Gérard De Ridefort
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Gérard de Ridefort, also called Gerard de Ridefort (died 4 October 1189), was
Grand Master of the Knights Templar The grand master of the Knights Templar was the supreme commander of the holy order, starting with founder Hugues de Payens in 1118. Some held the office for life while others resigned life in monasteries or diplomacy. Grand masters often led ...
from the end of 1184 and until his death in 1189.


Early life

Gerard de Ridefort is thought probably to have been of
Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
origin, although some nineteenth-century writers suggested an
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...
background, apparently through misreading his designation as "of '' Bideford''". It is uncertain when he arrived in the
Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establishe ...
. He appears in the charter record in the service of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem in the late 1170s, and by 22 October 1179 held the rank of Marshal of the kingdom. It seems that he expected
Raymond III of Tripoli Raymond III (1140 – September/October 1187) was County of Tripoli, count of Tripoli from 1152 to 1187. He was a minor when Order of Assassins, Assassins murdered his father, Raymond II of Tripoli. Baldwin III of Jerusalem, who was staying in Tri ...
to give him the hand of an available heiress. However, when Cécile Dorel inherited her father's coastal fief of
Botrun Batroun ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرُون '; Syriac script: ܒܬܪܘܢ ') is a coastal city in northern Lebanon and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the capital city of Batroun District. Etymology The name ''Batr ...
in the
County of Tripoli The County of Tripoli (1102–1289) was the last of the Crusader states. It was founded in the Levant in the modern-day region of Tripoli, northern Lebanon and parts of western Syria which supported an indigenous population of Christians, Druze ...
, Raymond married her (before March 1181) to
Plivain Plivain, also known as Plivano or Pleban, was the lord of Botrun (now Batroun in Lebanon) in the County of Tripoli from around 1180 to around 1206. He was a merchant from Pisa who settled in the county in the late 1170s. He seized Botrun through his ...
or Plivano, the nephew of a
Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
n merchant, for a bride price of 10,000 bezants. By the mid-thirteenth century, when the ''Old French Continuation of
William of Tyre William of Tyre ( la, Willelmus Tyrensis; 113029 September 1186) was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from his predecessor, William I, the Englishman, a former ...
'' (the so-called ''Chronicle of
Ernoul Ernoul was a squire of Balian of Ibelin who wrote an eyewitness account of the fall of Jerusalem in 1187. This was later incorporated into an Old French history of Crusader Palestine now known as the ''Chronicle of Ernoul and Bernard the Treasurer ...
'') was compiled, the story of the bride of Botrun had evolved into a fanciful legend in which Plivain's uncle put the young lady (there renamed Lucie or Lucia) on the scales, and offered Raymond her weight in gold, to obtain the marriage.


