William V of Montferrat (occ./piem. Guilhem, it. Guglielmo) (c. 1115-1191), also known as William the Old to distinguish him from his eldest son, William Longsword, was marquess of Montferrat from c. 1136 to his death in 1191. William was the only son of marquess Renier I and his wife Gisela, a daughter of William I, Count of Burgundy and widow of Count Humbert II of Savoy. It seems likely, given that he was still fit enough to participate in battle in 1187, that William was one of his parents' youngest children. He was described by Otto Morena as of medium height and compact build, with a round, somewhat ruddy face and hair so fair as to be almost white. He was talkative, intelligent and good-humoured, generous but not extravagant. Dynastically, he was extremely well-connected, being a nephew of Pope Callixtus II, a brother-in-law of Louis VI of France (through his half-sister Adelasia of Moriana), and cousin of Alfonso VII of Castile. Events Clairvaux Abbey is founded by St. ... // Events May 12 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. ... William of Montferrat (early 1140s-1177), also called William Longsword (but not related to the other men of the same name), was the eldest son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg. ... A marquess is a nobleman of hereditary rank in Europe, China, and Japan. ... Montferrat was a marquisate in Lombardy during the Middle Ages. ... Renier I of Montferrat (1084-c. ... This is a list of the counts of Burgundy from 867 to 1678. ... With the name of Humbert II of Savoy are known two famous members of the Savoy dynasty. ... Callixtus II, né Guido of Vienne (d. ... Louis VI the Fat (French: Louis VI le Gros) (December 1, 1081 – August 1, 1137) was king of France from 1108 to 1137. ... Adelasia of Moriana (fr. ... Alfonso VII of Castile (March 1, 1104/5 - August 21, 1157), nicknamed the Emperor, was the king of Castile and Leon since 1126, son of Urraca of Castile and Count Raymond of Burgundy. ...

William married Judith or Julitta von Babenberg, daughter of Leopold III of Austria and Agnes of Germany, sometime before March 28, 1133. It is likely that Judith was still very young at the time: none of their children seem to have been born before 1140, and the youngest son in 1162. She died after 1168. They had five sons, four of whom became prominent in the affairs of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and of Byzantium: Judith of Babenberg (c. ... Leopold III (1073 – November 15, 1136), Margrave of Austria 1095-1136, also known as Saint Leopold (his feast day being November 15), patron saint of Austria in general and of Vienna, Lower Austria and jointly with Saint Florian of Upper Austria in particular. ... Agnes of Germany (1072 – September 24, 1143), was the daughter of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Bertha, daughter of Otto, Count of Maurienne and Adelaide. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). ... Events Geoffrey of Monmouth produces the Historia Regum Britanniae Durham Cathedral is completed Construction of Exeter Cathedral begun June 4 - Lothair III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Innocent II Births March 5 - King Henry II of England (died 1189) Honen Shonin, Japanese founder of Pure Land Buddhism (died 1212... Official language Latin, French, Italian, and other western languages; Greek and Arabic also widely spoken Capital Jerusalem, later Acre Constitution Various laws, so-called Assizes of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 by the First Crusade. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centred at its capital in Constantinople. ...

• William Longsword, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon, father of Baldwin V of Jerusalem
• Conrad, King of Jerusalem
• Boniface, his successor to Montferrat and founder of the Kingdom of Thessalonica
• Frederick or Otto, who entered the Church, and may have been Bishop of Alba (although Usseglio notes there are difficulties in identifying him firmly)
• Renier, married into the Byzantine imperial family

and three daughters: William of Montferrat (early 1140s-1177), also called William Longsword (but not related to the other men of the same name), was the eldest son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg. ... The double County of Jaffa and Ascalon was one of the four major seigneuries of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, according to 13th-century commentator John of Ibelin. ... Baldwin V (1177 – 1186) was the son of Sibylla of Jerusalem and her first husband, William of Montferrat. ... Conrad of Montferrat (c. ... Official language Latin, French, Italian, and other western languages; Greek and Arabic also widely spoken Capital Jerusalem, later Acre Constitution Various laws, so-called Assizes of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 by the First Crusade. ... Boniface of Montferrat (c. ... The Kingdom of Thessalonica was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade. ... Renier of Montferrat (1162–1183) was the fifth son of William III of Montferrat. ...

