The Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a state that was formed in 1099 CE by Western settlers and Crusaders after the First Crusade that happened between the periods 1095-1102 CE. The kingdom was the capital of four crusader states in the middle east which were referred to as the Latin East. These states included Tripoli which is today’s Western Lebanon, Edessa which is today’s Eastern Turkey, Antioch which is the western border between Syria and Turkey plus Jerusalem itself. The kingdom of Jerusalem, however, was the largest crusader state among the other three. This paper will discuss how the kingdom of Jerusalem was formed, how it functioned as an autonomous state and lastly how it finally fell.
The kingdom of Jerusalem also known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was a crusader state that was created by Godfrey of Bouilion in the Southern Levant after the happenings of the first crusade in 1099. The history of this kingdom is associated with two major distinct periods. The first period is the one that lasted between 1099-1187 which is commonly defined as the First Kingdom of Jerusalem. The second period is the one that lasted between 1192 when the kingdom was reestablished after the third crusade in Acre until 1291 when the kingdom fell and was destroyed. This period is defined as the second kingdom of Jerusalem or the Kingdom of Acre which was the kingdom’s new capital.
The first crusade took place in 1095 at the council of Clermont and was preached by Pope Urban 2. The purpose of the crusade was to help in the Byzantine Empire from the invasions they were receiving from Seljuk Turks. The two were fighting over who could have control of the holy land that is Jerusalem, Syria, and Anatolia. This disunity, however, did not stop the crusaders from facing their way to Jerusalem despite the rampant military opposition that they received on their way. During this period, much of Palestine and Egypt were over control by ‘Arab Shi’ite Fatimid Caliphate’ who had even extended their control in Syria before the Seljuks had even arrived. There was major warfare between the Seljuks and Fatimids which caused a major disruption between the western pilgrims and the local Christians. Religion at this particular time was significantly interfered with. It was until 1073 that the Fatimids were defeated in war and they lost Jerusalem to the Seljuks. They were, however, able to recapture it in 1098 shortly before the arrival of the crusaders.
The crusaders arrived in Jerusalem in June 1099, they first captured Bethlehem, Lydda, and Ramia which neighboured Jerusalem and successfully captured Jerusalem itself on the 15th day of the same month. A council was held on 22nd July in the church of the Holy Sepulchre so that a king would be established who would be in charge of the newly formed kingdom of Jerusalem. It was due to this then that Godfrey of Bouillon and Raymond of Toulouse became the newly chosen rulers of the new kingdom of Jerusalem.
Between the two rulers, Raymond was more powerful and wealthier since he at first had refused to become king as a way of probably attempting to show his piety since he knew that the nobles would still insist on his choosing him as their leader. Godfrey, on the other hand, did not hesitate and easily accepted this position as a secular leader. Raymond was incensed and he decided to take his army far away from the city. Godfrey’s reputation was highly secured after the Fatimid Egyptian army was defeated by the ‘Al-Afdal Shahanshah’ a month later after the conquest that took place on August 12. Thus, there was a great antagonism between Raymond’s and Godfrey’s reputation which prevented the Crusaders from taking over Ascalon.
After the establishment of the new kingdom, there was some uncertainty about the functions of this new kingdom. It was at this state of confusion that ‘Papal Legate Daimbert of Pisa’ convinced Godfrey to hand him over this kingdom so that he would make it a theocratic state that would be under the direct control of ‘Papal’. Godfrey agreed to this and went further to enlarge the kingdom by taking possession of two other cities. He increased the boundaries of Jerusalem by capturing the cities of Tiberias, Haifa, and Jaffa among others. He reduced all these cities by turning them into a tributary status.
Godfrey went ahead to establish the principality of Galilee, the country of Jaffa and created a strong foundation base that would enhance the ‘system of vassalage’ in his kingdom. However, his reign was very short since he died on 18th July 1100 after a short illness. His greatest achievement was that of his victory over the Egyptians at Ascalon which significantly strengthened his new conquest.
