Women in the Royal Succession of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099–1291)*
Women in the Royal Succession of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099–1291)* Alan V. Murray (Leeds UK) »During this time Baldwin, king of Jerusalem, died, leaving adaughter of marriageable age (for he lacked ason) as heir to the kingdom, which wasdeservedly divided against it- self, forsaken on account of itssins, and despised by the pagans, since it had passed into the hands of agirl, in what wasnogoodomen for government. For each of the foremost men of the kingdom desired to becomeruler and wanted to secure the girl and the royal inheritance by marriage –tohimself, if he lacked awife,tohis son, if he wasmarried, or to akinsman,ifhehad no son of his own;this caused the greatestill-will among them, which led to the destruction of the kingdom. Yet she, spurning the natives of the realm, took up with Guy, countofAscalon, anew arrival of elegantappearance and proven courage, and, with the approval of both the patriarch and the knights of the Temple, took him as her husband and conferred the kingdom on him«1). *) Dates given in parentheses in this essay relate to the reigns of the individualsaskings or queens of Je- rusalem.For ease of reference, royal documents issued in the kingdom of Jerusalem will be given accord- ing to their number in: Die Urkunden der lateinischen Könige vonJerusalem, ed. Hans EberhardMayer, 4vols. (MGH Diplomata Regum LatinorumHierosolymitanorum), Hanover 2010 (cited henceforth as D/DDJerus.), as well as those in the calendared forms given in: Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani (MXCVII–MCCXCI), ed. Reinhold Rçhricht, 2vols.,Innsbruck 1893–1904 (cited henceforth as RRH), which has been widely used in earlier scholarship.
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