County of Jaffa and Ascalon
Encyclopedia
The double County of Jaffa and Ascalon was one of the four major seigneuries
comprising the major crusader state, the Kingdom of Jerusalem
, according to 13th-century commentator John of Ibelin
.
after the First Crusade
in 1100, and was unsuccessfully claimed by Daimbert of Pisa, the first Patriarch
. It remained part of the royal domain until it was given to Hugh of Le Puiset
in 1110. When Hugh II rebelled against King Fulk
in 1134 the county was divided into a number of smaller holdings, and Jaffa itself became a royal domain. Soon it was designated as the apanage of Fulk's second son, Amalric. In 1153, Fulk's first son King Baldwin III
conquered Ascalon
, and it was added to the territory of his brother Amalric.
It passed in and out of direct royal control when its holders were husbands or close relatives of the then-reigning Monarch or royal heir, or its usufruct
went to a member of the royal family. In that period, it usually produced income for one or several members of Amalric's first family. In 1221 it was given to Walter IV of Brienne
by his uncle the king-consort John of Brienne
, Walter being married to a granddaughter of the late king-consort Amalric II, who had held the county as successor of his brother king-consort Guy. Around 1250 it was given to a branch of the Ibelin
family. With the capture of Jaffa by Baibars
in 1268, the county became titular. It was bestowed anew upon John Perez Fabrice by James II of Cyprus
and Jerusalem.
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
comprising the major crusader state, the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, according to 13th-century commentator John of Ibelin
John of Ibelin (jurist)
John of Ibelin , count of Jaffa and Ascalon, was a noted jurist and the author of the longest legal treatise from the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was the son of Philip of Ibelin, bailli of the Kingdom of Cyprus, and Alice of Montbéliard, and was the nephew of John of Ibelin, the "Old Lord of Beirut"...
.
History
Jaffa was fortified by Godfrey of BouillonGodfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087...
after the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
in 1100, and was unsuccessfully claimed by Daimbert of Pisa, the first Patriarch
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is the title possessed by the Latin Rite Catholic Archbishop of Jerusalem. The Archdiocese of Jerusalem has jurisdiction for all Latin Rite Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Cyprus...
. It remained part of the royal domain until it was given to Hugh of Le Puiset
Hugh I of Jaffa
Hugh I was the Lord of Le Puiset from 1097 and Count of Jaffa from 1106. He was the son of Hugh I of Le Puiset and Alice of Montlhéry...
in 1110. When Hugh II rebelled against King Fulk
Fulk of Jerusalem
Fulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death...
in 1134 the county was divided into a number of smaller holdings, and Jaffa itself became a royal domain. Soon it was designated as the apanage of Fulk's second son, Amalric. In 1153, Fulk's first son King Baldwin III
Baldwin III of Jerusalem
Baldwin III was king of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem, and the grandson of Baldwin II of Jerusalem.-Succession:...
conquered Ascalon
Siege of Ascalon
The Siege of Ascalon took place in 1153, resulting in the capture of that Egyptian fortress by the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.-Background:...
, and it was added to the territory of his brother Amalric.
It passed in and out of direct royal control when its holders were husbands or close relatives of the then-reigning Monarch or royal heir, or its usufruct
Usufruct
Usufruct is the legal right to use and derive profit or benefit from property that either belongs to another person or which is under common ownership, as long as the property is not damaged or destroyed...
went to a member of the royal family. In that period, it usually produced income for one or several members of Amalric's first family. In 1221 it was given to Walter IV of Brienne
Walter IV of Brienne
Walter IV the Great of Brienne was Count of Brienne 1205–1244. He was the son of Walter III of Brienne and Elvira of Lecce. Around the time of his birth, his father lost his bid for the Sicilian throne and died in prison...
by his uncle the king-consort John of Brienne
John of Brienne
John of Brienne was a French nobleman who became King of Jerusalem by marriage, and ruled the Latin Empire of Constantinople as regent.-Life:...
, Walter being married to a granddaughter of the late king-consort Amalric II, who had held the county as successor of his brother king-consort Guy. Around 1250 it was given to a branch of the Ibelin
Ibelin
Ibelin was a castle in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century , which gave its name to an important family of nobles.-The castle:...
family. With the capture of Jaffa by Baibars
Baibars
Baibars or Baybars , nicknamed Abu l-Futuh , was a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. He was one of the commanders of the forces which inflicted a devastating defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France and he led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, which marked...
in 1268, the county became titular. It was bestowed anew upon John Perez Fabrice by James II of Cyprus
James II of Cyprus
James II of Cyprus or Jacques II le Bâtard de Lusignan , was the illegitimate son of John II of Cyprus and Marietta de Patras.-Archbishop of Nicosia:...
and Jerusalem.
Vassals
The County of Jaffa and Ascalon had a number of vassals of its own:- Lordship of RamlaLordship of RamlaThe Lordship of Ramla was one of the vassal states of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was part of the County of Jaffa and Ascalon.-History:During the first crusade Ramla was abandoned by its Muslim inhabitants, as it lacked the defenses necessary to withstand a siege...
- Lordship of IbelinIbelinIbelin was a castle in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century , which gave its name to an important family of nobles.-The castle:...