The barons invited his brother Baldwin, Count of Edessa so that he could assume the Lordship of Jerusalem. Baldwin accepted this request and he was crowned as the second king of Jerusalem in the Basilica of Bethlehem by Patriarch Daimbert on 25th December 1100. Baldwin became the real founder of the kingdom of Jerusalem due to major achievements that he was able to achieve. He was able to take possession over principal cities such as the Coast of Syria, Principality of Antioch, Edessa, and Tripoli. In short, he took direct control over all the crusader states. He was able to do this through help and support from the Pisan, Venetian, and Genoese armies. The principality of Edessa became the major source of income for the new kingdom whereas Antioch retained its independence.
During Baldwin’s reign, a strong foundation base for the secular framework was established. It is within this framework that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was created. There would be many dioceses and four suffragan archdioceses which were to be under the direct control of the Latin Patriarch. However, the Syriac and local Eastern Orthodox hierarchies got to retain themselves which was a wise decision since their authorities and hierarchies were not interfered with. These two hierarchies were in strong opposition to the Catholic Church with claims that they considered themselves Schismatics which was illegal according to their teachings.
During Baldwin’s reign, the kingdom expanded even further than it did during Godfrey’s reign. There was a minor crusade that was held in 1101 which significantly brought about to many reinforcements in the kingdom. For instance, there was an increase in the number of European inhabitants. Jerusalem’s population changed in that the native Christians and the Franks were more in number than the Jews. Baldwin was also able to capture the port cities of Acre in 1104, Beirut in 1110 and Sidon in 1111. He was able to do this through the help of Italian city-states and other adventures such as King Sigurd 1 of Norway.
Baldwin was indeed the true founder of Jerusalem since it was during his reign that the kingdom of Jerusalem was able to defend itself successfully from Muslim invasions, from Mosul and Damascus during the war of al-Sannabra in 1113 and from the Fatimids during the war that was held in Ramia located at the South West of the kingdom. He was well known to have transformed Jerusalem from tenuous into a feudal state.
He also established a strong monarchial government which was able to conquer the coast at Palestine and reconcile the crusader barons. These barons were large landholders of men who led the warriors during the crusade. They were large landholders since they had grabbed off the land from the Seljuk territory. The role of the barons was to provide military support to the king as ‘knights’It is also during this period that strong frontiers surrounding the kingdom of Jerusalem were built as a way of protecting the kingdom against invasions by its Muslim neighbors from other kingdoms. Their protection was determined by if the king had taken the right oath since they had the right of refusing to protect the king if he had in some way broken the oath.
This period was followed by a complex period of about two centuries that entailed lots of chaos and disputes in the kingdom. This was brought about by intermarriages between people of noble families, usurpers, four civil wars, and unending disputes over who succeed over the throne. The succession of the throne was, in particular, the main reason behind the misunderstandings. However, this was the same for all the European Medieval states.
The king of Jerusalem remained to be the most powerful not only in the city of Jerusalem but also in the entire Latin state. The king had the power and favor to distribute land and titles to those who had the legal rights of acquiring the land. He used this criterion of granting out land especially to the troublemakers to distance themselves from bringing trouble and causing chaos to the kingdom. The king was a capable ruler who had so much protection from his ‘knights’ since he did not deserve to suffer from any sort of military disease. He also had a great team of nobles who would advise him on various issues such as that of policymaking, making military orders and decisions such as those of foreign diplomacy.
As the kingdom established itself, the majority of the population was composed of the local population but as the years passed on, there were lots of western settlers. This is because these settlers realized that they needed a lot of support from the locals which enhanced positive interactions and communication between the western settlers and the locals. This led to the emergence of non-christian religions which were very inferior as compared to Christianity.
The western settlers lived in established towns and cities and led to the springing up of many small villages in the region. In these small towns; churches, convents, monasteries, houses, and graveyards were built. The population of Jerusalem was said to increase from 20,000 when the kingdom was being established to around 30,000 during the 12th century CE. The construction of the new church of the ‘Holy Sepulchre’ was the most prominent building project that is historically remembered even today. It was completed in July 1149 CE and was considered as a site for Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and the tomb where he was buried.
