Raymond III, Count Of Tripoli

Raymond III (1140 – September/October 1187) was count of Tripoli from 1152 to 1187. He was a minor when Assassins murdered his father, Raymond II of Tripoli. Baldwin III of Jerusalem, who was staying in Tripoli, made Raymond's mother, Hodierna of Jerusalem, regent. Raymond spent the following years at the royal court in Jerusalem. He participated in a series of military campaigns against Nur ad-Din, the Zengid ruler of Damascus, after he reached the age of majority in 1155. Raymond hired pirates in 1161 to pillage the Byzantine coastline and islands to take vengeance on Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, who had refused to marry his sister Melisende. Captured in the Battle of Harim by Nur ad-Din's troops on 10 August 1164, he was imprisoned in Aleppo for almost ten years. During his captivity, Amalric I of Jerusalem administered the county of Tripoli on his behalf.

Raymond was released for a large ransom which he had to borrow from the Knights Hospitaller. His marriage to Eschiva of Bures made him prince of Galilee and one of the wealthiest noblemen in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Amalric died, leaving a minor son, Baldwin IV, as his successor in 1174. As the child-king's closest male relative, Raymond was elected bailiff (or regent). Raymond remained neutral during the conflicts between Nur ad-Din's successors and his former commander, Saladin, which facilitated the unification of Egypt and a significant part of Syria under Saladin. Baldwin reached the age of majority in 1176 and Raymond returned to Tripoli, although the king suffered from lepromatous leprosy.

Raymond and Bohemond III of Antioch sought to diminish the influence of the king's mother, Agnes of Courtenay, and her brother (Joscelin III of Edessa) over the government. They unexpectedly marched to Jerusalem before Easter 1180, but their sudden arrival had the opposite effect. Baldwin married his sister and heir, Sibylla, to the Courtenays' supporter Guy of Lusignan and Raymond had to leave the kingdom. Relations between Baldwin and his new brother-in-law became tense, and the dying king disinherited his sister in favor of her son Baldwin V. Raymond's partisans also persuaded the king to make him bailiff for the child Baldwin V in 1185. His authority was limited because Joscelin III of Edessa was made the child's guardian, and all royal fortresses were placed into the custody of the military orders.

After Baldwin V died in the summer of 1186, Raymond convoked the barons of the realm to an assembly to Nablus; this enabled Sibylla's supporters to take possession of Jerusalem. Raymond tried to persuade Sybilla's half-sister Isabella and Isabella's husband, Humphrey IV of Toron, to claim the throne, but Humphrey swore fealty to Sybilla and Guy. Raymond refused to do homage to them and made an alliance with Saladin, allowing Saladin to cross Galilee during his campaigns against Jerusalem and to place a garrison in Tiberias. Raymond was reconciled with Guy only after Saladin decided to launch a full-scale invasion against the crusaders in the summer of 1187. He commanded the vanguard of the crusaders' army in the Battle of Hattin, which ended with their catastrophic defeat. Raymond was one of the few crusader commanders who were not killed or captured. He fled to Tyre and then to Tripoli, where he died (probably of pleurisy) after bequeathing Tripoli to his godson, Raymond of Antioch.

Early life

Born in 1140, Raymond was the only son of Raymond II of Tripoli () and Hodierna of Jerusalem. He first witnessed a letter of grant of his father in 1151. The letter was also signed by his mother, an influential and active "political agent" of her age similar to her sisters, Queen Melisende of Jerusalem () and Dowager Princess Alice of Antioch. Her husband's jealousy gave rise to scandalous matrimonial strife during the early 1150s. Although Queen Melisende came to Tripoli to mediate a reconciliation, Hodierna decided to leave for Jerusalem. However, a band of Assassins attacked and murdered Raymond II at Tripoli's southern gate shortly after their departure.

Count

Minority

Melisende's son Baldwin III of Jerusalem (), who was staying in Tripoli when Raymond II was murdered, recalled the widowed Hodierna to the town. Baldwin held an assembly after the burial at which the nobles of the County of Tripoli paid homage to Hodierna and her two minor children, Raymond and Melisende. Raymond II had decreed that the master (or head) of the Knights Hospitaller in the county was to administer Tripoli if an underage count mounted the throne. Baldwin ignored the late count's instructions in appointing Hodierna to the regency for her son.