Templar

Gérard fell seriously ill, after which he took vows as a Templar. By June 1183 he held the rank of
seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of the Order. He was elected Grand Master in late 1184 or early 1185, after the death of Arnold of Torroja in
Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
. Gérard continued to hold a grudge against Raymond of Tripoli, which influenced some of his political manœuvrings. In 1186, when
King Baldwin V Baldwin V (1177 or 1178August 1186) was King of Jerusalem who reigned together with his uncle Baldwin IV from 1183 to 1185 and, after his uncle's death, as the sole king from 1185 to his death. Baldwin IV's leprosy meant that he could not have ...
, successor to the late King Baldwin IV, had died, Gérard quickly took the side of Agnes de Courtenay’s daughter Queen Sibylla and her husband
Guy de Lusignan Guy of Lusignan (c. 1150 – 18 July 1194) was a French Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of Lusignan and as such born of the House of Lusignan. He was king of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and King o ...
, in the ensuing succession struggle. Raymond and his allies, including the
Ibelin family The House of Ibelin was a noble family in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. They rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most important families in the kingdom, holding various high offices and with extensive holding ...
were the leaders of the opposing faction, who supported the claim of Sibylla's younger half-sister Princess Isabella. In the crisis of 1187, Gérard used the money sent by King Henry II to be deposited with The Templars in Jerusalem to hire additional troops for the '' arrière ban'' to defend the Kingdom Of Jerusalem from
Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سه‌لاحه‌دین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...
. (Henry had sent the funds for his own future crusading plans, in penance for the murder of
Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...
; some of it was deposited with the Templars, some with the Knights Hospitalíer, in Jerusalem and Tyre.) Gérard and fewer than 100 Templars, together with some Hospitallers, attacked Saladin's son al-Afdal at the
Battle of Cresson The Battle of Cresson was a small battle between Frankish and Ayyubid forces on 1 May 1187 at the "Spring of the Cresson." While the exact location of the spring is unknown, it is located in the environs of Nazareth. The conflict was a prelude ...
in 1187. Al-Afdal, however, had over 5,000 men. The Hospitaller Grand Master
Roger de Moulins Roger de Moulins was eighth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1177 to his death in 1187. He succeeded Jobert of Syria.Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). " St John of Jerusalem, Knights of the Order of the Hospital of". ''Encyclopædia Britann ...
was killed; Gérard, though wounded, was one of the few survivors. Gérard's report of the battle was the source for a short narrative written by
Pope Urban III Pope Urban III ( la, Urbanus III; died 20 October 1187), born Uberto Crivelli, reigned from 25 November 1185 to his death in 1187. Early career Crivelli was born in Cuggiono, Italy as the son of Guala Crivelli and had four brothers: Pietro, D ...
to Baldwin of Exeter,
archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
. In July of the same year Gérard led the Templars at the Battle Of Háttin. Saladin had captured
Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Fo ...
and Guy was contemplating a march on the city to retake it. Raymond advised him to wait for Saladin to come to them, since they were in a well-defended, well-watered position, and would have to cross a dry open plain to reach Tiberias. Gérard opposed this, and convinced Guy to continue the march. He was supported by
Reynald de Châtillon Reynald is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Reynald de Châtillon (1125–1187), French Knight who served in the Second Crusade *Francis Reynald Wewengkang (born 1971), current Persija Jakarta Football player *Reynald Lemaître ...
, a fellow enemy of Raymond. The armies of Outremer ended up trapped on the dry plain and were defeated on 4 July. Raymond and several other nobles escaped, but some who were not killed, including Humphrey de Toron IV, Aimery de Lusignan, Reynald, Guy ''and'' ''also'' Gérard were among those captured by Salah ad-Din. The rest of the Templar prisoners were executed. Gérard remained a prisoner until 1188, during which time his Order was commanded by Brother Thierry (Terricus) from Tyre. Gérard was given the condition by Saladin that, if he could convince a Templar fortress to surrender peacefully, he would be set free. He succeeded and on his release went to
Tortosa Tortosa (; ) is the capital of the ''Catalonia/Comarques, comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in Catalonia, Spain. Tortosa is located at above sea level, by the Ebro river, protected on its northern side by the mountains of the Cardó Massif, of which Buin ...
, where he ably led the Templars' defence of their castle, which held out after the fall of the town to Saladin’s siege forces. Having taken back control of his order from Thierry, he seems to have seized the remainder of King Henry II’s money which had been left with the Templars in Tyre. This provoked a complaint from the city's defender,
Conrad of Montferrat Conrad of Montferrat (Italian: ''Corrado del Monferrato''; Piedmontese: ''Conrà ëd Monfrà'') (died 28 April 1192) was a nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the ''de facto'' King of Jerusalem (as Conrad I) by vi ...
, in letters of 20 September 1188 to Baldwin of Exeter and
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
, even saying: "''...graver still, the Master of the Temple has made off with the King of England's alms''". In 1189, he again joined forces with Guy, taking the Templars to the
Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: *Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade *Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of Acr ...
. After being taken prisoner once more, he was beheaded by Saladin on 4 October 1189.


In popular culture

Many forms of media such as books, comics, films, television and games, like in sources that influenced them from when he was alive and afterwards, often depict Gérard de Ridefort as an extremely hot-headed, vicious, stubborn, religiously fanatical, self-righteously arrogant, scheming and selfish individual wont to refuse to compromise, seeing matters as having no shades of grey but as only either good or evil, and continuously attempting to make Count Raymond III of Tripoli look bad in front of all else from out of, even to the point of putting his spite towards him and his own beliefs before the best interests of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and before those of all of the Order of the Knights Templar, as well as who believes that all armies that serve beliefs in Christianity are invincible. He is also quite often depicted in such media forms as being in cahoots with Reynald de Châtillon, Agnes de Courtenay in their mutual enmity with Count Raymond, the two of them frequently conspiring and making schemes, including to goad King Guy de Lusignan (often portrayed as quite unintelligent) into war for their own schemes. Yet in every one of these forms of media, his personality leads to his undoing.