The locals were governed under a feudal system which continued even after the settlement of the crusaders. Most crusaders were from France which made the official language of the kingdom to be ‘Langue d’oeil.’ This was a language that was mainly spoken by the Normans in Northern France. There was minimal cultural integration between different groups of people in the kingdom which the result was religious and language barriers. Integration was only limited to economic, legal and administrative affairs. Cultural integration was mainly felt by the ‘Franks’ since they were able to easily adapt to the new culture. They easily adopted local clothes, hygiene practices and cuisine which suited the change of climate in the kingdom. The kingdom of Jerusalem, however, remained a cosmopolitan as trade thrived well regardless of cultural disintegration, political differences and constant warfare between the Muslims and Christians.
The kingdom had coastal plains that were very fertile and hence a great source of income. Sugarcane was planted in plenty since it was the biggest earner for the kingdom as the majority of sugar consumed in Europe at that particular period came from here. Other crops were also planted that included barley, maize, millet, wheat, cotton, fruits, olive oil, and wine. However, these crops did not bring about much income as compared to the sugarcane. They were perhaps though able to export some fabrics such as Linen and Silk. This trade was a major source of foreign revenue. Import and export duties were imposed at a percentage rate of between 4-25% of the good’s volume or value. The kingdom also sourced its revenue from taxes that were compulsory for the people to pay. Tax rates would be increased especially during times of war to cater to the military expenses.
The kingdom was also able to mint its silver coinage and gold which was a great source of revenue too. However, despite the huge amounts of revenue from agriculture, trade, and mining the kingdom still experienced cash deficits as the expenses outnumbered the amount of revenue collected. This was caused by huge expenses that were spent on maintaining a well-equipped army, building castles and fortifications and lastly withstanding the losses from destroyed goods and territories from the on and off warfare between them and their Muslim neighbors.
After the death of Baldwin in 1131, Fulk who was husband to one of his daughters succeeded over the throne as the new king of Jerusalem. He was a crusader who had a great experience in this role. Many people were not impressed with him becoming the king since he was just but a foreigner. Edessa, Tripoli, and Antioch conspired all that they could do to prevent him from exercising the Suzerainty of Jerusalem over them. They did not succeed in their efforts however since through military support, Fulk was able to defeat Antioch and Tripoli through war.
Fulk brought Jerusalem into a sphere of the Angevin Empire which was highly opposed by the crusader nobles. They were very bitter against Fulk’s preference for the Angevin retinue. In 1134, a scandal between Hugh of Jaffa and Fulk occurred as Hugh strongly rebelled against Fulk’s governance. It was during this scandal that one of Baldwin’s daughters who was known as Melisende gained control over the government through much support from other noble crusaders. Fulk was not at peace anymore because it was after the above happenings that a very dangerous enemy of him emerged whose name was ‘atabeg Zengi of Mosul’. This man was very powerful because already he had control over Aleppo and Damascus as well. It was very easy for him to take control over Jerusalem due to the union between the two states he already had control over. His plans, however, didn’t work since they were stopped in advance.
Numerous castles were constructed during this period of Fulk’s reign which included Kerak and Ibelin. It was until his death in 1143 that Zengi got the right opportunity to strike, invade and capture the city of Edessa. Queen Melisende advocated for all efforts done to recapture Edessa but they all failed even after having appointed a new leader of the army. Zengi was however assassinated in 1146 after the complete fall and destruction of Edessa. This shocked the entire Europe that is from East to West and this incited the happening of a second crusade.
The second crusade was led by King Conrad 111 of Germany and Louis V11 of France. Damascus was their main target where the crusade was to be held so as they could be able to overthrow and capture it. This was a form of revenge since over the years, Jerusalem kept on receiving major threats from this city. The siege for Damascus failed terribly and the crusaders were forced to retreat within about three days and they returned home. There were rumors that King Conrad 111 had betrayed Jerusalem through bribery and treachery.
The failure of this second crusade was accompanied by major consequences for the kingdom. Many people were hesitant to join the army especially those from the West which made the kingdom’s army to be small and largely dominated by minor nobles from Europe. It is due to this weak military force that Antioch was also captured in 1149 CE by Nur ad-Din who was Zangi’s successor. The city of Edessa was also eliminated which was a sign for the beginning of destruction and fall for the kingdom of Jerusalem.
