Kings of Jerusalem: Encyclopedia II - Kings of Jerusalem - Kings of Jerusalem 1099-1291

Kings of Jerusalem - Kings of Jerusalem 1099-1291

The Kingdom of Jerusalem had its origins in the First Crusade, when Godfrey of Bouillon took the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, "Protector of the Holy Sepulcher", in 1099 and was crowned in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The following year, his brother Baldwin I of Jerusalem was the first to use the title "king" and the first to be crowned in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem itself.

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

The royal palace was located in the Citadel in the Tower of David. The Kingdom of Jerusalem introduced French feudal structures to the Levant: the king personally held several fiefs incorporated into the royal domain (these varied from king to king). He was also responsible for leading the kingdom into battle, although this duty could be passed to the constable. While several contemporary European states were moving towards centralized monarchies, the king of Jerusalem was continually losing power to the strongest of his barons. This was partially due to the young age of many of the kings, and the frequency of regents from the ranks of the nobles.

After the fall of Jerusalem in 1187, the capital of the Kingdom was moved to Acre, where it remained until 1291, although coronations took place in Tyre. In this period the kingship was often simply a nominal position, held by a European ruler who never lived in Acre. When young Conradin was king and living in Southern Germany, his father's second cousin Hugh of Brienne claimed the regency of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (and, indirectly, his place in the succession) in 1264 as senior heir of Alice of Jerusalem, second daughter of Queen Isabella I, being the son of their eldest daughter, but was passed over by the Haute Cour in favor of his cousin Hugh of Antioch, the future Hugh III of Cyprus and I of Jerusalem. After 1268, the kingship was held by the Lusignan family, simultaneously kings of Cyprus. However, Charles I of Sicily had purchased the rights of one of the heirs of the kingdom in 1277. In that year, he sent Roger of Sanseverino to the East as his bailiff. Roger captured Acre and obtained a forced homage from the barons. Roger was recalled in 1282 due to the Sicilian Vespers and left Odo Poilechien in his stead; his resources and authority was minimal, and he was ejected by Henry II of Cyprus when he arrived from Cyprus for his coronation as King of Jerusalem. Acre was captured by the Mamluks in 1291, eliminating the crusader presence in the east.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Kings of Jerusalem 1099-1291", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki