Muluk Buri. The area was in dispute from 1132–1140 when Banias was merged with Toron under Humphrey II of Toron. It fell to Nur ad-Din in 1164, and when recovered it became part of the Lordship of Joscelin III of Edessa.

Lordship of Chastel Neuf

was built by Hugh of Falkenberg around 1105 but was later given to the Hospitallers, until it fell to Nur ad-Din in 1167.

Lordship of Toron

The castle of Toron was built by Hugh of Fauquembergues to help capture Tyre, and was given to Humphrey I of Toron in 1107. The lords of Toron tended to be very influential in the kingdom. Humphrey II was constable of Jerusalem. This grandson Humphrey IV was married to Isabella, Amalric I's daughter. Toron was later merged with the royal domain of Tyre. Toron had two vassals of its own, the Lordship of Castel Neuf, which fell to Nur ad-Din in 1167, and the Lordship of Toron-Ahmud, which was sold to the Teutonic Knights in 1261. The lords of Toron were:
  • Humphrey I of Toron, before 1109–after 1136
  • Humphrey II of Toron, son of Humphrey I, before 1137–1179
  • Humphrey IV of Toron, grandson of Humphrey II, 1179–1183
  • Royal domain, 1183–1187
  • Toron occupied by Ayyubids, 1187–1229
  • Alice of Armenia, granddaughter of Humphrey II, 1229–after 1236
  • Maria of Antioch-Armenia, granddaughter of Alice, after 1236–1239
  • Toron occupied by Ayyubids, 1239–1241
  • Toron merged with Lordship of Tyre, 1241.
Toron itself had a sub-vassal, the Lordship of Maron.