The third crusade was launched between the period 1189-1192 CE by Pope Gregory V111 after Jerusalem faced much enemity from Saladin who was the Sultan of Syria & Egypt at that particular period. He was able to defeat the Latin army which was being headed by nobles from the kingdom of Jerusalem. Through this, he was able to capture Jerusalem as there was no one to protect it as their army had already been overthrown. There was a slight improvement in the third crusade than the second one since the crusaders captured the city of Acre in 1191 CE. It was, however, difficult for them to recapture Jerusalem since they had inadequate resources and military support to help them do so. Jerusalem was thus left under control of the Muslims while Acre was made to be the new capital of the Latin East and the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The third crusade was followed by the fourth one between the period 1202-1204 CE with attempts to recapture Jerusalem. Efforts to recapture Jerusalem failed too since instead of the crusaders attacking the Muslim community, they attacked Constantinople which was the capital city of the Roman Empire. This fourth crusade was followed by the fifth one between the periods 1217-1221 CE but the attempt to recapture Jerusalem also failed since the crusaders encountered a disaster on River Nile that prevented them from going further into war.
The crusaders, however, managed to recapture the city from 1228- 1229 CE through diplomacy and not through war. This though did not last for long before the city was recaptured again by the Muslims. This made the crusaders advocate for the sixth crusade between 1120-1250 where they were to negotiate for a peaceful hand-over of their kingdom. This was successful and thereby the holy city of Jerusalem was granted to them through diplomacy again. All Muslims were however forcefully taken away from the kingdom but were granted the freedom to visit their holy sites on Pilgrimage. Thus, the sixth crusade was the most successful of all the others.
The crusaders felt they had achieved in regaining the kingdom of Jerusalem from the Muslim kingdom. On the contrary, however, they were shocked since they thought that it would retain it’s title as the capital city since Acre continued serving as the capital despite the recapture of Jerusalem. Acre was now in control of the largest part of the coastline which included the small towns of Beirut, Sidon, Tyre, Caesarea, Arsuf, and Jaffa. It was headed by a new king whose name was Henry of Champagne even though he did not rule for a long period since he accidentally died in 1197.
The expansion of the kingdom of Acre made the kingdom of Jerusalem to retain its tinyness for a whole century since the coastline at Syria was also grabbed off and yet it constituted the largest part of the kingdom. It was until on 23rd August 1244 CE that the Kingdom of Jerusalem was recaptured again by nobles from the Ayyubid dynasty. The Ayyubid took direct control over the entire Middle East. These nobles were very strong such that they were capable of defeating the well established Latin army and some of the Muslim communities from the cities of Homs and Damascus. It was during this war that over 1000 military men were killed which made the crusaders almost give up in the recapturing process.
The crusaders, however, did not let the disaster to intimidate them since they remained strong and launched the seventh crusade. Their leader was Louis 1X of France who majorly helped them to regain some cities such as Caesaria, Jaffa, and Sidon. The eighth crusade was held in 1270 and it was the final one since it failed terribly since the crusaders did not succeed in attacking the Ayyubid dynasty. The Christians at this particular time completely have up and that is how they lost the kingdom over to the Muslims. This is because they realized that it was no longer possible to retain the Christian conquest of the kingdom. All the citadels and cities of the kingdom of Jerusalem were taken over by the Muslim nobles and their leader was Saladin. Henry 11 of Jerusalem remained as the king until he died in 1324. After his death, kingship became hereditary and was thus claimed by his successors. This was termed as a way of paying tributary to the crown of Naples which kept on changing based on the testament and direct inheritance.
Bibliography
Cartwright, Mark. “Kingdom of Jerusalem.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 02, 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/Kingdom_of_Jerusalem/.