The teenage Raymond spent several years at the royal court in Jerusalem. The first extant document that he witnessed in the royal capital was issued on 23 September 1152 or 1153. Historian Kevin J. Lewis proposes that Baldwin III probably supervised Raymond's knightly education.

First years of majority

Raymond reached the age of majority in 1155. In his first extant charter, issued on 11 June 1157, he confirmed his father's diploma about the grant of Tortosa (now Tartus in Syria) to the Knights Templar. Nur ad-Din, the Zengid ruler of Aleppo and Damascus (), ambushed Baldwin III at Jacob's Fort on the Jordan River eight days later. Hundreds of Christian soldiers were captured or killed, and the king was forced to flee to Safed. After Nur ad-Din laid siege to Baniyas, Baldwin III sent envoys to Tripoli and Antioch to seek assistance from Raymond and Raynald of Châtillon (). They hurried to Chastel Neuf (at present-day Margaliot in Israel) to join the decimated royal army. After their arrival, Nur ad-Din lifted the siege and withdrew his troops without resistance.

An earthquake destroyed Tripoli, Arqa and Krak des Chevaliers in August 1157. Taking advantage of the arrival of Thierry, Count of Flanders () at the head of a sizeable army in October, Baldwin III, Raynald of Châtillon and Raymond decided to launch a joint campaign against the Muslim towns of North Syria which had also been ruined by the catastrophe. The crusaders first attacked Chastel Rouge near the border of the County of Tripoli, but they could not force the defenders to surrender. They could not seize Shaizar, either; Thierry of Flanders and Raynald of Châtillon claimed the town even before it was occupied, and they could not reach a compromise. The siege of Harenc (now Harem in Syria) was a success, but the crusading leaders finished the campaign after they captured it in January 1158.

Seeking a wife from the crusader states, the widowed Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos () sent envoys to Baldwin III in 1160. Manuel said that he was willing to marry Maria of Antioch or Raymond's sister, Melisende, who were both closely related to the king. Baldwin proposed Melisende, and the emperor acknowledged his choice. Twelve galleys were built at Raymond's order, because he wanted to have a magnificent retinue for his sister during his voyage to Constantinople. Their mother and aunt spent a considerable amount of money to buy precious jewelry for the future empress. The emperor then changed his mind and began negotiations about his marriage to Maria with her mother, Constance of Antioch (). Feeling slighted for himself and his sister, Raymond crewed his newly built fleet with criminals and sent them to raid the Byzantine coasts and islands in August 1161. The pirates captured and plundered sacred places, and attacked pilgrims.

Nur ad-Din raided Krak des Chevaliers and laid siege to Harenc in the summer of 1164. Raymond marched out to join the crusaders (who were assembling to relieve the fortress), but they were defeated in the Battle of Harim on 10 August. Thousands of crusaders fell during the battle and Raymond, Bohemond III of Antioch (), Joscelin III of Edessa, Hugh VIII of Lusignan and other commanders were captured.

Captivity

The crusader leaders captured at Harim were taken to Aleppo, where they were imprisoned. William of Tyre's report about Raymund's captivity is contradictory. He claimed that Raymond had spent his imprisonment "in beggary and iron", but he also emphasized that Raymond had learnt to read and acquired a high level of education in the prison. Modern historians assume, without positive evidence, that Raymond also learnt Arabic during his captivity. Raymond instructed his "loyal vassals" to acknowledge King Amalric of Jerusalem (), who had succeeded Baldwin III, as the lawful ruler of Tripoli for the duration of his captivity. Amalric hurried to Tripoli and took full responsibility for its government, assuming the title of "administrator of the county of Tripoli". He could persuade Nur ad-Din to release Bohemond III and Thoros II, Prince of Armenia (), because they were the Byzantine emperor's vassals; Raymond, however, remained imprisoned.

Bertrand de Blanchefort, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, reminded Louis VII of France () in November 1164 that Amalric would be unable to defend the crusader states alone. Nur ad-Din captured the fortress at al-Munaytira in 1165 (or 1166), and destroyed the Templars' castles at Halba, Araima and Safita in the summer of 1167. According to Kevin James Lewis, Nur ad-Din captured Gibelacar during the latter campaign; the fortress was recaptured in late 1169 or early 1170.

