Melisende and Fulk, Part 1

Fulk of Anjou made sure that King of Jerusalem Baldwin II's choice of eldest daughter Melisende to succeed him was firm before he agreed to marry her. Once Baldwin died in August 1131, Melisende became Queen of Jerusalem in her own right (the first to be crowned so, although her mother Morphia was the actual first woman to be named "Queen of Jerusalem").

This allowed Fulk to be King of Jerusalem jure uxoris ("by right of [his] wife"). Once crowned, however, he started to rule by himself, leaving Melisende out of political affairs. This caused consternation from many quarters.

Fulk started appointing friends from Anjou into important roles, neglecting local nobles. The northern Crusader states feared that he would try to bring them under Jerusalem's control, but he did not have the sway that his father-in-law had in the area.

Melisende's sister Alice was married to Bohemond II of Antioch, who had died in 1130. She seized power and acted as regent for her infant daughter, Constance. In 1132 she made an alliance with two Crusader states, Tripoli and Edessa, and made plans to prevent Fulk from moving northward. There was one battle between Fulk and Tripoli, but they made peace and Alice was exiled.

Fulk was also opposed by the Christians in Jerusalem whose parents came from Europe but only knew the Holy Land. Hugh II of Jaffa, Melisende's cousin (their grandmothers were sisters), was a popular and charismatic figure. Although Hugh was devoted to Melisende, Fulk saw him as a potential rival for power in Jerusalem. Hugh argued against Fulk's exclusion of Melisende from royal duties.

Hugh brought several barons and other nobles together to challenge Fulk. They were defeated and Hugh was exiled— Fulk also accused Hugh of having an inappropriate relationship with Melisende—but Melisende began to exercise some power in government affairs after that.

Hugh was to be exiled to Europe. Three days before he was to leave Jerusalem he was stabbed in the back while playing dice (see illustration). Fulk is suspected to have instigated an assassination attempt, but there was no proof. Hugh recovered and went to Europe, never returning.

Fulk's reputation soured, and he had to be careful in the future. Melisende was angry over the accusation of dishonor and Hugh's treatment. She still had support among the people and local nobles, and Fulk realized being king alone was not going to be as easy as he thought.

Things had to change, and I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

Melisende

Baldwin II, Count of Edessa, and Morphia of Melitene had four daughters. When it seemed likely that a son was not going to happen, Baldwin named his eldest daughter Melisende as his heir presumptive. This was a bold move, since rulers were also supposed to be able to lead armies, and an army led by a woman was not customary at this place or time.

Melisende was born sometime between 1104 and 1109, probably in Edessa (upper Mesopotamia). With a Frankish father and an Armenian mother, she and her sisters would have grown up learning French and Armenian, and probably Greek as well.

Her father became King of Jerusalem in 1118, succeeding Baldwin I, and Morphia was named the first Queen of Jerusalem. Morphia did not involve herself in government affairs, but is credited with instilling the "fear of God" in her daughter, according to one contemporary writer. In 1119, Baldwin sent to Edessa for his wife and daughters to join him in Jerusalem.

Melisende was married to Fulk of Anjou (father of Sibylla) in 1129. Fulk was 37 and much older than Melisende, but had 17 years of experience as a ruler and was recently made a widower. During pilgrimages to Jerusalem he had developed good relations with the local nobles.

Fulk made clear during negotiations that he was willing to marry Melisende but needed her right of succession made certain. He wanted to guarantee that she was her father's heir as queen (therefore giving him the right by marriage to be king) instead of the other children. Another daughter, Alice, had been married to Prince Bohemond II of Antioch, and Fulk did not want that couple pressing a claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Baldwin started including Melisende's name in official documents alongside his own, listing her as "daughter of the king and heir of the kingdom" to make sure everyone understood the plan.

With the agreement in place, Fulk passed the title Count of Anjou to his son Geoffrey and went to Jerusalem in May 1129. Melisende's dowry was the cities of Acre and Tyre. Melisende gave birth to a son in early 1130, Baldwin III of Jerusalem.

Baldwin II died on 21 August 1131.

Fulk and Melisende were crowned King and Queen of Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (see illustration). After that, Fulk started to show his true colors, sidelining the queen from government affairs. We'll see how that went tomorrow.