Melisende (born before 1177 – died after 1215) was the hereditary Lady of Arsuf from 1177 and the second wife of the powerful nobleman John, Old Lord of Beirut.

Life

She was born sometime before 1177, the eldest daughter of Guy, Lord of Arsuf. Her mother's name is unknown. She had a brother, Lord Jean, who married Helvis de Brie. When Jean died childless, Melisende inherited the lordship of Arsuf.Lignages d'Outremer, Marciana MS Francese 20, CC LXXXIX, p.63 On an unknown date, Melisende married firstly

Thierry d'Orca Thierry d'Orca ( French: ''Thierry d'Orgue'' or ''Their d'Orguenes'', Latin: ''Theodoricus de Orca'', before 1174–1207) was Lord of Arsuf by marriage in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Thierry was probably a French knight who came with the Third Crusa ...

. In 1207, she married secondly John of Ibelin, Lord of Beirut, former

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 ...

, and

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

for his half-niece Queen

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

. Upon their marriage, Melisende passed the lordship of Arsuf to John, increasing his territory in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Beirut was effectively an independent state under his rule, while remaining a vassal of the

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

. After rebuilding the city which had been destroyed by the forces of

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 ...

, during the latter's conquest of the Crusader kingdom, Ibelin constructed a magnificent palace. John of Ibelin and Melisende had six sons and one daughter: *

Balian of Ibelin Balian or Balyan may refer to: People *Balian of Ibelin (disambiguation), a name shared by several members of the Ibelin family from the crusader kingdoms of Jerusalem and Cyprus *Balian Buschbaum (born 1980), German pole vaulter *Roger Balian, 20t ...

(1210 – 4 September 1247 Askalon), in 1230, he married Eschiva de Montfaucon, daughter of Walter de Montfaucon de Montbéliard and Bourgogne de

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...

of Cyprus. * John of Ibelin (1212 – December 1258), Lord of Arsuf, Constable of Jerusalem. Married Alix of Caiphas, daughter of Rohart of Caiphas and Aiglantine of Nephim. * Raoul of Ibelin *

Hugh of Ibelin Hugh of Ibelin (c. 1132 – 1169/1171) was an important noble in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and was Lord of Ramla from 1152-1169. Hugh was the eldest son of Barisan of Ibelin and Helvis of Ramla. He was old enough to witness charters in 1148, ...

(1213–1238) *

Baldwin of Ibelin, Seneschal of Cyprus Baldwin of Ibelin (died 21 February 1267) was the fourth of five sons of John I of Beirut and his second wife Melisende of Arsuf. He commanded the third '' battaile'' at the Battle of Agridi in 1232. In 1246, he was appointed Seneschal of Cypr ...

, (died 21 February 1267) * Guy of Ibelin, constable of Cyprus ( – May 1255), married Philippa, daughter of Aimery Berlais. * Isabelle of Ibelin, became a nun

Death

Melisende died on an unknown date.

References

Sources

Lignages d'Outremer The ''Lignages d'Outremer'' ("Lineages of Outremer") describe the pedigrees of the most important Crusader families. A first version was written in 1270 and is available in two manuscripts of the 14th century. A later version was produced in 130 ...

, Marciana MS Francese 20, CCLXXXIX, p. 63 * * * Women in Power (1150–1200) {{DEFAULTSORT:Melisende of Arsuf 12th-century births 13th-century deaths 12th-century women rulers 13th-century women rulers House of Ibelin Christians of the Crusades Women of the Crusader states 12th-century people of the Kingdom of Jerusalem 13th-century people of the Kingdom of Jerusalem Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown