Kingdom of Jerusalem

The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a French kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 by the First Crusade. It was finally destroyed in 1291 with the fall of Acre.

Foundation and early history

The kingdom came into being with the Crusader capture of Jerusalem in 1099, the climax of the First Crusade. Godfrey of Bouillon, one of the leaders of the crusade, was chosen as its first king. He refused, however, to take this title, saying that no man should wear a crown where Christ had worn his crown of thorns; instead, he took the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri ("Defender of the Holy Sepulchre"). Godfrey died the next year, and his brother and successor, Baldwin I, was not so scrupulous, having himself immediately crowned King of Jerusalem.

Related Topics:
Capture of Jerusalem - 1099 - First Crusade - Godfrey of Bouillon - Crusade - Crown of thorns - Holy Sepulchre - Baldwin I - King of Jerusalem

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Baldwin successfully expanded the Kingdom, capturing the port cities of Acre, Sidon, and Beirut, and also exerted his suzerainty over the other Crusader States to the north - the County of Edessa (which he had founded), the Principality of Antioch, and the County of Tripoli. He also saw an increase in the numbers of Latin inhabitants, as the minor crusade of 1101 brought reinforcements and a Latin Patriarch to the kingdom. The Italian city-states of Venice, Pisa, and Genoa also began to play a role in the kingdom. Their fleets assisted in the capture of the ports, where they were given their own autonomous trading quarters.

Related Topics:
Acre - Sidon - Beirut - Suzerainty - Crusader States - County of Edessa - Principality of Antioch - County of Tripoli - Crusade of 1101 - Latin Patriarch - Italian city-states - Venice - Pisa - Genoa

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Baldwin died without heirs in 1118, and was succeeded by his cousin, Baldwin of Le Bourg, the Count of Edessa. Baldwin II was also an able ruler, and though he was imprisoned by the Turks several times throughout his reign, the boundaries of the Kingdom continued to expand, with the city of Tyre captured in 1124.

Related Topics:
1118 - Baldwin of Le Bourg - Turks - Tyre - 1124

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