Walter IV of Brienne
Encyclopedia
Walter IV the Great of Brienne ( or Gauthier de Candie) (1205–1244) was Count of Brienne 1205–1244. He was the son of Walter III of Brienne
and Elvira (Albiria, Albina, Blanche, Mary) of Lecce
. Around the time of his birth, his father lost his bid for the Sicilian throne and died in prison. His inheritance of the Principality of Taranto
and the County of Lecce was confiscated.
While a teenager, Walter was sent to Outremer
where his uncle John of Brienne
was the ruler of Jerusalem
. In 1221 John gave him the County of Jaffa and Ascalon
, and arranged a marriage with Marie de Lusignan (before March, 1215 – ca 1252 or 1254), daughter of Hugh I of Cyprus
, in 1233.
Even after his uncle had been forced out of the Kingdom by Frederick II
, Walter remained one of the most important lords of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was commander of the Crusader
army that marched against the forces of As-Salih Ayyub
in 1244. Against the advice of al-Mansur of Homs, his Syrian ally, Walter insisted on taking the offensive, rather than fortifying his camp and awaiting the retreat of the Khwarezmians. In the disastrous Battle of La Forbie
, the Crusader-Syrian forces were nearly annihilated. Walter was captured, tortured before the walls of Jaffa
, and ultimately turned over to the Egyptians after the Khwarezmian defeat before Homs
in 1246. He was imprisoned in Cairo
and murdered by merchants whose caravans he had robbed, with the sultan's consent.
He was succeeded by his elder son John
, who died childless. His younger son Hugh of Brienne
settled in Southern Italy and became a partisan of Charles of Anjou, who returned to him the family's county of Lecce
.
Walter III of Brienne
Walter III of Brienne was the Count of Brienne 1191–1205, Prince of Taranto, Duke of Apulia, and Count of Lecce, and titular King of Sicily 1201–1205....
and Elvira (Albiria, Albina, Blanche, Mary) of Lecce
Lecce
Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...
. Around the time of his birth, his father lost his bid for the Sicilian throne and died in prison. His inheritance of the Principality of Taranto
Principality of Taranto
The Principality of Taranto was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy of Apulia....
and the County of Lecce was confiscated.
While a teenager, Walter was sent to Outremer
Outremer
Outremer, French for "overseas", was a general name given to the Crusader states established after the First Crusade: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem...
where his uncle John of Brienne
John of Brienne
John of Brienne was a French nobleman who became King of Jerusalem by marriage, and ruled the Latin Empire of Constantinople as regent.-Life:...
was the ruler 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....
. In 1221 John gave him the 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...
, and arranged a marriage with Marie de Lusignan (before March, 1215 – ca 1252 or 1254), daughter of Hugh I of Cyprus
Hugh I of Cyprus
Hugh I of Cyprus succeeded to the throne of Cyprus on April 1, 1205 underage upon the death of his elderly father Amalric of Lusignan, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem...
, in 1233.
Even after his uncle had been forced out of the Kingdom by Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
, Walter remained one of the most important lords of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was commander of the Crusader
Crusader states
The Crusader states were a number of mostly 12th- and 13th-century feudal states created by Western European crusaders in Asia Minor, Greece and the Holy Land , and during the Northern Crusades in the eastern Baltic area...
army that marched against the forces of As-Salih Ayyub
As-Salih Ayyub
Al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub , also known as al-Malik al-Salih was the Ayyubid ruler of Egypt from 1240 to 1249.-Biography:...
in 1244. Against the advice of al-Mansur of Homs, his Syrian ally, Walter insisted on taking the offensive, rather than fortifying his camp and awaiting the retreat of the Khwarezmians. In the disastrous Battle of La Forbie
Battle of La Forbie
The Battle of La Forbie, also known as the Battle of Harbiyah, was fought October 17, 1244 – October 18, 1244 between the allied armies and the Egyptian army of the Ayyubid Sultan as-Salih Ayyub, reinforced with Khwarezmian mercenaries.-Prelude:The capture of...
, the Crusader-Syrian forces were nearly annihilated. Walter was captured, tortured before the walls of Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, and ultimately turned over to the Egyptians after the Khwarezmian defeat before Homs
Homs
Homs , previously known as Emesa , is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
in 1246. He was imprisoned in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and murdered by merchants whose caravans he had robbed, with the sultan's consent.
He was succeeded by his elder son John
John, Count of Brienne
John, Count of Brienne was the eldest son of Walter IV of Brienne and Marie of Lusignan, a princess of Cyprus.He inherited the County of Brienne on his father's death in 1246, but preferred to live among his mother's relatives at the court of Cyprus, and played little part in international politics...
, who died childless. His younger son Hugh of Brienne
Hugh of Brienne
Hugh de Candie, Count of Brienne and Lecce was the second surviving son of Count Walter IV of Brienne and Marie de Lusignan of Cyprus....
settled in Southern Italy and became a partisan of Charles of Anjou, who returned to him the family's county of Lecce
Lecce
Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...
.