Fulcher of Chartres. A History of the Expedition to Jerusalem, 1095-1127, trans. Frances Rita Ryan. University of Tennessee Press, 1969. ISBN 978-0393094237
Bréhier, Louis. “Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099-1291).” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2020. Retrieved from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08361a.htm/
Allan, Murray. “The Kingdom of Jerusalem.” Retrieved from http://opac.regesta-imperii.de/lang-en/autoren.php?name=Murray%2C+Alan+V
The Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a state that was formed in 1099 CE by Western settlers and Crusaders after the First Crusade that happened between the periods 1095-1102 CE. The kingdom was the capital of four crusader states in the middle east which were referred to as the Latin East. These states included Tripoli which is today’s Western Lebanon, Edessa which is today’s Eastern Turkey, Antioch which is the western border between Syria and Turkey plus Jerusalem itself. The kingdom of Jerusalem, however, was the largest crusader state among the other three. This paper will discuss how the kingdom of Jerusalem was formed, how it functioned as an autonomous state and lastly how it finally fell.
The kingdom of Jerusalem also known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was a crusader state that was created by Godfrey of Bouilion in the Southern Levant after the happenings of the first crusade in 1099. The history of this kingdom is associated with two major distinct periods. The first period is the one that lasted between 1099-1187 which is commonly defined as the First Kingdom of Jerusalem. The second period is the one that lasted between 1192 when the kingdom was reestablished after the third crusade in Acre until 1291 when the kingdom fell and was destroyed. This period is defined as the second kingdom of Jerusalem or the Kingdom of Acre which was the kingdom’s new capital.
The first crusade took place in 1095 at the council of Clermont and was preached by Pope Urban 2. The purpose of the crusade was to help in the Byzantine Empire from the invasions they were receiving from Seljuk Turks. The two were fighting over who could have control of the holy land that is Jerusalem, Syria, and Anatolia. This disunity, however, did not stop the crusaders from facing their way to Jerusalem despite the rampant military opposition that they received on their way. During this period, much of Palestine and Egypt were over control by ‘Arab Shi’ite Fatimid Caliphate’ who had even extended their control in Syria before the Seljuks had even arrived. There was major warfare between the Seljuks and Fatimids which caused a major disruption between the western pilgrims and the local Christians. Religion at this particular time was significantly interfered with. It was until 1073 that the Fatimids were defeated in war and they lost Jerusalem to the Seljuks. They were, however, able to recapture it in 1098 shortly before the arrival of the crusaders.
The crusaders arrived in Jerusalem in June 1099, they first captured Bethlehem, Lydda, and Ramia which neighboured Jerusalem and successfully captured Jerusalem itself on the 15th day of the same month. A council was held on 22nd July in the church of the Holy Sepulchre so that a king would be established who would be in charge of the newly formed kingdom of Jerusalem. It was due to this then that Godfrey of Bouillon and Raymond of Toulouse became the newly chosen rulers of the new kingdom of Jerusalem.
Between the two rulers, Raymond was more powerful and wealthier since he at first had refused to become king as a way of probably attempting to show his piety since he knew that the nobles would still insist on his choosing him as their leader. Godfrey, on the other hand, did not hesitate and easily accepted this position as a secular leader. Raymond was incensed and he decided to take his army far away from the city. Godfrey’s reputation was highly secured after the Fatimid Egyptian army was defeated by the ‘Al-Afdal Shahanshah’ a month later after the conquest that took place on August 12. Thus, there was a great antagonism between Raymond’s and Godfrey’s reputation which prevented the Crusaders from taking over Ascalon.
After the establishment of the new kingdom, there was some uncertainty about the functions of this new kingdom. It was at this state of confusion that ‘Papal Legate Daimbert of Pisa’ convinced Godfrey to hand him over this kingdom so that he would make it a theocratic state that would be under the direct control of ‘Papal’. Godfrey agreed to this and went further to enlarge the kingdom by taking possession of two other cities. He increased the boundaries of Jerusalem by capturing the cities of Tiberias, Haifa, and Jaffa among others. He reduced all these cities by turning them into a tributary status.
Godfrey went ahead to establish the principality of Galilee, the country of Jaffa and created a strong foundation base that would enhance the ‘system of vassalage’ in his kingdom. However, his reign was very short since he died on 18th July 1100 after a short illness. His greatest achievement was that of his victory over the Egyptians at Ascalon which significantly strengthened his new conquest.
