There were six major officers of the

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...

: the

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

, the

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

, the

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

, the chamberlain (which were known as the "Grand Offices"), the

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

and the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

. At certain times there were also

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

s and

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

s. Essentially these offices developed from the typical officials that existed in northern France in the 11th century, the homeland of the first

kings of Jerusalem The king or queen of Jerusalem was the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a Crusader state founded in Jerusalem by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade, when the city was conquered in 1099. Most of them were men, but there ...

. The offices continued to develop in France and England, but in Jerusalem they tended to develop more slowly or not at all, taking on different roles than their European counterparts. The lists given below are incomplete, as the specific names and dates of the officers are sometimes unknown. After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the offices were sometimes awarded as honors by the

kings of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (; ) was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an independent Christian kingdom, it was established by the French House of Lusignan after the Third Crusade. It c ...

and Jerusalem.

Constable

The

commanded the army, paid

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

and judged legal cases pertaining to the military. He was the most important officer in the kingdom, due to the almost constant state of warfare that existed between the Christian and

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

states. The constable was officially the second-in-command of the army, in which he exercised police authority and commanded a division twice as large as all others. In addition, constables also determined the boundaries and borders of the kingdom. During the coronation the constable would hold the king's horse. *

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

(1108–1115) *Hugh Caulis (c. 1120) *

Eustace Grenier Eustace I Granier, also known as Eustace Grenier or Eustace Garnier, called in Latin ''Eustachius Granarius'' in the charters (born around 1070 and died on 15 June 1123), was a Flemish crusader who took part in the First Crusade. He became lord of ...

(c. 1123-1123) *

William I of Bures William of Bures (died before the spring of 1144, or around 1157) was Prince of Galilee from 1119 or 1120 to his death. He was descended from a French noble family which held estates near Paris. William and his brother, Godfrey, were listed among ...

(1123–1141?) *

Manasses of Hierges Manasses of Hierges (''c''. 1110-1177) was a minor lord from the southern Low Countries who is best known for his ten year career (1142-1152) in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, where he became constable and Lordship of Ramla#Lords/officials of Ramla, lor ...

(1144–1151) *

Humphrey II of Toron Humphrey II of Toron (1117 – 22 April 1179) was lord of Toron and constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was the son of Humphrey I of Toron. Biography Humphrey had become lord of Toron sometime before 1140 when he married the daughter of ...

(1152–1179) * Amalric of Lusignan (1179–1194) * John of Ibelin (1194–1205) *

Walter of Montbéliard Walter of Montbéliard (died in 1212) (''Gauthier I de Montfaucon'') was regent of the Kingdom of Cyprus from 1205 to 1210, and Constable of Jerusalem from around 1204 to his death. Early life He was the second son of Amadeus, Count of Montbé ...

(1206–1211) *

Odo of Montbéliard Odo of Montbéliard (also known as Eudes) was a leading baron of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the early 13th century. He often held the highest offices in the kingdom including '' bailli'' (viceroy) and constable (commander of the army). ...

(1220–1244) * Philip of Montfort (c. 1244) * John of Ibelin (1251–1258) *

William of Botron William of Botron (died after 1262) was Lord of Botron (1244–1262) in the County of Tripoli, and Constable of Jerusalem (1258–1262). Life William of Botron was the second son of Isabella of Botron and her husband Bohemond of Botron. His fa ...

(1258–1262) *

Balian of Arsuf Balian of Ibelin (1239 – 29 September 1277) was the Lord of Arsuf from 1258 until the early 1260s (probably 1261), when he leased it to the Knights Hospitaller.''Gestes des Chiprois'', Templar of Tyre, Part III, p.171, ch. 328, ed. Gaston ...

(1268–1277) *Richard of Neublans (c. 1277) *Simon of Montolif (c. 1284?) *

Baldwin of Ibelin Baldwin of Ibelin, also known as Baldwin II of Ramla ( French: ''Baudouin d'Ibelin'', early 1130s – c. 1187 or 1186/1188), was an important noble of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and was lord of Ramla from 1169–1186. He ...

(c. 1286) * Amalric of Lusignan (1285–1300) *Philip of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (c. 1359?) *Peter of Lusignan (c. 1415?)