The date and the circumstances of Raymond's release are uncertain. According to William of Tyre, Raymond was set free after spending eight solar years in captivity; however, Ibn Jubayr said that Raymond had been imprisoned for twelve lunar years. Ali ibn al-Athir incorrectly recorded that Raymond was released after Nur ad-Din died on 15 May 1174, but Raymond had witnessed a royal charter in Jerusalem on 18 April of that year. Lewis writes that Raymond was released because of developing conflict between Nur ad-Din and his ambitious commander, Saladin, who was Egypt's actual ruler (). The ailing Nur ad-Din (or his advisors) most probably regarded the crusader states as a buffer between his Syrian realm and Saladin's Egypt.

William of Tyre reported that Raymond had to pay 80,000 pieces of gold as ransom, but could only pay 20,000. To guarantee payment of the arrears, Raymond surrendered hostages. Muslim authors wrote that Raymond's ransom amounted to 150,000 Syrian dinars. According to a charter of Bohemond III of Antioch, Raymond borrowed money from the Knights Hospitaller to pay at least part of his ransom.

Count and regent

First regency

Walter of Saint Omer, Prince of Galilee, died in early 1174. Amalric of Jerusalem gave Walter's widow Eschiva of Bures in marriage to Raymond, enabling him to seize a large fief in the kingdom. Their marriage was childless, according to William of Tyre, but Raymond loved his wife and brought up her children by her first husband as if they were his own. King Amalric died on 11 July 1174. His only son Baldwin was crowned king four days later, although he was a minor and had lepromatous leprosy. The seneschal Miles of Plancy took charge of the government, but was unable to persuade the commanders of the army to cooperate with him.

Taking advantage of the seneschal's unpopularity, Raymond visited the king at Jerusalem in August and laid claim to the regency. He argued that he was the closest male relative and the most powerful vassal of the child king. Raymond also emphasized that since he had appointed the king's father to administer Tripoli during his captivity, he was entitled to claim the same treatment. Miles of Plancy postponed the decision about Raymond's claim, saying that only the plenary session of the High Court of Jerusalem could hear it.

Raymond returned to Tripoli, and Miles of Plancy was murdered in Acre in October 1174. The most powerful noblemen and clergymen assembled in Jerusalem to decide on the administration of the kingdom, and the bishops unanimously supported Raymond's claim to regency. The constable Humphrey II of Toron, Reginald of Sidon, and the Ibelin brothers Baldwin and Balian also stood by him, but Raymond was elected bailiff (or regent) only after a two-day debate, most probably because other aristocrats distrusted him. Raymond was installed at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional venue for royal coronations, in an extravagant ceremony. He allowed the king's mother Agnes of Courtenay to return to the royal court, enabling her to strengthen her influence on the young monarch. Raymond made the erudite William of Tyre chancellor, but left the office of seneschal vacant.

Saladin had expanded his rule to Damascus, Baalbek, Shaizar and Hama, taking advantage of the minority of Nur ad-Din's son As-Salih Ismail al-Malik. He occupied Homs in early December 1174, but the garrison at the citadel resisted. Without forcing the garrison to surrender, Saladin left Homs for Aleppo (the seat of the Zengids in Syria) and left a small army in Homs' lower town.

Saladin's fierce determination to unite Egypt and Syria threatened the crusader states. Raymond mustered the troops of Jerusalem and Tripoli at Arqa in early 1175, but did not intervene in the conflict between Saladin and the Zengids. The defenders of the Homs citadel offered to set their Christian prisoners free if he provided military assistance for them; the prisoners included the hostages held as a guarantee for the arrears of Raymond's ransom. According to Ali ibn al-Athir, the Muslim burghers of Aleppo also urged Raymond to attack Saladin's troops. Raymond was willing to assist the defenders of Homs only if they immediately released their prisoners, but they refused his demand. William of Tyre later emphasized that the commanders of the crusader army doubted if the defenders of the Homs citadel actually wanted to release their prisoners.

Saladin returned to Homs soon after he was informed about the negotiations between the crusaders and the garrison. Instead of attacking him, the crusader army retreated to Krak des Chevaliers; this enabled Saladin to capture the citadel on 17 March 1175. He sent envoys to the crusaders' camp to secure their neutrality in his conflict with the Zengids. After Saladin agreed to release the hostages who were surety for Raymond's ransom, the crusader army withdrew to Tripoli. William of Tyre blamed Humphrey II of Toron for the crusaders' decision.

