Humphrey II of Toron (1117 – 22 April 1179) was lord of Toron and constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was the son of

Humphrey I of Toron Humphrey I of Toron (Onfroy de Toron), a Norman, appears initially in 1115 as a vassal of Joscelin I of Edessa, prince of Galilee. The castle at Toron was built in the years after 1105, and so Humphrey most likely was its lord from that date, h ...

. Humphrey had become lord of Toron sometime before 1140 when he married the daughter of Renier Brus, lord of

Banias Banias or Banyas ( ar, بانياس الحولة; he, בניאס, label=Modern Hebrew; Judeo-Aramaic, Medieval Hebrew: פמייס, etc.; grc, Πανεάς) is a site in the Golan Heights near a natural spring, once associated with the Greek ...

(the Herodian city of

Caesarea Philippi Banias or Banyas ( ar, بانياس الحولة; he, בניאס, label=Modern Hebrew; Judeo-Aramaic, Medieval Hebrew: פמייס, etc.; grc, Πανεάς) is a site in the Golan Heights near a natural spring, once associated with the Greek ...

). Through this marriage, Banias was added to Toron. Humphrey became

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...

in 1149 when Hebron became a domain of the royal family of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. In 1153 he became

constable of Jerusalem A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

when

Baldwin III of Jerusalem Baldwin III (1130 – 10 February 1163) was King of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem. He became king while still a child, and was at first overshadowed by his mother Melisende, whom he eventua ...

became sole ruler after a struggle with his mother Melisende. That year he was present with the king at the

Siege of Ascalon The siege of Ascalon took place in 1153, resulting in the capture of that Egyptian fortress by the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Background Ascalon was Fatimid Egypt's greatest and most important frontier fortress. The Battle of Ascalon was fought outs ...

. Humphrey was defeated by Nur ad-Din at Banias in 1157 and was besieged in its castle until Baldwin III arrived to lift the siege. That year Humphrey also sold Banias and

Chastel Neuf Hunin ( ar, هونين) was a Palestinian people, Palestinian Arab village in the Galilee Panhandle part of Mandatory Palestine close to the Lebanon, Lebanese border. It was the second largest village in the district of Safed, but was depopulated ...

to the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

(Chastel Neuf was captured by Nur ad-Din in 1167). Also in 1157 he helped negotiate the marriage of Baldwin III and

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

, niece of the Byzantine emperor

Manuel I Comnenus Manuel I Komnenos ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός, translit=Manouíl Komnenos, translit-std=ISO; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized Comnenus, also called Porphyrogennetos (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine empero ...

. Humphrey himself later married

Philippa Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of ''Philippa of Guelders'' ...

, sister of

Bohemund III of Antioch Bohemond III of Antioch, also known as Bohemond the Child or the Stammerer (french: Bohémond le Bambe/le Baube; 1148–1201), was Prince of Antioch from 1163 to 1201. He was the elder son of Constance of Antioch and her first husband, Raymond of ...

, who had previously had an affair with future Byzantine emperor

Andronicus I Comnenus Andronikos I Komnenos ( gr, Ἀνδρόνικος Κομνηνός; – 12 September 1185), Latinized as Andronicus I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1183 to 1185. He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and the grandson of the emperor Al ...

, Manuel's cousin. Humphrey had been married before, to an unknown woman, and his marriage with Philippa produced no children. In 1173 Humphrey relieved Nur ad-Din's siege of

Kerak Al-Karak ( ar, الكرك), is a city in Jordan known for its medieval castle, the Kerak Castle. The castle is one of the three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria. Al-Karak is the capital city of the Karak Governorate. ...

Oultrejordain The Lordship of or (Old French for "beyond the Jordan", also called Lordship of Montreal) was the name used during the Crusades for an extensive and partly undefined region to the east of the Jordan River, an area known in ancient times as Edo ...

. In 1176 his importance at the royal court was somewhat lessened due to the influence of

Agnes of Courtenay Agnes of Courtenay ( – ) was a Frankish noblewoman from the Crusader states. Agnes's parents, Joscelin II of Edessa and Beatrice of Saone, lost the County of Edessa in 1150. As the widow of Reynald of Marash, Agnes married Count Amalric of ...

, but he kept his position as constable. In 1177 this lessened importance was manifested when the lordship of Hebron was recreated and given to

Raynald of Châtillon Raynald of Châtillon (french: Renaud; 11254 July 1187), also known as Reynald or Reginald, was a Crusader knight of French origin but also Prince of Antioch from 1153 to 1160 or 1161, and Lord of Oultrejordain from 1175 until his death. He wa ...

, lord of Oultrejordain, rather than Humphrey, who was still castellan. Nevertheless, he was one of the supporters of the

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 ...

, regent for Baldwin IV. Raymond, Humphrey, and others represented the faction of old families at court, who were opposed to newcomers like Raynald, and later

Guy of 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 ...

. Humphrey rebuilt Chateau Neuf in 1179 after it had been destroyed in various sieges. Also in 1179, he helped negotiate a truce between the Knights Hospitaller and

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. Later that year he accompanied Baldwin IV in an attack on a small Muslim force near Banias, but, although he saved Baldwin IV's life, he suffered mortal wounds and died at his castle at

Hunin Hunin ( ar, هونين) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Galilee Panhandle part of Mandatory Palestine close to the Lebanese border. It was the second largest village in the district of Safed, but was depopulated in 1948.Gelber, 2006, p. 22 ...

on 22 April.Runciman, Steven (1952). ''A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem'', p. 342. . He was succeeded in Toron by his 13-year-old grandson Humphrey IV, son of Humphrey III and Stephanie of Milly;

Humphrey III of Toron The third in the line of succession for the lordship of Tebnine. He was son of Humphrey II of Toron. Little is known about him as his rule lasted for a short while and the lordship went to his son Humphrey IV of Toron. Under Humphrey III, Toron is ...

was his son by his unknown first wife.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humphrey 02 Of Toron 1179 deaths Christians of the Crusades Lords of Toron 1117 births Year of birth unknown