Marshal

The

was next-in-command (and, apparently, a literal vassal) to the constable. He led the mercenaries and was in charge of the army's horses, and distributed the spoils of a victorious battle. On coronation day the marshal would assist the constable. *Sado (1125–1154) *

Eudes of St. Amand Odo of St. Amand (; 1110 – October 1180) was the 8th grand master of the Knights Templar, between 1171 and 1179. Personal life Odo was born to a noble family from Limousin, France. He was marshal of Jerusalem and later viscount. He was a head ...

(1155–1156) *

Joscelin III of Edessa Joscelin III (c. 1139 – after 1190) was the titular count of Edessa, who during his lifetime managed to amass enough land to establish a lordship in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Early life Joscelin III was the son of Joscelin II and Beat ...

(1156–1159) *William (1159–1171) * (1169–1174) *John (c. 1179) *

Gerard of Ridefort Gérard de Ridefort, also called Gerard de Ridefort (died 4 October 1189), was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from the end of 1184 and until his death in 1189. Early life Gerard de Ridefort is thought probably to have been of Flemish ori ...

(c. 1179) *Walter Durus (1185–1192) *Hugh Martin (c. 1191) *Arnulf (c. 1193) *John (1194–1200) *

Aymar de Lairon Aymar de Lairon (died 1219), also Adeymar, Adémar or Aimerich, was the lord of Caesarea in right of his wife from at least 1193 until her death between 1213 and 1216. During this period he was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. As a ...

(c. 1206) *James of Dournai (1211–1217) *

Riccardo Filangieri Richard (Riccardo) Filangieri (''c''.1195–1254/63) was an Italian nobleman who played an important part in the Sixth Crusade in 1228–9 and in the War of the Lombards from 1229–43, where he was in charge of the forces of Frederick ...

(1231–1242) *Philip of Cossie (c. 1250) *

Geoffrey of Sergines Geoffrey of Sergines, sometimes known as Geoffroy of Sargines (c. 1205 – April 1269), was a French knight who served as seneschal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. References * Christopher Marshall: ''Warfare in the Latin East, 1192–1291'' (''C ...

(c. 1254) *

John of Gibelet John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

(1261–1262) *William Canet (1269–1273) *James Vidal (c. 1277)

Seneschal

The office of

in Jerusalem never achieved the prominence of its European counterparts but was important nonetheless. The seneschal administered the coronation ceremony, oversaw the Haute Cour in the king's absence, administered royal castles, and managed the royal finances and revenue. The seneschal's power was over only viscounts and not castellans, and the constable was still superior to the seneschal due in part to the kingdom's constant state of war.Richard, 76. During coronations the seneschal would hold the royal sceptre and oversee the coronation feast. The office was similar to, but not as developed as, the English office of the

exchequer In the Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''Transaction account, current account'' (i.e., mon ...

. * Hugh of St. Omer (c. 1100–1104) * Gervase of Bazoches (c. 1104) *Hugo Chostard (c. 1112) *Anscherius (c. 1122?) *Isaac (c. 1149) *John (c. 1151) * (c. 1164) *

Miles of Plancy Miles of Plancy (, ; died October 1174) was a French-born nobleman who rose to high offices in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He arrived in the kingdom during the reign of his kinsman King Amalric, who appointed him seneschal in 1168. Miles accompani ...

(c. 1168–1174) *''Ralph (c. 1176)'' *

(1176–1190) *''Obertus Nepos (1187–1192?)'', possibly only personal under

Conrad of Montferrat Conrad of Montferrat (Italian language, Italian: ''Corrado del Monferrato''; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''Conrà ëd Monfrà'') (c. 1146 – 28 April 1192) was a nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the '' ...

* Ralph of Tiberias (1194–1220) * Raymond of Gibelet (c. 1240) *

(c. 1256) *

(1254–1267?) *Robert of Cresque (c. 1269) *

Olivier de Termes Olivier de Termes (1200 – 12 August 1274) was a knight from the southern French region of Termes, Aude. He was raised as a Cathar but eventually converted to Catholicism in a move that would help restore peace to his homeland following the ravage ...

(1269) *

Jean I de Grailly Jean I de Grailly (died c. 1301) was the seneschal of the Duchy of Gascony from 1266 to 1268, of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from about 1272 until about 1276, and of Gascony again from 1278 until 1286 or 1287. Early life Jean was born on the shores ...

(1272–1276) *

Odo Poilechien Odo is a name typically associated with historical figures from the Middle Ages and before. Odo is etymologically related to the names Otho and Otto, and to the French name Odon and modern version Eudes (disambiguation), Eudes, and to the Italian n ...

