Rainald I Masoir, also known as Renaud I Masoir (died around 1135), was
constable
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 ...
of the
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It extende ...
from around 1126, and also baillif (or governor) of the principality from 1132. Although he was a prominent military commander and held important offices, most details of his life are unknown. He received his first estates in the southern regions of Antioch in the 1110s. He made the strong fortress of
Margat
Margat, also known as Marqab ( ar, قلعة المرقب, ''Qalaat al-Marqab'', lit=Castle of the Watchtower), is a castle near Baniyas, Syria, which was a Crusader fortress and one of the major strongholds of the Knights Hospitaller. It is locat ...
the center of his domains. He regularly witnessed the Antiochene rulers'
diplomas
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
from the 1120s. He was most probably still the actual ruler of the principality when he died.
Early career
Rainald's origins and family are unknown, but he was most probably born in France. He may have received the fortress of
Baniyas
Baniyas ( ar, بَانِيَاس ') is a Mediterranean coastal city in Tartous Governorate, northwestern Syria, located south of Latakia (ancient Laodicea) and north of Tartous (ancient Tortosa).
It is known for its citrus fruit orchards an ...
(near
Jabala
)
, settlement_type = City
, motto =
, image_skyline = Jableh Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 250px
, image_caption = General view of city and port • Roman Amphitheater• A ...
) shortly after it was captured by Antiochene troops in May 1109, according to historian
Thomas Asbridge
Thomas Scott Asbridge (born 1969) is a historian at Queen Mary University of London, a position he has held since 1999. He is the author of ''The First Crusade: A New History'' (2004), a book which describes the background, events, and consequences ...
. Rainald persuaded the commander of Margat to surrender the fortress to him, along with the nearby forts
Maniqa
Maniqa ( ar, المنيقة) is a castle located in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, dated back to the Roman era, it was also known as "Malikas" or "Malghanes" during the Crusader rule.
History
In 1028, Byzantine doux of Antioch Michael Spond ...
Hadid
Hadid ( he, חָדִיד) is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
According to the Mishnah, the town of Hadid was encompassed ...
in 1118 or 1119. Their possession secured the Franks' control of the mainland routes between Antioch and 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, ...
. Marqat developed into the center of Rainald's domains.
The
Artuqid
The Artuqid dynasty (alternatively Artukid, Ortoqid, or Ortokid; , pl. ; ; ) was a Turkoman dynasty originated from tribe that ruled in eastern Anatolia, Northern Syria and Northern Iraq in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries. The Art ...
emir,
Ilghazi
Najm ad-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (died November 8, 1122) was the Turkmen Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He was born into the Oghuz tribe of Döğer.
Biography
His father Artuk Bey was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had be ...
, and the
atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was wit ...
(or governor) of Damascus,
Toghtekin
Toghtekin or Tughtekin (Modern tr, Tuğtekin; Arabicised epithet: ''Zahir ad-Din Tughtikin''; died February 12, 1128), also spelled Tughtegin, was a Turkic military leader, who was ''atabeg'' of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder o ...
, invaded Antioch in the spring of 1119.
Roger of Salerno
Roger of Salerno (or Roger of the Principate) (died June 28, 1119) was regent of the Principality of Antioch from 1112 to 1119.
He was the son of Richard of the Principate and the 2nd cousin of Tancred, Prince of Galilee, both participants on the ...
, who had ruled the principality since 1112, sent envoys to
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to th ...
, seeking his assistance. Urged by the Antiochene marcher lords, Roger decided not to wait until the arrival of the Jerusalemite troops and led his troops to meet the enemy near the borders. He ordered Rainald to lead "three divisions of troops" to
Sarmada
Sarmada ( ar, سرمدا) is a town in the Harem District, Idlib Governorate of Syria.Battle of the "Field of Blood" on 28 June. Rainald was seriously wounded in the battlefield and withdrew to Sarmada together with his few retainers who survived the massacre. Ilghazi approached Sarmada and promised to release Rainald a month later if Rainald did not resist. After Ilghazi gave his ring to Rainald as a guarantee, Rainald surrendered the fortress without resistance.
Great officer
Baldwin II reached Antioch weeks after the battle. He was elected baillif (or regent) for the absent and minor prince, Bohemond II. Baldwin II's charter of grant to the Abbey of Our Lady of Josaphat which was issued in 1122 is the first extant document which was witnessed by Rainald. He was listed as the last among the witnesses. Bohemond II assumed the government of the principality in October 1126. He confirmed the privileges of the Genoese in 1127. Bohemond's diploma refers to Rainald as constable, showing that Rainald had already been appointed to that office. Rainald signed the document as the first among the lay witnesses. He is the only lay landholder who was elevated to a great office in the principality in the 12th century.
The Assassins stirred up a riot at Bikisrail in 1131. He hurried to the region to mediate a settlement, but the Assassins could not be pacified for long. They seized Qadmus in the mountains two years later.
Bohemond II's widow, Alice of Jerusalem, claimed the regency for her minor daughter,
Constance of Antioch
Constance of Hauteville (1128–1163) was the ruling Prince of Antioch, Princess of Antioch from 1130 to 1163. She was the only child of Bohemond II of Antioch by his wife, Alice of Antioch, Alice of Jerusalem. Constance succeeded her father at t ...
Pons, Count of Tripoli
Pons ( 1098 – 25 March 1137) was count of Tripoli from 1112 to 1137. He was a minor when his father, Bertrand, died in 1112. He swore fealty to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in the presence of a Byzantine embassy. His advisors sent hi ...
,
Joscelin II, Count of Edessa
Joscelin II of Edessa (died 1159) was the fourth and last ruling count of Edessa. He was son of his predecessor Joscelin I of Edessa and Beatrice, daughter of Constantine I of Armenia.
Biography
In 1122, Joscelin I was captured by Belek Ghazi. ...
, and the powerful Antiochene barons,
William of Zardana
William of Zardana, also known as William of Saone (died in 1132 or 1133), was a powerful baron who held Balatanos, Saone and Zardana in the Principality of Antioch. After his father, Robert the Leper, was executed by the atabeg (or governor) o ...
and Garenton of Saone supported her, but Fulk came to Antioch and defeated her supporters near Chastel Rouge. Before leaving the principality, Fulk made Rainald his baillif.
Rainald's activities cannot be documented after around 1135. His son,
Rainald II Masoir Rainald is a name of a number of historical persons listed in the Domesday Book.
, married Pons of Tripoli's daughter, Agnes. His descendants were the most influential barons of the principality for decades. Their domains included most of the southern region of the principality.