Melisende's connections, especially to her sister Hodierna, and to her niece Constance of Antioch, meant that she had direct influence in northern Syria, a priceless connection since Baldwin had himself broken the treaty with Damascus in 1147. Instead of waiting for her father Baldwin II, as overlord of Antioch, to appoint a regent, she assumed the regency herself. The queens party took control of the kingdom. [1][N 3] However, with the aid of his knights, Fulk excluded Melisende from granting titles, offering patronage, and of issuing grants, diplomas, and charters. "Melisande (11051161) The plot failed. Although history records seven different Crusades, there was, in fact, fighting between Muslims and Christians on and off throughout the Middle East from the end of the eleventh to the end of the thirteenth century. In a desperate move to retain her authority, Alice sent a messenger to the great Muslim atabeg (prince) Zengi, offering to pay him homage if he would help her retain Antioch; her father's troops, en route to Antioch to assert Bald-win's authority as overlord, captured the messenger and had him hanged for treason. Raymond of Antioch ignored the call for help, as his And though she lost in the field This loyalty now extended to Melisende. [1] Women who inherited territory usually did so because men had died in war or violence. Her youngest sister Joveta had become a nun; Melisande felt that the daughter of a king should be more than a mere sister, and so she established a convent at Bethany in 1138, making it clear that Joveta, who was only 18, would become its abbess as soon as she was old enough to handle the responsibility. Defending the City This irritated many members of the royal council, where she enjoyed a lot of support. 1058-1118), a Norman known earlier as Baldwin of Boulogne and a chief lay leader of the First Crusade, reigned as king of Jerusalem fr, The entry is arranged [1][2] Frankish women in the Outremer had a higher life expectancy than men, in part due to the constant state of war in the region, and as a result, Frankish women exerted a wide degree of influence in the region and provided a strong sense of continuity to Eastern Frankish society. Encyclopedia.com. Within a couple of weeks, he had invaded and subdued most of Melisendes part of the realm. The estrangement between husband and wife was a convenient political tool that Fulk used in 1134 when he accused Hugh II of Jaffa of having an affair with Melisende. Mayer, Hans Eberhard. WebMelisende by then had lost much of her support, had to surrender, and was given Nablus as a kind of dowry, with her authority reduced to that of a local lord.
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