Mighty Monarchs IX (Kingdom of Jerusalem) Quiz

Answer: Raymond, Count of Toulouse and St.-Giles

Raymond had always fancied himself the overall leader of the Crusade because he was accompanied by the Papal Legate (Adhemar, Bishop of Le Puy - the spiritual leader of the Crusade). The crown had only been offered to him out of respect for his age and experience and he knew that his fellow Crusaders mistrusted him and would never submit to his authority. If you answered Godfrey - you were half right. Godfrey did refuse the title of king but not the position as head of the newly formed Crusader States (the Outremer).

He took the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri ('Protector of the Holy Sepulchre'). He reigned till his death (Jul 15, 1100 AD). Baldwin, Godfrey's brother, had earlier established himself in Edessa (Mar 1098 AD). Bohemond had also established himself earlier in Antioch (Jun 1098 AD). Raymond later established the County of Tripoli. Throughout the kingdom's existence the kings rarely exercised any real authority over their vassals.

Answer: Baldwin I

Baldwin I (r. 1100-1118 AD) had succeeded his brother and had no problem with assuming the title of king! Adelaide made harsh terms - if the marriage proved childless, her son Roger II would inherit the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The marriage was not popular with the king's subjects because Baldwin had not legally divorced his current wife yet! The marriage was annulled in 1117 AD. Baldwin had become seriously ill and claimed that to save his soul he must take his first wife back (in reality Sicilian aid had never materialized and he had already spent Adelaide's wealth). Baldwin was succeeded by his cousin Baldwin of Le Bourg (Baldwin II r. 1118-1131 AD).

Answer: Fulk of Anjou

Fulk (r. 1131-1144 AD) had previously abdicated his position as Count of Anjou (Fulk V, the Young, r. 1106-1129 AD) in favor of his son, Geoffrey Plantagenet, to go and help defend the Holy Land. Shortly after arriving (May 1129 AD) in the Holy Land he married Melisende, daughter of King Baldwin II (r. 1118-1131 AD). Fulk's claim to the throne was based on his marriage.

This established the tradition that if the king died without a male heir, the succession passed on through the female line. This made the royal daughters a valuable political asset and at times a political liability, for when they died their husbands technically lost the throne. Fulk left two sons who succeeded him in turn - Baldwin III (r. 1144-1162 AD) and Amalric I (r. 1162-1174 AD).

Answer: Louis VII, King of France

Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, was married to Louis VII first (Jul 25, 1137-Mar 21, 1152 AD) and then married Henry II (May 18, 1152 AD). Notice the short time lapse between her divorce from Louis and her wedding of Henry (interesting!). The Crusaders disregarded the Queen's advice and attacked Damascus (the only Muslim power in the area on friendly terms with the Kingdom of Jerusalem!).

After a "siege" of four days the quarrelling Crusaders were forced to retreat at the approach of Nur ed-Din, Lord of Aleppo.

Answer: leprosy

Baldwin IV, the Leper-King (r. 1174-1185 AD), was often bed-ridden, but occasionally took the field to defend his kingdom. At the Battle of Montegisard (Nov 25, 1177 AD) he defeated the new Sultan of Egypt -Salah al-Deen (Saladin)! The battle delayed Saladin's planned conquest of the Crusader States.

Answer: Guy

Guy (r. 1186-1190 AD). The 'Horns of Hattin' led to the Third Crusade (1189-1192 AD). See Mighty Monarchs III (the Crusades) for the story of Guy's captivity and related questions.

Answer: Assassins

The Order of the Hashishiyuns was established (c. 1090 AD) under the quidance of Hasan as-Sabah. They were Shiite and thus often cooperated with the Fatimid Sultans of Egypt (also Shiite) against the Sunni Caliphs of Baghdad (pawns of the Seljuk Turks). Conrad I (r. 1190-1192 AD) had earlier raided a caravan destined for the Order's impregnable mountain fortress (al-Kahf in the Elburz Mountains).

After Sheik Sinan died (c. 1194 AD) his successor, wishing to have the Christians as allies, asked the new king, Henry I (r. 1192-1197 AD), for forgiveness and to visit the Order's headquarters.

This is when the famous (or infamous) scene took place - to show Henry the discipline and loyalty of the 'Assassins' the sheik ordered his followers to throw themselves off the top of the fortress one by one! It wasn't til the shocked Henry regained his senses that he begged the sheik to stop.

The Order remained a factor in the Middle East til they were destroyed by the Mongol hordes under Hulegu, grandson of Genghis Khan, in a fierce campaign that took two years to complete (1256-1258 AD).

The last 'Grand Master' of the Order was Rukn ad-Din.

Answer: Kingdom of Cyprus

The recently widowed Queen of Jerusalem, Isabella, married Amalric I, King of Cyprus. The Kingdom of Cyprus had been declared (Sep 1197 AD) the same month that Isabella's husband, King Henry I had died (Sep 10). Amalric had paid homage to Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, in return for a crown.

The union of Jerusalem and Cyprus was a personal union - the two kingdoms were administered separately. Amalric I was known as Amalric II in his role as King of Jerusalem.

Answer: Frederick II

John I (John of Brienne, r. 1210-1225 AD) was the husband of Maria (daughter of the late King Conrad I). When Maria died in 1210 AD the succession fell to their young daughter (remember the explanation above). On Apr 25, 1228 AD Isabella gave birth to their first child - Conrad (the future emperor Conrad IV). Frederick (r. 1225-1243 AD)now ruled in the name of his son til he came of age.

But Isabella died shortly after the birth (May 1, 1228 AD). Technically Conrad was now king and a struggle ensued between John and Frederick over control of the kingdom. Frederick won but then less than a year later he crowned himself king (in his own name again).

Interesting fact: Frederick had been excommunicated earlier by Pope Gregory IX and after Frederick's self-coronation the city of Jerusalem itself was excommnicated by the archbishop of Caesarea (for the sin of aiding an excommunicant)! Frederick would relinquish the crown to his son in 1243 AD. Conrad (1243-1254 AD) never even visited his kingdom (he was more concerned about his affairs as Holy Roman Emperor).

The reigns of the two emperors sank the kingdom into political chaos.

Answer: Jerusalem

Jerusalem was captured by the Khwarismian Turks, a tribe that had migrated into the Middle East escaping from the advancing Mongol hordes. The Turks were in the service of the Ayoubid Sultanate of Egypt (which was under the control of the Mameluke Turks).

The Mamelukes ('purchased slaves') constituted the sultan's army and were the power behind the throne. Acre, captured by the Third Crusade, became the new capital of the dying kingdom. Acre would fall to the Mamelukes on May 18, 1291 AD. Thus ended the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The last king, Henry II (r. 1285-1291 AD), continued to reign as King of Cyprus till 1324 AD.