The double County of Jaffa and Ascalon was one of the four major
seigneuries
A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...
comprising the major
Crusader state
The Crusader states, or Outremer, were four Catholic polities established in the Levant region and southeastern Anatolia from 1098 to 1291. Following the principles of feudalism, the foundation for these polities was laid by the First Crusade ...
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 ...
, according to 13th-century commentator
John of Ibelin.
History
Jaffa
Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...
was fortified by
Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon (; ; ; ; 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a preeminent leader of the First Crusade, and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Although initially reluctant to take the title of king, he agreed to rule as pri ...
after the
First Crusade
The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...
in 1100, and was unsuccessfully claimed by
Daimbert of Pisa
Dagobert (or Daibert or Daimbert) (died 1105) was the first Archbishop of Pisa and the second Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem after the city was captured in the First Crusade.
Early life
Little is known of Dagobert's early life, but he is thought t ...
, the first
Latin 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
Fulk of Anjou (, or ''Foulques''; – 13 November 1143), also known as Fulk the Younger, was the king of Jerusalem from 1131 until 1143 as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Melisende. Previously, he was the count of Anjou as Fulk V from 1109 t ...
in 1134 the county was divided into a number of smaller holdings, and Jaffa itself became a royal domain. In 1151 it was designated as the
apanage
An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...
of
King Baldwin III
Baldwin III (1130 – 10 February 1163) was the king of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Queen Melisende and King Fulk. He became king while still a child, and was at first overshadowed by his mother Melisende, whom he eventu ...
's younger brother,
Amalric
Amalric or Amalaric (also Americ, Almerich, Emeric, Emerick and other variations) is a personal name derived from the tribal name ''Amal'' (referring to the Gothic Amali) and ''ric'' (Gothic language, Gothic ''reiks'') meaning "ruler, prince".
E ...
. After the
siege of Ascalon
The siege of Ascalon took place from 25 January to 22 August 1153, in the time period between the Second Crusade, Second and Third Crusades, and resulted in the capture of the Fatimid Egyptian fortress by the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Ascalon was an i ...
in 1153, King Baldwin III conquered
Ascalon
Ascalon or Ashkelon was an ancient Near East port city on the Mediterranean coast of the southern Levant of high historical and archaeological significance. Its remains are located in the archaeological site of Tel Ashkelon, within the city limi ...
, which was added to Amalric's territory.
[Runciman'', A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187,'' pp. 339-340]
Jaffa and Ascalon were then granted to close relatives of the monarch and passed in and out of direct royal control as its holders ascended the throne. Around 1250 it was given to a branch of the
Ibelin family
The House of Ibelin was a noble family in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. They rose from relatively humble beginnings to become one of the most important families in the kingdom, holding various high offices and with exten ...
. With the capture of Jaffa by
Baibars
Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (; 1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), commonly known as Baibars or Baybars () and nicknamed Abu al-Futuh (, ), was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, of Turkic Kipchak origin, in the Ba ...
in 1268, the county became titular. It was bestowed anew upon John Perez Fabrice by
James II of Cyprus
James II (; /1439 or 1440 – 10 July 1473) was the penultimate King of Cyprus (usurper), reigning from 1460/1464 until his death.
Archbishop of Nicosia
James was born in Nicosia as the illegitimate son of John II of Cyprus and Marietta d ...
and Jerusalem.
Vassals
The County of Jaffa and Ascalon had a number of vassals of its own:
*
Lordship of Ramla
The Lordship of Ramla was one of the lordships in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was vassal to and part of the County of Jaffa and Ascalon.
History
During the First Crusade, Ramla was abandoned by its Muslim inhabitants, as it lacked the defense ...
*
Lordship of Ibelin
The Kingdom of Jerusalem, one of the Crusader states that was created in 1099, was divided into a number of smaller seigneuries. According to the 13th-century jurist John of Ibelin, the four highest crown vassals (referred to as barons) in the ...
*
Lordship of Mirabel (technically separate from the above, but held by the
Ibelins)
Counts of Jaffa
*
Hugh I Hugh I may refer to:
* Hugh I of Lusignan (c. 885–c. 930)
* Hugh I, Count of Maine (died 933)
* Hugh I, Viscount of Châteaudun (died 989 or after)
* Hugh I of France (c. 939–996), a.k.a. Hugh Capet, first King of the Franks of the Capetian dy ...
