Odo of Montbéliard (also known as Eudes) was a leading baron of the crusader

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 establish ...

in the early 13th century. He often held the highest offices in the kingdom including ''

bailli A bailiff (french: bailli, ) was the king's administrative representative during the ''ancien régime'' in northern France, where the bailiff was responsible for the application of justice and control of the administration and local finances in h ...

'' (viceroy) and constable (commander of the army). Odo was the son of Walter of Montbéliard who was a regent of the kingdoms of Jerusalem and

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

. Odo's wife Eschiva of Saint Omer, daughter of

Raoul of Saint Omer Raoul of Saint Omer, Raoul of Tiberias or Ralph of Tiberias (died 1220) was briefly Prince of Galilee and twice Seneschal of Jerusalem of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. His father was Walter of Saint Omer, his mother Eschiva of Bures. She remarried Raym ...

, was the heiress of the

Principality of Galilee The principality of Galilee was one of the four major seigneuries of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, according to 13th-century commentator John of Ibelin, grandson of Balian. The direct holdings of the principality centred around Tiberias, ...

. In 1220 Odo was appointed constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by the king

John of Brienne John of Brienne ( 1170 – 19–23 March 1237), also known as John I, was King of Jerusalem from 1210 to 1225 and Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1229 to 1237. He was the youngest son of Erard II of Brienne, a wealthy nobleman in Champag ...

. In 1223 Odo was appointed as ''bailli'' of the kingdom. However, in 1227 the Holy Roman Emperor and king of Jerusalem Frederick II sent out Thomas of Aquino to replace Odo. The following year Odo was appointed as one of the three commanders of Frederick's Crusade along with

Richard Filangieri Richard (Riccardo) Filangieri (''c''.1195–1254/63) was an Italian nobleman who played an important part in the Sixth Crusade in 1228–9 and in the War of the Lombards from 1229–43, where he was in charge of the forces of Frederi ...

and

Hermann von Salza Hermann von Salza (or Herman of Salza; c. 1165 – 20 March 1239) was the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1210 to 1239. A skilled diplomat with ties to the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope, Hermann oversaw the expansio ...

. At the end of the Sixth Crusade, just before Frederick left Acre (1229) to return to Europe, he appointed Odo as constable. Then while Frederick was on his way to the harbour he was pelted with dung and entrails by the unappreciative people of Acre. Odo and John of Ibelin quelled the unrest. In 1233 Odo was caught up in the disaffection at Frederick's decision to appoint Philip of Maugastel as ''bailli''; an appointment which Odo was prepared to support. A furious mob attacked supporters of Philip and it was only the intervention of John of Caesarea that saved Odo from being killed. Odo and

Balian of Sidon Balian I Grenier was the Count of Sidon and one of the most important lords of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1202 to 1241. He succeeded his father Renaud. His mother was Helvis, a daughter of Balian of Ibelin. He was a powerful and important re ...

shared the role of ''bailli'' in 1236 against the wishes of

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...

whose choice of Richard Filangieri was unacceptable to the barons. Odo took part in

Theobald I of Navarre Theobald I (french: Thibaut, es, Teobaldo; 30 May 1201 – 8 July 1253), also called the Troubadour and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne (as Theobald IV) from birth and King of Navarre from 1234. He initiated the Barons' Crusade, was famou ...

's Crusade of 1239-1240 but there were tensions between Theobald and local barons including Odo. However, the treaty between Theobald and as-Salih Ismail, the emir of Damascus, in 1240 gave Galilee back to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and as Odo of Montbéliard was titular

Prince of Galilee The principality of Galilee was one of the four major seigneuries of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, according to 13th-century commentator John of Ibelin, grandson of Balian. The direct holdings of the principality centred around Tiberias, i ...

(by right of his marriage to Eschiva of Saint-Omer), he now took up the rule of Galilee.

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 F ...

, the capital of Galilee, was sacked by the Khwarezmian army in 1244, after which Odo began rebuilding the citadel. But in 1247 the city of Tiberias and Odo's Principality of Galilee were lost to the armies of the Ayyubid sultan as-Salih Ayyub. Odo died later that year.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Odo of Montbeliard Christians of the Crusades Christians of the Sixth Crusade Christians of the Barons' Crusade Princes of Galilee