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.

The later kingdom

For the next hundred years, the Kingdom of Jerusalem clung to life as a tiny kingdom hugging the Syrian coastline. Its capital was moved to Acre and at best, it included only a couple of other significant cities (Beirut, Tyre), as well as overlordship over Tripoli and disputedly Antioch. A Fourth Crusade was planned after the failure of the Third, but it resulted in the sack of Constantinople in 1204 and the Crusaders involved never arrived in the Kingdom. Isabella and her last husband Amalric I of Cyprus died 1205 and again an underage girl, Isabella and Conrad's daughter Maria of Montferrat, became queen of Jerusalem. Maria was then married to an experienced sexagenarian knight John of Brienne who succeeded in keeping the tiny kingdom safe. Schemes were hatched to reconquer Jerusalem through Egypt, resulting in the failed Fifth Crusade against Damietta in 1217. In 1229 Emperor Frederick II, who was King of Jerusalem by virtue of his marriage to the heiress, managed to recover Jerusalem by a treaty with the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Kamil (the Sixth Crusade). The recovery was short-lived - not enough territory had been ceded to make the city defensible, and in 1244 the city was reconquered by the Ayyubids. The Seventh Crusade under Louis IX of France was inspired by this, but it accomplished little save to replace the Ayyubids with the more powerful Mamluks as the Crusaders' main enemy in 1250.

Related Topics:
Acre - Fourth Crusade - Constantinople - 1204 - Amalric I of Cyprus - Maria of Montferrat - John of Brienne - Fifth Crusade - Damietta - 1217 - 1229 - Frederick II - The heiress - Ayyubid - Al-Kamil - Sixth Crusade - 1244 - Seventh Crusade - Louis IX of France - Mamluks - 1250

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For the period from 1229 to 1268, the monarch resided in Europe and usually had a larger realm to pursue or take care of. Kings of Jerusalem were represented by their baillis and regents. The title of King of Jerusalem was inherited by Conrad IV of Germany, son of Frederick II and Yolande of Jerusalem, and later by his own son Conrad III of Jerusalem.

Related Topics:
Conrad IV of Germany - Yolande of Jerusalem - Conrad III of Jerusalem

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In their later years, the Crusaders' hopes rested with the Mongols, who were thought to be sympathetic to Christianity. Although the Mongols invaded Syria on several occasions, they were repeatedly defeated by the Mamluks, who took their revenge on the practically defenseless Kingdom, taking its cities one by one until, in 1291, Acre, the last stronghold, was taken by the Sultan Khalil.

Related Topics:
Mongols - 1291 - Khalil

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thereafter, the Kingdom of Jerusalem ceased to exist on the mainland, but the kingship was claimed by the Kings of Cyprus, who for many decades hatched plans to regain the Holy Land. For the next seven centuries, up to today, a veritable multitude of European monarchs have used the title of King of Jerusalem. See Kings of Jerusalem.

Related Topics:
Kings of Cyprus - Kings of Jerusalem

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~