(1110–1118), first cousin of king
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to the Holy Land during the ...
**
Albert of Namur (1118–1122), stepfather and regent to Hugh II
*
Hugh II (1122–1134)
:The county passed into royal domain upon confiscation from Hugh II.
*
Amalric
Amalric or Amalaric (also Americ, Almerich, Emeric, Emerick and other variations) is a personal name derived from the tribal name ''Amal'' (referring to the Gothic Amali) and ''ric'' (Gothic language, Gothic ''reiks'') meaning "ruler, prince".
E ...
(1151-1153), granted Jaffa by his brother,
King Baldwin III
Baldwin III (1130 – 10 February 1163) was the king of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Queen Melisende and King Fulk. He became king while still a child, and was at first overshadowed by his mother Melisende, whom he eventu ...
Counts of Jaffa and Ascalon
In 1153, Amalric was granted Ascalon as well, and from then on Jaffa and Ascalon were held by the same count.
*
Amalric
Amalric or Amalaric (also Americ, Almerich, Emeric, Emerick and other variations) is a personal name derived from the tribal name ''Amal'' (referring to the Gothic Amali) and ''ric'' (Gothic language, Gothic ''reiks'') meaning "ruler, prince".
E ...
(1153–1163)
:The county passed into royal domain upon Amalric's accession to the throne in 1163.
*
Sibylla (1176–1186), granted county by her brother,
King 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 ...
, upon her marriage
**
William of Montferrat (1176–1177), first husband of Sibylla
**
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 ...
(1180–1186), second husband of Sibylla
:The county passed into royal domain upon Sibylla's accession to the throne in 1186.
*
Geoffrey of Lusignan (1191–1193), brother of Guy of Lusignan
*
Aimery of Jerusalem
Aimery of Lusignan (, , ''Amorí''; before 11551 April 1205), erroneously referred to as Amalric () in earlier scholarship, reigned as the first king of Cyprus from 1196 to his death in 1205. He also reigned as the king of Jerusalem as the hu ...
(1193–1198)
:The county passed into royal domain upon Aimery's accession to the throne in 1198.
*
Walter IV of Brienne
Walter IV ( (1205–1246) was the count of Brienne from 1205 to 1246.
Life
Walter was the son of Walter III of Brienne and Elvira of Sicily. Around the time of his birth, his father lost his bid for the Sicilian throne and was killed. His inh ...
(1221–1244), nephew of John of Brienne and husband of Aimery's granddaughter
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
*
John of Ibelin (1244–1266), son of
Philip of Ibelin, Isabella I's half-brother
*
James of Ibelin James of Ibelin (; died in 1276) was count of Jaffa and, titularly, of Ascalon too as well as a noted jurist in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
James was the son of Count John of Jaffa and Ascalon, himself a noted jurist in the crusader kingdom. John h ...
, son of John (1266–1268)
Titular counts
*James of Ibelin (1268–1276)
*''
Guy of Ibelin'' (1276–1304)
*''Hugh of Ibelin'' (1304–1349)
*''
Balian II of Ibelin'' (1349 – c. 1352)
*''
Guy of Ibelin'' (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)
See also
*
Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem, one of the Crusader states that was created in 1099, was divided into a number of smaller Manorialism, seigneuries. According to the 13th-century jurist John of Ibelin (jurist), John of Ibelin, the four highest crown va ...
References
Sources
*John L. La Monte, ''Feudal Monarchy in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1100-1291''. The Medieval Academy of America, 1932.
*
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 and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1174-1277''. The Macmillan Press, 1973.
*
Steven Runciman
Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman (7 July 1903 – 1 November 2000), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume '' A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54). His works had a profound impact on the popula ...
, ''A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187''.
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
, 1952.
*Steven Tibble, ''Monarchy and Lordships in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099-1291''. Clarendon Press, 1989.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaffa and Ascalon, County of
1268 disestablishments in Asia
States and territories established in 1100
Lordships of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
12th-century establishments in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Disestablishments in the Kingdom of Jerusalem