(1278–1286) *Philip of Ibelin (?–?)

Chamberlain

The chamberlain administered the royal household and its servants, and had other honorary duties such as administering oaths. On coronation day the chamberlain would robe the king. He had his own fief from which he drew his salary. *Strabulon (c. 1099) *Geoffrey (c. 1099) *Gerard (1108–1115) *John (1119–1128) *Ralph (1129–1130) *Joscelin (c. 1138) *Miles (c. 1138) *Nicholas (1150–1152) *Gauvain de la Roche (c. 1156) * (c. 1169) * Amalric of Lusignan (1175–1178) *John (c. 1179) *Raymond (c. 1184) *

Balian of Ibelin Balian of Ibelin (; ), also known as Barisan the Younger, was a Crusades, crusader noble of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. He was Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Lordship of Ibelin, Lord of Ibelin from 1170 to 1193. As the ...

(1183–1185) *Thomas (1190–1197) *Henry of Canelli (c. 1192) *John (c. 1194) *Rohard of Caiphas (1201–1220) *Renaud of Caiphas (1230–1232) *John of Cossie (1232–1250) *Philip of Cossie (1250–1269)

Butler

The

was in charge of the royal table and also administered the kingdom's

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s.Richard, 77. *Winric (c. 1099) *Gervais (c. 1107) *

Pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

(1120–1136) *Robert Crispin (1145–1146) *

Odo of St Amand Odo of St. Amand (; 1110 – October 1180) was the 8th grand master of the Knights Templar, between 1171 and 1179. Personal life Odo was born to a noble family from Limousin, France. He was marshal of Jerusalem and later viscount. He was a head ...

(1164–1167) *Miles (1185–1186)

Chancellor

The

drew up deeds and charters and managed the kingdom's diplomatic service. The chancellery is an interesting example of the fossilization of 11th century offices. It consisted of only a few secretaries and scribes, and never became the large administrative bureaucracy that had developed elsewhere in Europe. Chancellors tended to be clergymen who often became bishops or archbishops, sometimes while still holding the chancellery. The relative unimportance of the chancellor reflects the relative decentralization of royal authority as compared to states like France or England that were at the same time becoming more centralized. *Arnoul (?–?) *

(1115–1128) *Amelinus (c. 1130) *Franco (1133–1135?) *Helias (1136–1142) * Ralph, bishop of Bethlehem (1146–1174) * Frederick, Archbishop of Tyre (c. 1150) *

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

archbishop of Tyre The See of Tyre was one of the most ancient dioceses in Christianity. The existence of a Christian community there in the time of Saint Paul is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Seated at Tyre (Lebanon), Tyre, which was the capital of the Roma ...

(1174–1183) *Lambert (c. 1177) *Bandinus (for

(''de jure'' Conrad I from 1190), in Tyre) (1188–1192) * Peter, bishop of Tripoli (1185–1192) *Eudes (c. 1190) *

Joscius, Archbishop of Tyre Joscius (also Josce or Josias) (died 1202) was archbishop of Tyre in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the late 12th century. Background He was a canon and subdeacon of the church of Acre, and became bishop of Acre on November 23, 1172. He was ...

(1192–1200) *

Raoul of Mérencourt Raoul of Mérencourt (also called Ralph or Radulfus) was the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1214 to 1224, succeeding the assassinated Albert Avogadro. Early career in patriarchal service Raoul was a native of the County of Champagne. He seems ...

(1206–1215) * Simon of Maugastel (1226–1227) *Maregnan (c. 1234)

Bailiff

The

(or ''bailli'') administered the kingdom in the absence or minority of the king, in the capacity of a regent; for example, during the captivity of Baldwin II, and the youth and illness of

Baldwin IV Baldwin IV (1161–1185), known as the Leper King, was the king of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death in 1185. He was admired by historians and his contemporaries for his dedication to the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the face of his debilitating ...

. In the 13th century the bailiff ruled essentially as a king himself, and was the most powerful man in the kingdom, as the kings were usually foreign monarchs who did not live permanently in the kingdom. *

(1123) *

(1123–1124) *

(1173) *

Raymond III of Tripoli Raymond III (1140 – September/October 1187) was count of Tripoli from 1152 to 1187. He was a minor when Nizari Assassins murdered his father, Count Raymond II of Tripoli. His cousin, King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, who was staying ...

