Baldwin III (1130-1162) was king of Jerusalem from 1143-1162. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem. He was crowned co-ruler and heir to his mother from 1143 until he overthrew her government in 1153. His early diplomatic and strategic military blunders would contribute to Jerusalem's later conquest. Events February 13 - Innocent II is elected pope An antipope schism occurs when Roger II of Sicily supports Anacletus II as pope instead of Innocent II. Innocent flees to France and Anacletus crowns Roger King. ... Events June 3 - Thomas Becket consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury. ... This is a list of Kings of Jerusalem, from 1099 to 1291, as well as claimants to the title up to the present day. ... Events Celestine II is elected pope. ... A queen accepting fealty from a vassel, possibly Melisende herself, from the Melisende Psalter Melisende (1105 - September 11, 1161) was Queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1153. ... Fulk of Anjou (1092 – November 10, 1143), king of Jerusalem from 1131, was the son of Fulk IV, count of Anjou, and his wife Bertrada (who ultimately deserted her husband and became the mistress of Philip I of France). ... Events January 6 - Henry of Anjou arrives in England. ...

Second Crusade

According to William of Tyre, Baldwin's father Fulk had not completely seen to the defense of the Crusader states in Syria before his death in 1143, resulting in Edessa's capture by Zengi in 1144. Edessa's fall was a shock to the Western world and led to call for a Second Crusade. Louis VII, Conrad III the German Emperor, and Louis' wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (at the head of her own army) answered the Crusader call and arrived in Jerusalem by 1147. William of Tyre (c. ... The Siege of Edessa took place from November 28 to December 24, 1144, resulting in the fall of the majority of the crusader County of Edessa to Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul. ... Imad ad-Din Zengi (also Zangi or Zengui) (1087-1146) was the son of Aq Sunqur al-Hajib, governor of Aleppo under Malik Shah I. He became atabeg of Mosul in 1127, and of Aleppo in 1128, uniting the two cities under his personal rule, and was the founder of... Events Louis VII capitulates to Pope Celestine II and so earns the popes absolution Pope Celestine II is succeeded by Pope Lucius II December 24 - Edessa falls to Zengi Montauban, France, is founded First recorded example of an anti-Semitic blood libel in England Normandy comes under Angevin control... The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. ... Louis VII the Younger (French: Louis VII le Jeune) (1120 - September 18, 1180) was King of France from 1137 to 1180. ... Conrad III (1093-1152), the first German king of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia. ... Eleanor of Aquitaine (Bordeaux, France, c1122 – March 31, 1204 in Fontevrault, Anjou) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Europe during the Middle Ages. ...

In-fighting and poor planning plagued the crusade, however. In 1148 Conrad badly advised 18-year-old Baldwin to attack Damascus, despite the peace treaty between the city and Jerusalem. The loss of a sympathetic Muslim state on Jerusalem's northern border was a diplomatic defeat from which no monarch of Jerusalem could recover afterwards. Damacus would later ally itself with Zengi's successor Nur ad-Din, and Jerusalem's enemies would pour through the exposed frontier. (See Siege of Damascus.) Damascus by night, the green spots are minarets Damascus (Arabic officially دمشق Dimashq, colloqially ash-Sham الشام) is the capital city of Syria and one of the worlds oldest cities. ... Nur ad-din Abu al-Qasim Mahmud Ibn Imad ad-Din Zangi (also Nur ed-Din, Nur al-Din, Nour el-Din or Nureddin) (1118 - May 15, 1174) was a member of the Zengid dynasty, and ruled Syria from 1146 to 1174. ... The Siege of Damascus took place over only four days, from July 23 to July 27, 1148, during the Second Crusade. ...

