William III of Montferrat

William III 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.

Related Topics:
1115 - 1191 - William Longsword - Marquess - Montferrat - Renier I - William I, Count of Burgundy - Count Humbert II of Savoy - Callixtus II - Louis VI of France - Adelasia of Moriana - Alfonso VII of Castile

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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:

Related Topics:
Judith or Julitta von Babenberg - Leopold III of Austria - Agnes of Germany - March 28 - 1133 - Kingdom of Jerusalem - Byzantium

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• 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:

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• 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.

Related Topics:
Second Crusade - Louis VII of France - Ghibelline - Frederick Barbarossa - Lombard League - Peace of Venice - 1177 - Byzantine emperor - Manuel I Comnenus - 1179

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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.

Related Topics:
1183 - Baldwin V - Co-King of Jerusalem - El Taiyiba - Battle of Hattin - 1187 - Saladin - Tyre - Constantinople

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