Guy+de+Lusignan


 * Guy de Lusignan: King of Jerusalem 1180-1187 **

Guy de Lusignan became renown as the last Latin king of Jerusalem[1] through his marriage to princess Sibylle, the sister of king Baldwin IV, in 1180. [2]

Guy de Lusignan from [|"Monsalvat"] Painted by Fracois-Edouord Picot circa 1843.

The court of Baldwin IV was one of divisions regarding which royal sister would succeed the childless Baldwin upon his death.[3] Guy was married to princess Sibylle to strengthen the legitimacy of her claim to the throne. [4] The relationship between Badlwin IV and Guy de Lusignan, while initially favourable, quickly soured. There are some suggestions that Guy and Sibylle’s relationship before marriage was rather less than chaste and that this encouraged Baldwin’s hostility towards Guy.[5] By his death in 1184, Baldwin IV had stated his wish that Guy de Lusignan never succeed him on the throne of Jerusalem. [6]

In 1186, Sibylle was crowned upon the death of her brother. She was spirited away by her supporters, in secret, to perform the coronation ceremony before Isabelle’s supporters could have the same done of her. Sibylle’s ascendency depended on the condition that she divorce Guy. Sibylle agreed to do so, provided she could choose her next husband. Upon becoming queen, she chose Guy as her King.[7]

// I, Sibylla chose for myself...., the man who has been my husband... //// for as the scripture says, 'Whom God has joined, let no man put asunder. ////**[8]**//

There is much controversy surrounding Guy's ability to rule. Some historians, referring to the writings of Christians scholars from the time, claim Guy was unprepared and incapable of ruling. Others, relying on Muslim records, maintain Guy was underestimated and that his military and political decisions showed logic and consideration.[9]

Whatever the truth, Guy Lusignan faced the forces of the Muslim general, Saladin, at Tiberius in July 1187. Guy’s army was massacred, and many of his supporting barons were left dead or imprisoned. Guy himself ended the siege as a prisoner of Saladin. The elimination of a major portion of Jerusalem’s fighting forces left the holy city itself virtually unprotected. [10] By October 1187, Jerusalem fell to Saladin. It was the loss of Jerusalem that was an instrumental push for the third crusade. Without King Guy's significant loss at Hattin, Jerusalem may not have fallen when it did, and the crusade may have been postponed, or even different in the causes it fought for.[11]

Guy regained his freedom in 1188. The only Christian city left standing was Tyre under the leadership of Conrad Montferrat who had little belief in Guy's kingship. When Conrad refused to release Tyre to Guy's rule, Guy marched to and laid siege to Acre. Crusaders from the third crusade soon joined him there.[12] During the seige Guy would lose his wife, Sibylle, and their two young daughters to disease. While he never regained Jerusalem, he was awarded for his services in the third crusade with a kingship in Cyprus. His family line ruled the monarchy there for several centuries. [13]

Guy de Lusignan has been portrayed in the movie, [|Kingdom of Heaven] and in a number of historical novels.

[1] Hans Eberhard Mayer, //The Crusades: Second Edition //, trans. J. Gillingham (New York, Oxford University Press, 1988), 135. [2] Elizabeth Missing, Charlotte Sewell & Mary Yonge, //European History // (London, MacMillan and Co., 1870), 221, <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[3] Peter W. Edbury, //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades 1191-1374 // (USA, University of Cambridge Press, 1991), 24. <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[4] R. L. Nicholson, Joscelyn III and the Fall of the Crusader States, 1134-1199 (Netherlands, E. J Brill Leiden, 1973), 119; Peter W. Edbury Edbury (1991), 24. <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[5] R. C Smail, //The Predicaments of Guy of Lusignan 1183-1187//, ed. B.Z Kedar, H.E Mayer and R.C Smail, Outremer: Studies in the history of the crusading kingdom of Jerusalem (Cambridge, Izhak Ben-Zvi Institute, 1982), 136. <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[6] R. C. Smail, Ibid. <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[7] R.C. Smail, Ibid. Elizabeth Missing, Charlotte Sewell & Mary Yonge, (1870), 222..; Hans Eberhard Mayer (1988), 136. <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">[8] Quoted in (Source 2a) Peter W. Edbury//<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">, The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade //: //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Sources in Translation // (Vermont, Ashgate Publishing, 1996), 155. <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">[9] L. LA Monte, //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Crusade of Richard Lion-Heart: Number XXXIV of the Records of Civilisation sources and studies // trans. and ed. Austin P. Evans & Merton J. Hubert (New York, Columbia University Press, 1941). <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">[10] Terry Jones and Alan Ereia, //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Crusades // (London, BBC Books, 1994), 161; Hans Eberhard Mayer (1988). <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">[11] Hans Eberhard Mayer (1988),143; Peter W. Edbury (1991), 26. <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">[12] Hans Eberhard Mayer Ibid; Francis Lister Hawks, //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Romance of Biography: Illustrated in the lives of Historic Personages // (New York, James S. Dickerson Publishing, 1855), 109; R. C Smail (1982). <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[13] Hans Eberhard Mayer, //Ibid.//


 * Primary Sources:**

Quoted in (Source 2a) Peter W. Edbury//, The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade//: //Sources in Translation// (Vermont, Ashgate Publishing, 1996), 155.

L. LA Monte, //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Crusade of Richard Lion-Heart: Number XXXIV of the Records of Civilisation sources and studies // trans. and ed. Austin P. Evans & Merton J. Hubert (New York, Columbia University Press, 1941).

Secondary Sources:
Peter W. Edbury, //The kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades 1191-1374// (USA, University of Cambridge Press, 1991), 24.

Francis Lister Hawks, //Romance of Biography: Illustrated in the lives of Historic Personages// (New York, James S. Dickerson Publishing, 1855), 109

Terry Jones and Alan Ereia, //Crusades// (London, BBC Books, 1994), 161.

Hans Eberhard Mayer, //The Crusades: Second Edition//, trans. J. Gillingham (New York, Oxford University Press, 1988), 135.

Elizabeth Missing, Charlotte Sewell & Mary Yonge, //European History// (London, MacMillan and Co., 1870), 221.

R. L. Nicholson, Joscelyn III and the Fall of the Crusader States, 1134-1199 (Netherlands, E. J Brill Leiden, 1973), 119. Galina Rossi, "Monslavat" Retrieved on 6 September 2011 from[] R. C Smail, //The Predicaments of Guy of Lusignan 1183-1187//, ed. B.Z Kedar, H.E Mayer and R.C Smail, Outremer: Studies in the history of the crusading kingdom of Jerusalem (Cambridge, Izhak Ben-Zvi Institute, 1982), 136