By 1149 the crusaders had returned to Europe, leaving a weakened Jerusalem. Baldwin III became regent of Antioch when Raymond was killed at the Battle of Inab. Raymond's wife, Constance, was Baldwin's cousin through his mother and heiress of Antioch by right of her father. Later Baldwin would try to marry her to an ally but with no success. Baldwin was unable to defend Turbessel, the last remnant of the county of Edessa, and was forced to cede it to Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus. Raymond of Poitiers (1099-June 27, 1149) was prince of Antioch between 1136 to 1149. ... The Battle of Inab took place on June 29 between Nur ad-Din and Raymond of Antioch. ... Constance Guiscard (1127-1163) was the ruler of the principality of Antioch (a crusader state) from 1130 to her death. ... Tilbeşar (Arabic Tall Bāshir, Turbessel (Frankish)) is a city in south-eastern Turkey. ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... Fresco of Manuel I Manuel I Comnenus Megas (November 28, 1118? - September 24, 1180) was Byzantine Emperor from 1143 to 1180. ...

Civil war

By 1152 Baldwin began to assert himself in political affairs. Though he had not previously expressed an interest in the administration of the country, he now demanded more authority. He and his mother the queen had become estranged since 1150, and Baldwin blamed constable Manasses. In early 1152 Baldwin demanded a second coronation from Patriarch Fulcher, separate from his mother. The patriarch refused and as a kind of self-coronation Baldwin paraded through the city streets with laurel wreaths on his head. There were six major officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem: constable, marshal, seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and chancellor. ...

Baldwin and Melisende agreed to put the matter before the Haute Cour, or royal council. The Haute Cour returned a decision that would divide the kingdom into two administrative districts. Baldwin would retain the north while Melisende held the richer Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem itself. Neither Baldwin nor Melisende was pleased with the decision, Baldwin wanted to rule the entire kingdom and Melisende realized it would divide the country's resources, but in order to prevent a civil war Melisende agreed to the compromise. The Haute Cour (High Court) was the feudal council of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. ... Desert hills in southern Judea, looking east from the town of Arad Judea or Judaea (יהודה Praise, Standard Hebrew Yəhuda, Tiberian Hebrew Yəhûḏāh) is a term used for the mountainous southern part of historic Palestine, an area now divided between Israel, Jordan and the West Bank. ... Samaria or Sumaria (Hebrew: שומרון [Shomron]) is a term used for the mountainous northern part of the West Bank. ...

Within weeks of the division Baldwin launched an invasion of the south. Nablus fell quickly and to prevent violence Jerusalem opened its gates to Baldwin. Melisende and Amalric sought refuge in the Tower of David. Throughout the seige the church negotiated with Baldwin. The peace that was settled allowed for Melisende to rule in Nablus for life, with a solemn oath by Baldwin not to disturb her peace. Nablus also (rarely) spelled Nabulus ( Arabic نابلس; Hebrew שכם, Shechem) is a major city (pop. ... Tower of David Migdal David in Jerusalem as it appears today The Tower of David is Jerusalems citadel, it is a historical and archaeological site of world importance. ...

By 1154 mother and son were reconciled, as Baldwin was astute enough to realize his mother's expertise in statecraft. Though she was "retired", she maintained great influence in court and government affairs, acting as regent for Baldwin while he was on campaign.

Recovery

Baldwin successfully besieged and captured Ascalon in the spring of 1153, securing the border with Egypt, although this would later lead to aggressive campaigns against Jerusalem's southern border by the Fatimids of Egypt. Ashkelon or Ashqelon (Hebrew אשקלון; Arabic عسقلان ʿAsqalān; Latin Ascalon) was an ancient Philistine seaport on the east coast of the Mediterranian sea just north of Gaza. ... Events January 6 - Henry of Anjou arrives in England. ... The Fatimid or Fatimid Caliphate is the Ismaili Shiite dynasty that ruled North Africa from A.D. 909 to 1171. ...

