Hugh I Embriaco (also known as Hugh I of Gibelet; died c. 1135) was a Genoese admiral and the Lord of

Gibelet Byblos ( ; ), also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl (, Lebanese Arabic, locally ), is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000BC and continuously inhabited ...

in the

County of Tripoli The County of Tripoli (1102–1289) was one of the Crusader states. It was founded in the Levant in the modern-day region of Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli, northern Lebanon and parts of western Syria. When the Crusades, Frankish Crusaders, mostly O ...

Biography

Hugh I was the son of

Guglielmo Embriaco Guglielmo Embriaco (Latin ''Guillermus Embriacus'', Genoese ''Ghigærmo de ri Embrieghi'', English ''William the Drunkard''; born c. 1040), was a Genoese merchant and military leader who came to the assistance of the Crusader States during the F ...

, a prominent Genoese admiral. In 1104, Guglielmo supported the

Provençal Provençal may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Provence, a region of France ** Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France ** ''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language * Provenca ...

Crusaders under

Raymond of Saint-Gilles Raymond of Saint-Gilles ( 1041 – 28 February 1105), also called Raymond IV of Toulouse or Raymond I of Tripoli, was the count of Toulouse, duke of Narbonne, and margrave of Provence from 1094, and one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 10 ...

in the conquest of Gibelet. In recognition of Genoa's naval assistance, the city was divided, with one-third granted to the Genoese Republic. Following in his father’s footsteps, Hugh I also commanded a Genoese fleet. In 1108, he accompanied Raymond's son,

Bertrand Bertrand may refer to: Places * Bertrand, Missouri, US * Bertrand, Nebraska, US * Bertrand, New Brunswick, Canada * Bertrand Township, Michigan, US * Bertrand, Michigan * Bertrand, Virginia, US * Bertrand Creek, state of Washington * Saint-Bertr ...

, to the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

. That same year, just before Bertrand's successful conquest of Tripoli, he ceded full control of Gibelet to the Genoese. Hugh was subsequently appointed as the city's first lord. Initially, Hugh I held Gibelet as a Genoese governor, administering the city on behalf of the Republic. However, prior to his death around 1135, Gibelet was formally granted to him as a hereditary

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

for a term of 20 years, in exchange for annual interest payments to Genoa. This arrangement marked the foundation of the

Embriaco family The Embriaco family were a prominent Genoese family, who played an important role in the history of the Crusader states. It also gave consuls, admirals and ambassadors to the Republic of Genoa. The family ruled the city of Byblos (in present-d ...

's feudal lordship over Gibelet.

Marriage and issue

Hugh was married to Adelasia, with whom he had at least two sons. His eldest son,

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

, succeeded him as Lord of Gibelet following his death.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Embriaco, Hugh I 1130s deaths Genoese admirals Christians of the Crusades 12th-century Genoese people People from the Republic of Genoa Embriaco family