Simon Mansel (between 1205 and 1220 – after 1268) was a

Constable of Antioch The Principality of Antioch mirrored the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in its selection of great offices: constable, marshal, seneschal, admiral, Chamberlain, butler, chancellor and at certain times also bailiff. The Officers of the Principality ...

. He belonged to the important Frankish Mansel family from

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

. He was believed to be a son of

Robert Mansel Sir Robert Mansell (1573–1656) was an admiral of the English Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament (MP), mostly for Welsh constituencies. His name was sometimes given as Sir Robert Mansfield and Sir Robert Maunsell. Early life Mansel was a ...

, who became constable to Antioch in 1207.

Bartholomew Mansel Bartholomew Mansel was the vicar of the diocese of Antioch, regent of Tripoli, and bishop of Tortosa around 1272, a post he held until 1291. Biography Bartholomew belonged to the important Frankish family of the Mansels in Antioch. He was probab ...

, Bishop of

Tartus ) , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = Tartus corniche Port of Tartus • Tartus beach and boulevard Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa • Al-Assad Stadium& ...

, was probably his brother. Through his Armenian mother, he was related to King

Hethum I, King of Armenia Hethum I (Armenian: Հեթում Ա; 1213 – 21 October 1270) ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (also known as "Little Armenia") from 1226 to 1270. He was the son of Constantine of Baberon (d. 1263) and Princess Alix Pahlavouni of Lampron (a ...

. He married a descendant of Simon de Bouillon, chamberlain of Antioch, then a daughter of

Constantine of Baberon Constantine of Baberon (died c. 1263) was a powerful Armenian noble of the Het‛umid family. He was the son of Vassag and the father of King Het‛um I, who ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1226 to 1270. Constantine played a pivotal rol ...

, Lord of Barbaron and Partzapert. He was constable of Antioch when the city fortress was attacked and besieged by the Mamluks under Sultan

Baibars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( ar, الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Dīn Baybars al-Bunduqdārī'') (1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), of Turkic Kipchak o ...

on May 14, 1268 . Since Prince

Bohemond VI Bohemond VI (–1275), also known as the Fair, was the prince of Antioch and count of Tripoli from 1251 until his death. He ruled while Antioch was caught between the warring Mongol Empire and Mamluk Sultanate. In 1268 Antioch was captured by ...

was in

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in t ...

, Simon commanded the defence. On the first day of the siege, he led a sortie against the attackers, but was taken prisoner by the Mamluks. From captivity he tried to negotiate a capitulation of the city, but the remaining defenders rejected this and offered the attackers fierce resistance despite their great numerical inferiority. Finally, on May 18, the city was stormed and sacked by the Mamluks, and the remaining population was massacred or enslaved. Simon was among the few who were released and went into exile with relatives in

Lesser Armenia Lesser Armenia ( hy, Փոքր Հայք, ''Pokr Hayk''; la, Armenia Minor, Greek: Mikre Armenia, Μικρή Αρμενία), also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, comprised the Armenian–populated regions primarily to the west and no ...

References

Sources

* * * 13th-century births 13th-century deaths People of the Crusader states People from Antioch Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{middleages-stub