• Adelasia or Azalais, who married Manfredo II, marquess of Saluzzo
• Agnes, who married Count Guido Guerra of Ventimiglia. The marriage was annulled before 1180, when Guido remarried, and Agnes seems to have entered a convent.
• An unidentified daughter, who married Alberto, marquess of Malaspina.

William served honourably in the Second Crusade, alongside his nephew Louis VII of France. As as traditional supporter of the Ghibellines, he and his sons fought with the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in his lengthy struggle with the Lombard League. Following Barbarossa's capitulation with the Peace of Venice in 1177, William was left to deal with the rebellious towns in the area alone. Meanwhile, the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus sought support for his own politics in Italy. In 1179 he suggested a marriage between his daughter Maria, second in line to the throne, and a son of William the Old. As the youngest son, Renier was the only one then unmarried, he was married off to the princess, who was thirteen years his senior. Saluzzo is a town in Cuneo province, Piedmont region. ... Ventimiglia (Fr. ... The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year. ... Louis VII the Younger (French: Louis VII le Jeune) (1120 – September 18, 1180) was King of France from 1137 to 1180. ... The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in Italy during the 12th century and 13th century. ... Frederick in a 13th century Chronicle Friedrich I. von Hohenstaufen (1122 – June 10, 1190), also known as Friedrich Barbarossa (Frederick Redbeard) was elected king of Germany on March 4, 1152 and crowned Holy Roman Emperor on June 18, 1155. ... The Lombard League was an alliance formed on December 1, 1167 between 26 (later 30) cities of North Italy, including Cremona, Mantua, Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Bologna, Padua, Treviso, Vicenza, Verona, Lodi, and Parma. ... Events November 25 - Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Raynald of Chatillon defeat Saladin at the Battle of Montgisard. ... 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. ... Events Third Council of the Lateran condemned Waldensians and Cathars as heretics, institutes a reformation of clerical life, and creates the first ghettos for Jews Afonso I is recognized as the true King of Portugal by Portugal the protection of the Catholic Church against the Castillian monarchy Philip II is...

In 1183, with the accession of his grandson Baldwin V, a minor, as co-King of Jerusalem, William, then probably in his late sixties, left the government of Montferrat to Conrad and Boniface, and returned to the east. He was granted the castle of St. Elias (present-day El Taiyiba). He fought in the Battle of Hattin in 1187, where he was captured by Saladin's forces. In the meantime, his second son, Conrad, had arrived at Tyre from Constantinople. Conrad was given the command of the defences, and is said to have refused to surrender as much as a stone of its walls to liberate his father, even threatening to shoot him with a crossbow himself when Saladin had him presented as a hostage. Eventually, William was released unharmed, and Saladin withdrew his army from Tyre. He seems to have ended his days there, with his son. Events Three-year old Emperor Go-Toba ascends to the throne of Japan after the forced abdication of his brother Antoku during the Genpei War William of Tyre excommunicated by the newly appointed Heraclius of Jerusalem, firmly ending their struggle for power Andronicus I Comnenus becomes the Byzantine emperor Births... Baldwin V (1177 – 1186) was the son of Sibylla of Jerusalem and her first husband, William of Montferrat. ... Official language Latin, French, Italian, and other western languages; Greek and Arabic also widely spoken Capital Jerusalem, later Acre Constitution Various laws, so-called Assizes of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 by the First Crusade. ... The Battle of Hattin took place on Saturday, July 4, 1187, between the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the forces of the Ayyubid dynasty under Saladin. ... // Events May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. ... This article is about the Muslim general; for the British armoured vehicle named after him, see Alvis Saladin. ... For a wheel tyre, see the article under the US English spelling of the word, tire. ... Map of Constantinople. ...

Sources

• Haberstumpf, Walter. Dinastie europee nel Mediterraneo orientale. I Monferrato e i Savoia nei secoli XII–XV, 1995 (external link to downloadable text).
• Hamilton, Bernard. The Leper King and His Heirs: Baldwin IV and the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, 2000.
• Settia, Aldo A. "Guglielmo V di Monferrato, detto il Vecchio", Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. LX, Roma 2003 (external link)
• Usseglio, Leopoldo. I Marchesi di Monferrato in Italia ed in Oriente durante i secoli XII e XIII, 1926.