- Lordship of Mirabel (technically separate from the above, but held by the Ibelins)
Counts of Jaffa and Ascalon
(italicized names are titular counts only)- Roger and Gerard (c. 1100)
- Royal domain (1100–1110)
- Hugh IHugh I of JaffaHugh I was the Lord of Le Puiset from 1097 and Count of Jaffa from 1106. He was the son of Hugh I of Le Puiset and Alice of Montlhéry...
(1110–1118), first cousin of king Baldwin II - Albert (1118–1122), second husband of Hugh I's widow
- Hugh II (1122–1134), confiscated
- Royal domain (1134–1151)
- Amalric IAmalric I of JerusalemAmalric I of Jerusalem was King of Jerusalem 1163–1174, and Count of Jaffa and Ascalon before his accession. Amalric was the second son of Melisende of Jerusalem and Fulk of Jerusalem...
(1151–1163) - Royal domain (1163–1176), Amalric's divorced wife AgnesAgnes of CourtenayAgnes of Courtenay was the daughter of Joscelin II of Courtenay by his wife Beatrice , and the mother of king Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and queen Sibylla of Jerusalem.-Dynasty:...
received some income, then it passed to SibyllaSibylla of JerusalemSibylla of Jerusalem was the Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon from 1176 and Queen of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1190. She was the eldest daughter of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes of Courtenay, sister of Baldwin IV and half-sister of Isabella I of Jerusalem, and mother of Baldwin V of Jerusalem...
whose husbands held it in her right: - William of MontferratWilliam of Montferrat, Count of Jaffa and AscalonWilliam of Montferrat , also called William Longsword , was the Count of Jaffa and Ascalon, the eldest son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg...
and Sibylla (1176–1177) - SibyllaSibylla of JerusalemSibylla of Jerusalem was the Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon from 1176 and Queen of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1190. She was the eldest daughter of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes of Courtenay, sister of Baldwin IV and half-sister of Isabella I of Jerusalem, and mother of Baldwin V of Jerusalem...
(1177–1180) - Guy of LusignanGuy of LusignanGuy of Lusignan was a Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of the prominent Lusignan dynasty. He was king of the crusader state of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194...
and Sibylla (1180–1186) - Royal domain (1186–1191)
- Geoffrey of Lusignan (1191–1193), Guy's brother
- Amalric IIAmalric II of JerusalemAmalric II of Jerusalem or Amalric I of Cyprus, born Amalric of Lusignan , King of Jerusalem 1197–1205, was an older brother of Guy of Lusignan....
(1193–1197), Guy's brother, and then king-consort - Royal domain (1197–1221)
- Walter IV of BrienneWalter IV of BrienneWalter IV the Great of Brienne was Count of Brienne 1205–1244. He was the son of Walter III of Brienne and Elvira of Lecce. Around the time of his birth, his father lost his bid for the Sicilian throne and died in prison...
(1221–1244), nephew of John of Brienne and husband of Amalric II's granddaughter - John of IbelinJohn of Ibelin (jurist)John of Ibelin , count of Jaffa and Ascalon, was a noted jurist and the author of the longest legal treatise from the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was the son of Philip of Ibelin, bailli of the Kingdom of Cyprus, and Alice of Montbéliard, and was the nephew of John of Ibelin, the "Old Lord of Beirut"...
(1244–1266), Queen Isabella's half-brother's son - James of Ibelin (1266–1268, titular 1268–1276)
- Guy of IbelinGuy of Ibelin (1276-1304)Guy of Ibelin , of the Ibelin family, was Count of Jaffa and Ascalon during the latter part of the Crusades. He was the son of John of Ibelin and Maria of Barbaron. He was Count in name only...
(1276–1304) - Hugh of Ibelin (1304–1349)
- Balian II of Ibelin (1349 – c. 1352)
- Guy of IbelinGuy of IbelinGuy of Ibelin may refer to:*Guy of Ibelin, constable of Cyprus , marshal and constable of Cyprus, son of John of Ibelin, old Lord of Beirut*Guy of Ibelin , count of Jaffa, son of John of Jaffa, the jurist...
(c. 1352 – c. 1353) - Balian of Ibelin (c. 1353 – c. 1365)
- John of Ibelin (c. 1365 – c. 1367)
- Mary of Ibelin (with Regnier le Petit) (c. 1367)
- Florin (c. 1450) perh. the same as
- Jacques de Flory (d. 1463)
- John Perez Fabrice
- Louis Perez Fabrice
- Georges Contaren
- N. Contaren
- Georges Contaren II (c. 1579)
Sources
- John L. La Monte, Feudal Monarchy in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1100-1291. The Medieval Academy of America, 1932.
- Jonathan Riley-SmithJonathan Riley-SmithJonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith, K.St.J., Ph.D. MA, Litt.D., FRHistS is an historian of the Crusades, and a former Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History...
, The Feudal Nobility and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1174-1277. The Macmillan Press, 1973. - Steven RuncimanSteven RuncimanThe Hon. Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman CH — known as Steven Runciman — was a British historian known for his work on the Middle Ages...
, A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187. Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1952. - Steven Tibble, Monarchy and Lordships in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099-1291. Clarendon Press, 1989.