The barons invited his brother Baldwin, Count of Edessa so that he could assume the Lordship of Jerusalem. Baldwin accepted this request and he was crowned as the second king of Jerusalem in the Basilica of Bethlehem by Patriarch Daimbert on 25th December 1100. Baldwin became the real founder of the kingdom of Jerusalem due to major achievements that he was able to achieve. He was able to take possession over principal cities such as the Coast of Syria, Principality of Antioch, Edessa, and Tripoli. In short, he took direct control over all the crusader states. He was able to do this through help and support from the Pisan, Venetian, and Genoese armies. The principality of Edessa became the major source of income for the new kingdom whereas Antioch retained its independence.
During Baldwin’s reign, a strong foundation base for the secular framework was established. It is within this framework that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was created. There would be many dioceses and four suffragan archdioceses which were to be under the direct control of the Latin Patriarch. However, the Syriac and local Eastern Orthodox hierarchies got to retain themselves which was a wise decision since their authorities and hierarchies were not interfered with. These two hierarchies were in strong opposition to the Catholic Church with claims that they considered themselves Schismatics which was illegal according to their teachings.
During Baldwin’s reign, the kingdom expanded even further than it did during Godfrey’s reign. There was a minor crusade that was held in 1101 which significantly brought about to many reinforcements in the kingdom. For instance, there was an increase in the number of European inhabitants. Jerusalem’s population changed in that the native Christians and the Franks were more in number than the Jews. Baldwin was also able to capture the port cities of Acre in 1104, Beirut in 1110 and Sidon in 1111. He was able to do this through the help of Italian city-states and other adventures such as King Sigurd 1 of Norway.
Baldwin was indeed the true founder of Jerusalem since it was during his reign that the kingdom of Jerusalem was able to defend itself successfully from Muslim invasions, from Mosul and Damascus during the war of al-Sannabra in 1113 and from the Fatimids during the war that was held in Ramia located at the South West of the kingdom. He was well known to have transformed Jerusalem from tenuous into a feudal state.
He also established a strong monarchial government which was able to conquer the coast at Palestine and reconcile the crusader barons. These barons were large landholders of men who led the warriors during the crusade. They were large landholders since they had grabbed off the land from the Seljuk territory. The role of the barons was to provide military support to the king as ‘knights’It is also during this period that strong frontiers surrounding the kingdom of Jerusalem were built as a way of protecting the kingdom against invasions by its Muslim neighbors from other kingdoms. Their protection was determined by if the king had taken the right oath since they had the right of refusing to protect the king if he had in some way broken the oath.
This period was followed by a complex period of about two centuries that entailed lots of chaos and disputes in the kingdom. This was brought about by intermarriages between people of noble families, usurpers, four civil wars, and unending disputes over who succeed over the throne. The succession of the throne was, in particular, the main reason behind the misunderstandings. However, this was the same for all the European Medieval states.
The king of Jerusalem remained to be the most powerful not only in the city of Jerusalem but also in the entire Latin state. The king had the power and favor to distribute land and titles to those who had the legal rights of acquiring the land. He used this criterion of granting out land especially to the troublemakers to distance themselves from bringing trouble and causing chaos to the kingdom. The king was a capable ruler who had so much protection from his ‘knights’ since he did not deserve to suffer from any sort of military disease. He also had a great team of nobles who would advise him on various issues such as that of policymaking, making military orders and decisions such as those of foreign diplomacy.
As the kingdom established itself, the majority of the population was composed of the local population but as the years passed on, there were lots of western settlers. This is because these settlers realized that they needed a lot of support from the locals which enhanced positive interactions and communication between the western settlers and the locals. This led to the emergence of non-christian religions which were very inferior as compared to Christianity.
The western settlers lived in established towns and cities and led to the springing up of many small villages in the region. In these small towns; churches, convents, monasteries, houses, and graveyards were built. The population of Jerusalem was said to increase from 20,000 when the kingdom was being established to around 30,000 during the 12th century CE. The construction of the new church of the ‘Holy Sepulchre’ was the most prominent building project that is historically remembered even today. It was completed in July 1149 CE and was considered as a site for Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and the tomb where he was buried.