In 1156 Baldwin was forced to sign a treaty with Nur ad-Din. However, in the winter of 1157—1158 Baldwin captured Harim, a former territory of Antioch, and in 1158 he defeated Nur ad-Din himself. Events Establishment of the Carmelite Order Hogen Rebellion in Japan January 20 - According to legend, freeholder Lalli slays English crusader Bishop Henry with an axe on the ice of the lake Köyliönjärvi in Finland. ... Events Births 8 September - Richard I of England Deaths August 21 - Alfonso VII, king of Castile (b. ... Events January 11 - Vladislav II becomes King of Bohemia End of the formal reign of Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan, also the beginning of his cloistered rule, which will last to his death in 1192. ... The city of Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern Antakya) is located in what is now Turkey. ...

Byzantine alliance

Baldwin's modest recovery garnered him enough prestige to marry Theodora, a niece of Emperor Manuel. The alliance was more favourable to Byzantium then Jerusalem, as Baldwin was forced to recognize Byzantine suzerainty over Antioch, and if Theodora were to be widowed she would be provided the city of Acre. Though Theodora personified the Byzantine-Jerusalem alliance, she was not to exercise any authority outside of Acre. Theodora Comnena (born c. ... The Old City of Akko in the 19th or early 20th century, looking south-west from atop the Land Wall Promenade, the open space now a parking lot. ...

Relations between Jerusalem and Byzantium improved and in 1159 Baldwin met with Manuel in Antioch. The two became friends, with Manuel adopting western clothes and customs and participating in a tournament against Baldwin. Manuel personally attended to Baldwin when the king was thrown from his horse during the tournament. Later in 1159 Baldwin became regent of Antioch once more, after Raynald of Chatillon, the second husband of Constance, had been captured in battle. Events Heiji Rebellion in Tunis is conquered by the Almohad caliphs. ... This article is about the tournaments of the Middle Ages. ... Raynauld de Chatillon (also Reynald or Reginald of Chastillon) (died July 4, 1187) was a knight who served in the Second Crusade and remained in the Holy Land after its defeat. ...

Death

Baldwin died on 10 February, 1162, a year after his mother's death. Theodora, now queen-dowager, retired to Acre. Their marrage was childless and Baldwin was succeded by his brother, Amalric I. February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Baldwin III, like his mother, was born in Jerusalem, but he was the first crusader king born in the country. His male predecessors were all French-born. Additionally, Baldwin was not as involved in the affairs of the church, focusing his attention solely in the defense of the kingdom.

William of Tyre wrote that Baldwin spent much of his spare time reading history and was knowledgeable in the jus consuetudinarium of the kingdom, later collected by lawyers like John of Ibelin and Philip of Novara as "the assizes of Jerusalem". He earned the respect of his subjects by the way he treated his mother after the civil war, and even the respect of his enemy Nur ad-Din, who said of Baldwin's death, "the Franks have lost such a prince that the world has not now his like." William of Tyre (c. ... History is a term for information about the past. ... John of Ibelin (1215-1266), count of Jaffa and Ascalon, was a noted jurist and the author of the longest legal treatise from the Kingdom of Jerusalem. ...

Sources

Bernard Hamilton, "Women in the Crusader States: The Queens of Jerusalem", in Medieval Women, edited by Derek Baker. Ecclesiatical History Society, 1978

Fulk of Anjou (1092 – November 10, 1143), king of Jerusalem from 1131, was the son of Fulk IV, count of Anjou, and his wife Bertrada (who ultimately deserted her husband and became the mistress of Philip I of France). ... A queen accepting fealty from a vassel, possibly Melisende herself, from the Melisende Psalter Melisende (1105 - September 11, 1161) was Queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1153. ... This is a list of Kings of Jerusalem, from 1099 to 1291, as well as claimants to the title up to the present day. ... A queen accepting fealty from a vassel, possibly Melisende herself, from the Melisende Psalter Melisende (1105 - September 11, 1161) was Queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1153. ... Amalric I (also Amaury or Aimery) (1136 – 1174) was king of Jerusalem from 1162 to 1174. ...