Lordship of Ramla
Encyclopedia
The Lordship of Ramla was one of the vassal states
of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
. It was part of the County of Jaffa and Ascalon
.
Thus, Ramla was initially an ecclesiastical lordship. This would change, however, sometime between 1115 and 1120, when a certain Baldwin is noted as having a "lordlike position" in Ramla, suggesting the city had passed into secular control. In 1126 Ramla became part of the County of Jaffa, and a separate lordship was created after the revolt of Count Hugh II
in 1134, with Baldwin II as lord (although Baldwin I was not a lord in his own right). The castle of Ibelin
was located quite near Ramla. It was later a part of the Ibelin possessions, inherited from Helvis, daughter of Baldwin of Ramla and wife of Barisan of Ibelin
. Along with most of the rest of the kingdom, Ramla was recaptured by Saladin
in 1187. Though legally distinct, Ramla in practise merged with the other Ibelin holdings regained after the Third Crusade
, and in the mid-13th century it was indistinguishable from the larger County of Jaffa and Ascalon.
Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Crusader state of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, created in 1099, was divided into a number of smaller seigneuries.-Introduction:According to the 13th century jurist John of Ibelin the four highest barons in the kingdom proper were:* the Count of Jaffa and Ascalon...
of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
. It was part of the County of Jaffa and Ascalon
County of Jaffa and Ascalon
The double County of Jaffa and Ascalon was one of the four major seigneuries comprising the major crusader state, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, according to 13th-century commentator John of Ibelin.-History:...
.
History
During the first crusade Ramla was abandoned by its Muslim inhabitants, as it lacked the defenses necessary to withstand a siege. Upon its capitulation in 1099, Ramla was left under the supervision of Robert of the diocese of Rouen, whom the crusaders installed as Bishop of Lydda and Ramla.Thus, Ramla was initially an ecclesiastical lordship. This would change, however, sometime between 1115 and 1120, when a certain Baldwin is noted as having a "lordlike position" in Ramla, suggesting the city had passed into secular control. In 1126 Ramla became part of the County of Jaffa, and a separate lordship was created after the revolt of Count Hugh II
Hugh II of Le Puiset
Hugh II of Le Puiset was a crusader knight and Count of Jaffa, who revolted against King Fulk in 1134.-Arrival in the kingdom:...
in 1134, with Baldwin II as lord (although Baldwin I was not a lord in his own right). The castle of Ibelin
Ibelin
Ibelin was a castle in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century , which gave its name to an important family of nobles.-The castle:...
was located quite near Ramla. It was later a part of the Ibelin possessions, inherited from Helvis, daughter of Baldwin of Ramla and wife of Barisan of Ibelin
Barisan of Ibelin
Barisan of Ibelin was an important figure in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, and was the founder of the Ibelin family. His name was later written as "Balian" and he is sometimes known as Balian the Elder or Balian I....
. Along with most of the rest of the kingdom, Ramla was recaptured by Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
in 1187. Though legally distinct, Ramla in practise merged with the other Ibelin holdings regained after the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
, and in the mid-13th century it was indistinguishable from the larger County of Jaffa and Ascalon.
Lords/officials of Ramla
- Bishop Robert (1099-c.1102)
- Baldwin IBaldwin I of RamlaBaldwin I was the castellan and lord of Ramla in the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1106 to his death. In 1120 he participated in the Council of Nablus. In 1126, the castellany, which controlled the surrounding countryside too, was given in fief the Count of Jaffa...
, Castellan (c.1102-1134), Lord of Ramla (1134–1138) - Baldwin II (1134-?)
- Hugh (c. 1154)
- Peter (c. 1159)
- Hugh of IbelinHugh of IbelinHugh of Ibelin was an important noble in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.Hugh was the eldest son of Barisan of Ibelin and Helvis of Ramla. He was old enough to witness charters in 1148, as was his younger brother Baldwin of Ibelin, which suggests he was born c. 1130-1133, as the male age of...
(?–1170) - Baldwin of IbelinBaldwin of IbelinBaldwin of Ibelin, also known as Baldwin III of Ramla , was an important noble of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. He was the second son of Barisan of Ibelin, and was the younger brother of Hugh of Ibelin and older brother of Balian of Ibelin...
(1170–1186) - Thomas of Ibelin (died 1188; actually held by Balian of IbelinBalian of IbelinBalian of Ibelin was an important noble in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century.-Early life:Balian was the youngest son of Barisan of Ibelin, and brother of Hugh and Baldwin. His father, a knight in the County of Jaffa, had been rewarded with the lordship of Ibelin after the...
, 1186–1193) - John of Ibelin (c.1247)
Sources
- John L. La Monte, Feudal Monarchy in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1100-1291. The Medieval Academy of America, 1932.
- Jonathan Riley-SmithJonathan Riley-SmithJonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith, K.St.J., Ph.D. MA, Litt.D., FRHistS is an historian of the Crusades, and a former Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History...
, The Feudal Nobility and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1174-1277. The Macmillan Press, 1973. - Steven RuncimanSteven RuncimanThe Hon. Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman CH — known as Steven Runciman — was a British historian known for his work on the Middle Ages...
, A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187. Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1952. - Steven Tibble, Monarchy and Lordships in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099-1291. Clarendon Press, 1989.