The locals were governed under a feudal system which continued even after the settlement of the crusaders. Most crusaders were from France which made the official language of the kingdom to be ‘Langue d’oeil.’ This was a language that was mainly spoken by the Normans in Northern France. There was minimal cultural integration between different groups of people in the kingdom which the result was religious and language barriers. Integration was only limited to economic, legal and administrative affairs. Cultural integration was mainly felt by the ‘Franks’ since they were able to easily adapt to the new culture. They easily adopted local clothes, hygiene practices and cuisine which suited the change of climate in the kingdom. The kingdom of Jerusalem, however, remained a cosmopolitan as trade thrived well regardless of cultural disintegration, political differences and constant warfare between the Muslims and Christians.
The kingdom had coastal plains that were very fertile and hence a great source of income. Sugarcane was planted in plenty since it was the biggest earner for the kingdom as the majority of sugar consumed in Europe at that particular period came from here. Other crops were also planted that included barley, maize, millet, wheat, cotton, fruits, olive oil, and wine. However, these crops did not bring about much income as compared to the sugarcane. They were perhaps though able to export some fabrics such as Linen and Silk. This trade was a major source of foreign revenue. Import and export duties were imposed at a percentage rate of between 4-25% of the good’s volume or value. The kingdom also sourced its revenue from taxes that were compulsory for the people to pay. Tax rates would be increased especially during times of war to cater to the military expenses.
The kingdom was also able to mint its silver coinage and gold which was a great source of revenue too. However, despite the huge amounts of revenue from agriculture, trade, and mining the kingdom still experienced cash deficits as the expenses outnumbered the amount of revenue collected. This was caused by huge expenses that were spent on maintaining a well-equipped army, building castles and fortifications and lastly withstanding the losses from destroyed goods and territories from the on and off warfare between them and their Muslim neighbors.
After the death of Baldwin in 1131, Fulk who was husband to one of his daughters succeeded over the throne as the new king of Jerusalem. He was a crusader who had a great experience in this role. Many people were not impressed with him becoming the king since he was just but a foreigner. Edessa, Tripoli, and Antioch conspired all that they could do to prevent him from exercising the Suzerainty of Jerusalem over them. They did not succeed in their efforts however since through military support, Fulk was able to defeat Antioch and Tripoli through war.
Fulk brought Jerusalem into a sphere of the Angevin Empire which was highly opposed by the crusader nobles. They were very bitter against Fulk’s preference for the Angevin retinue. In 1134, a scandal between Hugh of Jaffa and Fulk occurred as Hugh strongly rebelled against Fulk’s governance. It was during this scandal that one of Baldwin’s daughters who was known as Melisende gained control over the government through much support from other noble crusaders. Fulk was not at peace anymore because it was after the above happenings that a very dangerous enemy of him emerged whose name was ‘atabeg Zengi of Mosul’. This man was very powerful because already he had control over Aleppo and Damascus as well. It was very easy for him to take control over Jerusalem due to the union between the two states he already had control over. His plans, however, didn’t work since they were stopped in advance.
Numerous castles were constructed during this period of Fulk’s reign which included Kerak and Ibelin. It was until his death in 1143 that Zengi got the right opportunity to strike, invade and capture the city of Edessa. Queen Melisende advocated for all efforts done to recapture Edessa but they all failed even after having appointed a new leader of the army. Zengi was however assassinated in 1146 after the complete fall and destruction of Edessa. This shocked the entire Europe that is from East to West and this incited the happening of a second crusade.
The second crusade was led by King Conrad 111 of Germany and Louis V11 of France. Damascus was their main target where the crusade was to be held so as they could be able to overthrow and capture it. This was a form of revenge since over the years, Jerusalem kept on receiving major threats from this city. The siege for Damascus failed terribly and the crusaders were forced to retreat within about three days and they returned home. There were rumors that King Conrad 111 had betrayed Jerusalem through bribery and treachery.
The failure of this second crusade was accompanied by major consequences for the kingdom. Many people were hesitant to join the army especially those from the West which made the kingdom’s army to be small and largely dominated by minor nobles from Europe. It is due to this weak military force that Antioch was also captured in 1149 CE by Nur ad-Din who was Zangi’s successor. The city of Edessa was also eliminated which was a sign for the beginning of destruction and fall for the kingdom of Jerusalem.