(1173–1177) *

Raynald of Châtillon Raynald of Châtillon ( 11244 July 1187), also known as Reynald, Reginald, or Renaud, was Prince of Antioch—a crusader states, crusader state in the Middle East—from 1153 to 1160 or 1161, and Lord of Oultrejordain—a Vassals of the Kingdo ...

(1177) *

Guy of Lusignan Guy of Lusignan ( 1150 – 18 July 1194) was King of Jerusalem, first as husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190 then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192. He was also Lord of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194. A French Poitevin kni ...

(1183–1185) *Raymond III of Tripoli (1186) * John of Ibelin (1206–1210) *

(1223–1227) * Thomas of Aquino (1227–1228) **

Richard Filangieri Richard (Riccardo) Filangieri (''c''.1195–1254/63) was an Italian nobleman who played an important part in the Sixth Crusade in 1228–9 and in the War of the Lombards from 1229–43, where he was in charge of the forces of Frederic ...

(1231–1242), at Tyre **Odo of Montbéliard (1236–1240), at Acre ** Walter Penenpié (1240), at Acre *John of Ibelin (1246–1248) * (1248–1249) *

John of Arsuf John of Ibelin (c. 1211–1258), commonly called John of Arsuf, was the lord of Arsuf from 1236 and Constable of Jerusalem from 1251. He was a younger son of John I of Beirut. His elder brother, Balian, inherited Beirut. He served as regent o ...

(1249–1254) * John of Ibelin (1254–1256) *

(1256–1258) *

(1259–1261) *

(1276–1277) *

Roger of San Severino Roger of San Severino was the bailiff of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1277 to 1282. He was sent to Acre, then the capital of the kingdom, with a small force by the new king Charles I of Anjou, also King of Sicily, to act as regent. Charles, an ...

(1277–1281) *

(1281–1286) *

(1286–1287)

Viscount and castellan

These two offices were sometimes held by one person and sometimes held by two separate people; sometimes one or the other was not held at all. They were named by the king and occupied the

Tower of David The Tower of David (), also known as the Citadel (), is an ancient citadel and contemporary museum, located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem. The citadel that stands today dates to the Mamluk Sult ...

, but their specific duties are mostly unknown and were probably not particularly important; one of the duties of the viscount was apprehending criminals and administering justice in the lower-class burgess court. Like the office of butler, these offices may not have survived the move to Acre. *Anselm (castellan, c. 1110) *Pisellus (viscount, c. 1110) *Anscatinus (viscount, 1120–1135?) * Rohard the Elder (both?, 1135?–1150?) *Arnoul (viscount, 1155–1181?) *

(both?, c. 1160) * Rohard of Jaffa (castellan, 1165–1177?) *Peter of Creseto (castellan, c. 1173?) *Balian of Jaffa (castellan, c. 1178) *Peter of Creseto (castellan, c. 1178)

Citations

Bibliography

Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange (; December 18, 1610 in Amiens – October 23, 1688 in Paris, aged 77), also known simply as Charles Dufresne, was a distinguished French philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium. Life Educate ...

, ''Les Familles d'Outremer'', ed. M.E-G. Rey, Paris, 1869. *John L. La Monte, ''Feudal Monarchy in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1100–1291''. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1932. Cf. pp. 252–60. *Hans E. Mayer, ''The Crusades''. Oxford University Press, 1965 (trans. 1972). *

Joshua Prawer Joshua Prawer (; November 22, 1917 – April 30, 1990) was a notable Israelis, Israeli historian and a scholar of the Crusades and Kingdom of Jerusalem. His work often attempted to portray Crusader society as a forerunner to later European Colon ...

, ''The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem''. Winfield and Nicholson, 1972. * Jean Richard. (1979). ''The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem''. North-Holland: New York. {{ISBN, 0-444-85092-9. *

Jonathan Riley-Smith Jonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith (27 June 1938 – 13 September 2016) was a historian of the Crusades, and, between 1994 and 2005, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge. He was a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Ea ...

, ''The Feudal Nobility in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1174–1277'', Archon Books, London,1973. *Steven Tibble, ''Monarchy and Lordship in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099–1291'', Clarendon Press, 1989. Medieval titles People from the Kingdom of Jerusalem Government of the Kingdom of Jerusalem