Saladin defeated the united armies of Aleppo and Mosul in the Battle of the Horns of Hama on 13 April, and concluded a peace treaty with Aleppo which consolidated his rule in South Syria. After he allowed his Egyptian troops to return home, the crusader army was also disbanded in early May. Raymond proposed a truce to Saladin, which was signed on 22 July. The truce enabled Saladin to march through Oultrejordainthe easternmost territory of the Kingdom of Jerusalemwithout resistance during his new campaign against Ghazi II Saif ud-Din of Mosul () in the summer of 1176.

Campaigns

Baldwin IV came of age at his fifteenth birthday on 15 July 1176. With the end of his regency, Raymond returned to Tripoli. Count Philip I of Flanders () landed at Acre at the head of a large army of crusaders from Europe on 1 August 1177. The young king and his advisors made several efforts to persuade him to join a military campaign against Egypt, Saladin's principal power base, but Philip kept making excuses. According to rumours spreading among the crusaders, Raymond and Bohemond III convinced the count to resist because, as William of Tyre recorded it, they wanted to "entice him to their own lands, hoping with his help to undertake something which would benefit their states".

Philip came to Tripoli in late October. Roger de Moulins, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitallers, and more than 100 knights and 2,000 foot soldiers from the Kingdom of Jerusalem joined them in November. They attacked Hama, taking advantage of its governor's illness. The siege lasted only four days, because Bohemond persuaded them to join him in attacking Harenc. They laid siege to the fortress in early December, but could not capture it. Bohemond made peace with the Zengid ruler of Aleppo in early 1177.

Raymond attacked a group of Turkmen and seized considerable booty from them in 1178 or 1179, but Saladin strengthened his border defence to prevent further raids. Saladin also dispatched a group of horsemen to raid the Sidon region in early June 1179, and Baldwin mustered his troops to prevent their retreat. Raymond, who was staying at Tiberias, joined the royal army. They routed the raiders at a ford on the Litani River, but Saladin suddenly marched into Galilee and defeated the crusaders in the Battle of Marj Ayyun on 10 June. Although Raymond (who watched the battle from a hill) escaped to Tyre, his stepson Hugh of Saint Omer was captured.

According to the ''Estoire de Eracles'' (which contains many folkloristic elements), Raymond pledged the first wealthy heiress in his county in marriage to the Flemish knight Gerard of Ridefort. When William Dorel, Lord of Botrun (now Batroun in Lebanon) died—leaving a daughter as his heir—Raymond instead gave her to Plivain, a wealthy merchant from Pisa who had promised her weight in gold to him. Raymond's perfidy outraged Ridefort, who left Tripoli and settled in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1179.

Dynastic factions

Raymond and Bohemond III mustered their troops and marched to Jerusalem in April 1180. Although they ostensibly came to celebrate Easter in the Holy City, the ailing Baldwin IV feared that they wanted to depose him. He hastily married his sister and heir presumptive, Sibylla, to Guy of Lusignan (a knight who had recently arrived from Poitou), although she had been promised to Duke Hugh III of Burgundy (). After studying the controversial reports of the events, historian Bernard Hamilton concluded that Raymond and Bohemond wanted to stage a coup; they were concerned about the growing influence of the king's mother and her brother, Joscelin III of Edessa. According to Hamilton, Raymond and Bohemond wanted to forcibly persuade the king to marry Sibylla to Baldwin of Ibelin (a local candidate of their choosing) instead of Hugh, who was related to the Courtenays; Sibylla's marriage to Guy, however, destroyed their plan. Since Raymond and Bohemond had lost the king's favor, they left Jerusalem shortly after Easter.

They were crossing Galilee when Saladin invaded the principality, and their arrival forced him to retreat. Saladin and Baldwin signed a two-year truce. The truce did not cover Tripoli, enabling Saladin to launch a sudden raid on the county. Since the surprise attack prevented Raymond from mustering his troops, he fled to the fortress of Arqa. Saladin's army pillaged the northern plains of the county, and his fleet captured the island of Ruad at Tortosa (now Arwad

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