The third crusade was launched between the period 1189-1192 CE by Pope Gregory V111 after Jerusalem faced much enemity from Saladin who was the Sultan of Syria & Egypt at that particular period. He was able to defeat the Latin army which was being headed by nobles from the kingdom of Jerusalem. Through this, he was able to capture Jerusalem as there was no one to protect it as their army had already been overthrown. There was a slight improvement in the third crusade than the second one since the crusaders captured the city of Acre in 1191 CE. It was, however, difficult for them to recapture Jerusalem since they had inadequate resources and military support to help them do so. Jerusalem was thus left under control of the Muslims while Acre was made to be the new capital of the Latin East and the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The third crusade was followed by the fourth one between the period 1202-1204 CE with attempts to recapture Jerusalem. Efforts to recapture Jerusalem failed too since instead of the crusaders attacking the Muslim community, they attacked Constantinople which was the capital city of the Roman Empire. This fourth crusade was followed by the fifth one between the periods 1217-1221 CE but the attempt to recapture Jerusalem also failed since the crusaders encountered a disaster on River Nile that prevented them from going further into war.
The crusaders, however, managed to recapture the city from 1228- 1229 CE through diplomacy and not through war. This though did not last for long before the city was recaptured again by the Muslims. This made the crusaders advocate for the sixth crusade between 1120-1250 where they were to negotiate for a peaceful hand-over of their kingdom. This was successful and thereby the holy city of Jerusalem was granted to them through diplomacy again. All Muslims were however forcefully taken away from the kingdom but were granted the freedom to visit their holy sites on Pilgrimage. Thus, the sixth crusade was the most successful of all the others.
The crusaders felt they had achieved in regaining the kingdom of Jerusalem from the Muslim kingdom. On the contrary, however, they were shocked since they thought that it would retain it’s title as the capital city since Acre continued serving as the capital despite the recapture of Jerusalem. Acre was now in control of the largest part of the coastline which included the small towns of Beirut, Sidon, Tyre, Caesarea, Arsuf, and Jaffa. It was headed by a new king whose name was Henry of Champagne even though he did not rule for a long period since he accidentally died in 1197.
The expansion of the kingdom of Acre made the kingdom of Jerusalem to retain its tinyness for a whole century since the coastline at Syria was also grabbed off and yet it constituted the largest part of the kingdom. It was until on 23rd August 1244 CE that the Kingdom of Jerusalem was recaptured again by nobles from the Ayyubid dynasty. The Ayyubid took direct control over the entire Middle East. These nobles were very strong such that they were capable of defeating the well established Latin army and some of the Muslim communities from the cities of Homs and Damascus. It was during this war that over 1000 military men were killed which made the crusaders almost give up in the recapturing process.
The crusaders, however, did not let the disaster to intimidate them since they remained strong and launched the seventh crusade. Their leader was Louis 1X of France who majorly helped them to regain some cities such as Caesaria, Jaffa, and Sidon. The eighth crusade was held in 1270 and it was the final one since it failed terribly since the crusaders did not succeed in attacking the Ayyubid dynasty. The Christians at this particular time completely have up and that is how they lost the kingdom over to the Muslims. This is because they realized that it was no longer possible to retain the Christian conquest of the kingdom. All the citadels and cities of the kingdom of Jerusalem were taken over by the Muslim nobles and their leader was Saladin. Henry 11 of Jerusalem remained as the king until he died in 1324. After his death, kingship became hereditary and was thus claimed by his successors. This was termed as a way of paying tributary to the crown of Naples which kept on changing based on the testament and direct inheritance.
Bibliography
Cartwright, Mark. “Kingdom of Jerusalem.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 02, 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/Kingdom_of_Jerusalem/.
Fulcher of Chartres. A History of the Expedition to Jerusalem, 1095-1127, trans. Frances Rita Ryan. University of Tennessee Press, 1969. ISBN 978-0393094237
Bréhier, Louis. “Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099-1291).” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2020. Retrieved from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08361a.htm/
Allan, Murray. “The Kingdom of Jerusalem.” Retrieved from http://opac.regesta-imperii.de/lang-en/autoren.php?name=Murray%2C+Alan+V
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