Aimery and Henry

So we have Henry II of Champagne, elevated to the position of King of Jerusalem even if he doesn't use the title, and Aimery of Lusignan, who became King of Cyprus after he needed to flee the mainland when he was discovered by Henry to be part of a plot to turn one of Henry's cities over to Guy of Lusignan, Aimery's brother who had been effectively exiled to Cyprus because he wanted to (illegally) retain the title of King of Jerusalem himself.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem had made a peace treaty with the Ayubbid Dynasty of Saladin, but that expired in 1196, and the danger of renewed Muslim attacks was a grave concern for Henry. Cyprus, that had been captured by Richard I of England on his way to the Third Crusade and the Siege of Acre, was becoming formally a Christian kingdom under changes made by Aimery.

The nobles of the mainland understood that an alliance between the former rivals Henry and Aimery was necessary for aid in the potential conflicts to come. Aimery's wife Eschiva was from the Ibelin clan, a prominent family in Jerusalem, and many of the nobles in Jerusalem held land on Cyprus. No one wanted hostility between Henry and Aimery.

Henry sailed to Cyprus in 1197 and the two kings made a promise of mutual aid against enemies. Even more profound for the future, the three daughters of Henry were promised to the three sons of Aimery. The town of Jaffa had been taken from Aimery when he was forced to leave Jerusalem, and now it was restored as dowry for the future marriages. In November of that year, Aimery was using his former Jerusalem title of constable (even though by that time he had been crowned as King of Cyprus).

While negotiating, the Ayubbids did attack. Aimery sent his representative to Jaffa to organize defense. Henry returned to the mainland to organize his men at Acre. Somehow, some way, on 10 September Henry fell out of a window from his royal palace at Acre (illustration). He died. No details survive as to how this happened.

His death was a blow to the kingdom; he had been a capable and tolerant ruler, and had brought revenue from Champagne to the defense of the kingdom. He was mourned, but the immediate question was raised:

Who should become King of Jerusalem by marriage to Queen Isabella, so that a man would be in charge? Isabella had already had three husbands—not always by her choice. Should she accept another? The immediate suggestion was the palace seneschal, Ralph of Saint-Omer.

Ralph, however, was not wealthy or prestigious enough to satisfy the nobles. Who, then? I'll tell you tomorrow, of course.

Aimery of Lusignan

Aimery (born c.1153) was one of the sons of the Lord of Poitou, Hugh VIII of Lusignan, and Burgundia of Rancon. His brother Guy has figured largely in the past couple weeks for his time as King of Jerusalem.

After rebelling unsuccessfully against Henry II of England by kidnapping Eleanor of Aquitaine, Aimery fled to the Latin East —not that unusual a move since the Lusignan family had been involved in the Crusades for generations. He married into the influential Ibelin family with the support of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and became constable of Jerusalem c.1180. He and Eschiva of Ibelin had six children.

He was a commander at the disastrous Battle of Hattin, and was part of the Siege of Acre. He supported his brother Guy when the barons wanted to remove Guy as king.

After Guy was sent to govern Cyprus and Conrad of Montferrat was chosen to be King of Jerusalem by marrying Queen Isabella, Aimery remained in the office of constable. After Conrad's death and Henry II of Champagne's marriage to Isabella, however, Aimery was involved in a plot to hand the city of Tyre over to Guy. Henry arrested Aimery, but the barons persuaded Henry to release him.

Once freed from prison, Aimery went to Cyprus in 1193 to join Guy. Guy died in 1194, and the nobles of Cyprus chose Aimery as their lord. Aimery started a process of organizing laws and policies in Cyprus to try to raise its status to a kingdom. To do this required him to be acknowledged as king, and only an emperor or a pope could authorize this. He appealed to Pope Celestine III to establish a Latin Church hierarchy (an archbishopric and bishops and dioceses, etc.) on Cyprus.

He also reached out to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, promising he would be a vassal to the Emperor if he were granted the right to be crowned King of Cyprus. Henry sent Aimery a golden scepter. A letter from Celestine in December 1196 refers to Aimery as king, so he may have been using the title already, although his coronation was delayed until 1197 to allow Henry time to arrive; Henry was too ill to travel, however. (The illustration shows Aimery's coronation, attended by Henry's chancellor, Conrad.)

Henry's death shortly after Aimery's coronation led to a war of succession in the Empire and denied Aimery the attention and support of a powerful ally.

But now Aimery was a king in his own right, having fled from a king on the mainland. Both were Christian rulers in the Eastern Mediterranean and had similar concerns about maintaining Christian power while surrounded by Muslims. It would be in their best interests to get along, despite hostility in the past. Were they able to put aside their former conflicts for the sake of achieving mutual goals? We'll take a look at that tomorrow.

Henry's Problems

While Henry II of Champagne was functioning as King of Jerusalem (even if he did not use the title itself, preferring to manage things clearly on behalf of his wife, Queen Isabella), he had a lot of support from the barons and military orders like the Templars and Hospitallers. He was also good to supporters outside of those who followed him from the Champagne region.