Literature

*As in many stories about his reputation, Gérard is depicted in Jack Whyte's book ''Standard of Honor'' as having sought to spite Count Raymond. *Gérard appears in
Jan Guillou Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou (, ; born 17 January 1944) is a French-Swedish author and journalist. Guillou's fame in Sweden was established during his time as an investigative journalist, most notably in 1973 when he and co-reporter Pet ...
's
Crusades trilogy The ''Crusades'' Trilogy is a series of historical novels written by Swedish author and journalist Jan Guillou about the Consolidation of Sweden and the Crusades. The main character of the trilogy is Arn Magnusson, a fictional Knight Templar in t ...
about the fictional character Arn Magnusson, wherein he is depicted as helping to ensure the latter's release from the Templars, albeit only "by persuasion". Yet he also hates Arn due to the fact that the latter does not share his views on what it means to believe in Christianity, seeks peace with Muslims and other such reasons. *In ''Beyond the Sea'' by Elon Salmon, Gérard goes to lengths such as recruiting thuggish and brutal men to keep any acting for or even acting with Count Raymond de Tripoli III and those supporting him and Princess Isabella. *In ''Jerusalem'' by Cecelia Holland, wherein Gérard is given the name of "Gerard de Ridford", he appears as the story's primary antagonist, caught onto over his double-dealing, all of his schemes and plots with all of those he is in league with and vice versa, including in regards to using Guy as a pawn, all by Guy's wife Sibylla (called in the story "Sybilla") and her fictionalized romantic love interest, the fictional Templar Knight Sir Rannulf Fitzwilliam, with whom he is depicted as archenemies with. *In Helena P. Schrader's ''Balian d'Ibelin'' trilogy, which attempts a more historically accurate depiction of the life of the title character, once again, Gérard de Ridefort is a main antagonist, depicted as scheming with Reynald, as well as those such as Agnes de Courtenay, using Guy de Lusignan as a pawn, in Gérard's case once again out of his own spite for Count Raymond de Tripoli III.


Games

* Gérard is also a general of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establishe ...
at the ''Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms'' Crusades Campaign. * Age of Empires II. Appears as a cavalry hero called "Master of the Templar" in the mission "Horns of Hattin" of Saladin's campaign.


Films and television shows

* Gérard was portrayed by Nicholas Boulton in the Swedish 2007 film ''
Arn – The Knight Templar ''Arn: The Knight Templar'' ( sv, Arn: Tempelriddaren) is an epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knight Templar Arn Magnusson. The film was released to cinemas in Sweden on 17 December 2007 and the sequel, '' Arn ...
'', and its 2008 sequel ''
Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End ''Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End'' ( sv, Arn – Riket vid vägens slut) is an epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knights Templar Arn Magnusson. It was released to cinemas in Sweden on 22 August 2008 and is th ...
'', each of which depicts him as incredibly self-righteously religiously fanatically arrogant, and uncompromising self. Here in these movies, he still hates Arn for the same reasons, and yet refuses to release Arn, and instead declares him as one who can only leave as a deserter and otherwise forces for him to participate in The Battle Of Háttin, whether willingly or not. * Gérard was portrayed by
Ulrich Thomsen Ulrich Thomsen (born 6 December 1963) is a Danish actor and filmmaker, known for his role of Kai Proctor in the Cinemax original series ''Banshee'' (2013-2016). Biography Ulrich Thomsen was born in (Næsby) Odense, Denmark and graduated from th ...
in the
2005 film 2005 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts. Evaluation of the year Renowned American film critic a ...
''
Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven may refer to: Religious * Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew) **Kingship and kingdom of God, or simply Kingdom of God, the phrase used in the other gospels * Kingdom of Heaven (Daviesite), a schismatic sect, founded by Will ...
'', wherein he is simply referred to as “the Templar Master”, and is depicted as a subordinate of both Guy de Lusignan and Reynald de Châtillon.


References


Bibliography

*''Brevis Regni Ierosolymitani Historia'', in ''Annali Genovesi di Caffaro e de’ suoi Continuatori'', ed. Luigi Tommaso Belgrano (''Fonti per la Storia d’Italia'', no. 11), vol. 1 (Genoa, 1890), pp. 127–49. * '' De Expugnatione Terræ Sanctæ per Saladinum Libellus'', in Ralph of Coggeshall, ''Radulphi de Coggeshall Chronicon Anglicanum'', ed. Joseph Stevenson (London, 1875). * Peter W. Edbury, ''The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade: Sources in Translation''. Ashgate, 1996. 'Old French Continuation of William of Tyre''; this edition includes translation of Urban III's letter on the battle of Cresson.*
Reinhold Röhricht Gustav Reinhold Röhricht (18 November 1842 – 2 May 1905) was a German historian of the Crusades. Biography He was born in Bunzlau in Silesia (now Bolesławiec, Poland), the third son of a miller. He studied at the Gymnasium in Sagan (now ...
(ed.), ''Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani MXCVII-MCCXCI'', and ''Additamentum'' (Berlin, 1893–1904) * *
Roger of Howden Roger of Howden or Hoveden (died 1202) was a 12th-century English chronicler, diplomat and head of the minster of Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Roger and Howden minster Roger was born to a clerical family linked to the ancient minste ...
, ''Gesta Regis Henrici Secundi Benedicti Abbatis'', ed. William Stubbs (London, 1867). * Roger of Howden, ''Chronica Magistri Rogeri de Houedene'', ed. William Stubbs (London, 1868–71) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridefort, Gerard De Christians of the Second Crusade Grand Masters of the Knights Templar People executed by decapitation Nobility of the county of Flanders Year of birth missing 1189 deaths