Balian of Ibelin was the Lord of Beirut, the second of his family, from 1236, and a son of the famous "Old Lord" John of Ibelin

John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut

John of Ibelin , called the Old Lord of Beirut, was a powerful crusader noble in the 13th century, one of the best known representatives of the influential Ibelin family...

, by his second wife Melisende of Arsuf

Melisende of Arsuf

Melisende of Arsuf, Sovereign Dame of Arsuf, Lady of Beirut , was an heiress, and the second wife of the powerful Crusader noble John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut who led the opposition to Emperor Frederick II when he tried to impose Imperial authority in the kingdom of Jerusalem and the...

. From his father he assumed the leadership of the nobility in the War of the Lombards

War of the Lombards

The War of the Lombards was a civil war in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Cyprus between the "Lombards" , the representatives of the Emperor Frederick II, largely from Lombardy, and the native aristocracy, led first by the Ibelins and then by the Montforts...

, fought against the agents of the Emperor Frederick II.

He was a warrior from an early age. At the Battle of Agridi

Battle of Agridi

The Battle of Agridi was fought in 15 June 1232 between the forces loyal to Henry I of Cyprus and the imperial army of Frederick II, composed mostly of men from Lombardy...

 in 1232, though he was supposed to be in the rearguard with his father and the King of Cyprus, he instead went to the front, beside either Hugh of Ibelin

Hugh of Ibelin (died 1238)

Hugh of Ibelin , called the Strong , was the third of five sons of John I of Beirut. He and his elder brother Balian were hostages at the court of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1228–1229. He led the first battaile at the Battle of Agridi in 1232 and thus withstood the brunt of the...

 and Anceau of Brie, commanders of the first and second battles

Battle (formation)

A battle or battaile was a medieval military formation, analogous and ancestral to the modern term battalion. In late medieval warfare, field armies were often drawn up into three main battles, also called guards: the vanguard, the middle guard, and the rearguard, often abbreviated to simply the...

. At the battle, Balian won fame defending a pass from the Lombards

Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

. A story is told in the Gestes des Chiprois that Balian once struck a Lombard knight so hard that he himself was dismounted.

Balian led his family in besieging Tyre in 1242. He also had the support of Philip of Novara

Philip of Novara

Philip of Novara was a medieval warrior, musician, diplomat, poet, and lawyer born at Novara, Italy, into a noble house, who spent his entire adult life in the Middle East. He primarily served the Ibelin family, and featured in a number of prominent battles and negotiations involving Jerusalem and...

 and Philip of Montfort

Philip of Montfort

Philip of Montfort may refer to:* Philip of Montfort, Lord of Tyre, a powerful baron in Outremer* Philip of Montfort, Lord of Castres, his elder son, a lieutenant of Charles I of Sicily...

 and he employed mercenaries and galleys in the endeavour.

His son John

John II of Beirut

John of Ibelin , often called John II, was the Lord of Beirut from 1254, named after his grandfather John I, the famous "Old Lord of Beirut"...

succeeded him in Beirut.