Some problems cropped up, however. We've talked before about rivalry between the Maritime Republics, and the merchants of Pisa were not happy with the favor Henry showed to merchants from Genoa. The Pisans conspired to help Guy of Lusignan (who had been "exiled" to Cyprus) to become ruler of the city of Tyre (Henry was living in Acre).

The conspiracy was discovered in May 1193 and the conspirators arrested. Henry decreed that the Pisans in Tyre could number no more than 30 and the rest had to leave. Those who left began raiding villages in the area, so Henry expelled all Pisans from Acre.

Guy was in Cyprus, but his brothers were close by. Aimery of Lusignan held Jaffa and had been granted the office of constable, and he spoke up for the Pisans. Angered, and doubting Aimery's loyalty, he arrested the constable. Aimery argued that Henry had no right to arrest a constable, but Henry replied that Aimery was no longer constable.

Henry demanded that Guy turn over Cyprus as ransom for Aimery's release. The barons persuaded Henry to free Aimery without gaining Cyprus. Aimery gave up Jaffa and the position of constable and left to join his brother Guy at Cyprus.

Cyprus was a lot of territory, and ruling it would have been a boon for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Guy's governorship ended in 1194 with his death, and Aimery became governor. Henry and Aimery were going to have to deal with this situation.

Tomorrow we'll learn more about Aimery and his history.

Henry, Ruler of Jerusalem

After the brutal murder of Conrad of Montferrat right after he was informed that he had been chosen to replace Guy of Lusignan as King of Jerusalem, Henry II of Champagne went back to Tyre to mourn. He was greeted warmly by the people of Tyre, who proposed to make him their new lord. Henry had a certain amount of standing, since he was a nephew to the current kings of both England and France. Then something happened which he likely did not expect.

The Queen of Jerusalem, Isabella, now a widow after Conrad's death, offered to marry Henry, which would make him King of Jerusalem suo jure ("by right of marriage"). Henry was 20 years younger than Conrad (a husband who was imposed upon her; the illustration shows her having her first husband annulled and marrying Conrad), and probably more to the liking of the 20-year-old Isabella.

Henry had doubts. Isabella was pregnant by Conrad, and if the child were a boy, he would be the next heir rather than an heir of Henry's. The barons and Richard I of England agreed that the succession would pass to children of Henry and Isabella. Henry and Isabella married within a week of Conrad's death, Henry was granted all the cities held by Crusaders (but Jerusalem itself was still in the hands of Saladin), and the couple went to live in Acre, recently freed from Muslims.

As for the most recent king, Guy, Richard had Guy pay Henry 40,000 bezants.

There was still more fighting to be done in the Holy Land, and Henry joined Richard to capture or recapture cities from the Muslims. The Third Crusade officially ended on 2 September 1192 with a peace treaty that allowed the existence of the Kingdom of Jerusalem as a narrow strip of land extending south to Jaffa. It was signed by Henry (speaking for Richard), and the heads of the Templars and Hospitallers. Richard declared Henry the leader of all Christian forces in Palestine.

Henry's standing did not go to his head. He never called himself "king," but used his European title of "count of Troyes." His rulings were done in the name of Isabella, and he constantly claimed he did things with her "wish and consent." When Aymar the Monk was elected Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (a seat vacant for a couple years since the death of Heraclius) by the priests who manage the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Henry was angered at not having been consulted and arrested them. Their argument was that he did not need to be consulted because he was not king. Pope Celestine III agreed with the priests. Archbishop Josias of Tyre convinced Henry to let the priests go and appease the insult to Aymar by giving a rich fief to Aymar's nephew.

The child of Isabella and Conrad turned out to be a daughter, Maria of Montferrat. This new marriage produced three daughters, of which two survived past childhood, Alice and Philippa.

Henry had an interesting approach to his Muslim neighbors, now that a peace treaty was in place. He requested of Saladin a turban and tunic, wearing these around Acre to show respect for the Muslim residents and neighbors. He gained a reputation for being tolerant to others, and was even hosted by the Assassins (perhaps we'll get to that some day).

Not everything was pleasant, however, and some of the danger came not from Muslims but from other Europeans. I'll tell you about that tomorrow as well.

Henry II of Champagne

We're going to look at the man who unexpectedly became King of Jerusalem in 1192.

Henry was the son of the Count of Champagne, Henry I, and Marie of France, who was a daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Louis VII of France. Because Marie was half-sister to both Philip II of France and Richard I of England, Henry was the nephew of two kings.

Henry was born on 29 July 1166. His father arranged a betrothal to Isabella of Hainaut. When his father died in March 1181, Marie became regent for the 15-year-old Count Henry II. A couple months later, a different bride was suggested for young Henry: Yolanda, daughter of Count Baldwin of Hainaut. Yolanda was nine years younger than Henry, and Baldwin asked that the marriage be postponed until she was older (this delay would work in Henry's favor in a few years).

While waiting to reach his majority at 21, he traveled on the tournament circuit, learning (and enjoying) how to fight. He turned 21 in 1187 and immediately took to the role of Count of Champagne, issuing orders and making changes to policy and in the chancery. He was a big supporter of the Champagne Fairs, an annual set of trade fairs in the county that were a large part of Champagne's economic stability.

When news reached Europe that Jerusalem had been conquered by Saladin and Queen Sibylla had fled, he joined the Third Crusade and went to the Siege of Acre in 1190, leaving his mother as regent and having his barons swear fealty to Henry's 11-year-old brother, Theobald, as Henry's successor should Henry not return. Henry's marshal, Geoffrey de Villehardouin, also went along.

Henry's arrival at the Siege of Acre was a huge boost to morale: he brought many soldiers, money, weapons, siege engines, and supplies. His presence caused Saladin to pull his army back a little from the growing Crusader camp. Henry was respected, but the Crusaders wanted more leadership, and the kings of England and France had not yet arrived. On 15 November Henry and Conrad of Montferrat were both wounded in a battle. On 24 November Henry saw Conrad married to Isabella of Jerusalem, making Conrad king (although Guy of Lusignan refused to relinquish the title).

Henry's money ran out, and he asked King Philip of France for a loan; Philip would only lend money if Henry offered Champagne as collateral. This Henry was unwilling to do, but when Richard of England arrived, Richard gave him money. Philip went home after the Siege, and Henry joined his army to Richard to deal with the Battle of Arsuf and other conflicts.

When Richard wanted to return to England, he first wanted to settle the question of the King of Jerusalem. He called the nobles and prelates together and voted: the unanimous choice was Conrad over Guy. Henry was sent to Tyre with the news, then returned to Acre to prepare for the coronation. Meanwhile, Conrad was killed by two men who claimed to be of the Assassins; under torture, one confessed that Richard had ordered the death.

Hearing of Conrad's death, Count Henry went back to Tyre where he was greeted warmly, and then was handed a golden opportunity. I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

Selecting the King

The question of who should be King of Jerusalem came up after the death of Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem during the Siege of Acre. Her husband, Guy of Lusignan, was only king suo jure (by right of marriage), and therefore was no longer the rightful king.

The next in line was Sibylla's younger sister, Isabella of Jerusalem. The nobles were hostile to Guy, not liking him from the start, but long ago Sibylla had tricked them into accepting Guy. Guy proved his unworthiness by refusing to relinquish control of the kingdom to Isabella.

A further complication was that Isabella was married to Humphrey of Toron. Humphrey was a friend of Guy's and did not want to replace him. Despite pressure from other nobles, Humphrey pledged his loyalty to Guy. That loyalty got him nowhere because the nobles did not think Humphrey would be suitable as king by right of being married to Isabella, so they wanted to replace him. An annulment was arranged so that Isabella could be married to Conrad of Montferrat (brother of Sibylla's first husband, William), who so disliked Guy that when Guy and Sibylla fled Jerusalem after its takeover by Saladin, Conrad would not give them shelter in Tyre.

Once married to Conrad, the couple retired to Tyre, leaving the Siege of Acre to others, including Guy, and taking steps to ensure the succession (Isabella did get pregnant at this time). The European leaders at Acre were divided on the issue: Philip II of France supported Conrad, Richard I of England supported Guy (who was a vassal of Richard due to Guy being Lord of Poitou).

In April 1192, Richard called a meeting of all the European and Holy Land nobles. By this time, Richard may have still wanted Guy to be king, but the vote for Conrad was unanimous. Richard wanted Guy to have something, so he made him the governor of Cyprus, which Richard had captured on his way to the Holy Land. Guy was in Cyprus until his death in 1194, having squandered the country's treasury.

Henry II of Champagne, a nephew to both Philip and Richard, who had been at the Siege of Acre prior to his uncles arriving, was tasked with going to Tyre with the news of Conrad's election. Conrad and Isabella were happy to have a resolution to the conflict.

Conrad was never crowned, however. On 28 April, a few days after the election, Conrad:

...rode home through the city flanked by a pair of guards. As he turned down a narrow street, he saw two men sitting on either side of the road. As Conrad approached, they stood up and walked to meet him. One of them was holding a letter. Conrad was intrigued but did not dismount. Rather, he stretched down from his horse and reached out to take the letter. As he did so, the man holding the letter drew a knife and stabbed upwards, plunging the blade deep into Conrad's body. At the same time, the other man leaped onto the back of Conrad's horse and stabbed him in the side. [source]

One of the men was killed, the other captured and tortured. They turned out to be members of the Assassins, and might have been contracted by Saladin. Under torture, however, the surviving assassin maintained the order came from Richard (the Assassins had been known to form an alliance with Christians). Humphrey of Toron was also a suspect.

According to Richard I's chroniclers, on his deathbed Conrad said Tyre should be handed over to Richard, which is certainly suspect, especially since Conrad knew that Richard did not support Conrad.

So who became King of Jerusalem? As it turns out, Henry II of Champagne! We'll see how that came about tomorrow.