Stephanie of Milly (born ) was the lady of
Oultrejordain in 1169–1197 and an influential figure in the
Kingdom of Jerusalem. She was also known as Stephanie de Milly, Etienette de Milly, and Etiennette de Milly. She married three times; firstly to
Humphrey III of Toron, secondly to
Miles of Plancy; her third and last husband was
Raynald of Chatillon.
Family and early life
She was the younger daughter of
Philip of Milly,
lord of Nablus
The Crusader state of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, created in 1099, was divided into a number of smaller Manorialism, seigneuries. According to the 13th-century jurist John of Ibelin (jurist), John of Ibelin, the four highest crown vassals (referre ...
, and Isabella of Oultrejordain, who herself was the daughter and heiress of
Maurice of Montreal, lord of
Oultrejordain. Through her various marriages, several of her husbands became lords of Oultrejordain. Her first marriage, in 1163, was to
Humphrey III of Toron, who died in 1173. This marriage produced two children: a son, Humphrey (the future
Humphrey IV of Toron), and a daughter,
Isabella, who married
Ruben III of Armenia
Ruben III ( hy, Ռուբեն Գ), also Roupen III, Rupen III, or Reuben III, (1145 – Monastery of Drazark, May 6, 1187) was the ninth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (1175–1187).
Roupen remained always friendly to th ...
. Her second husband was
Miles of Plancy, lord of Oultrejordain, who was
assassinated
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
in 1174.
Third marriage
In 1177, she married
Raynald of Châtillon, the former
Prince of Antioch
Prince of Antioch was the title given during the Middle Ages to Normans, Norman rulers of the Principality of Antioch, a region surrounding the city of Antioch, now known as Antakya in Turkey. The Princes originally came from the County of Sicil ...
, who had recently been released from captivity in
Aleppo
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. Through Stephanie, Raynald succeeded as lord ''jure uxoris'' of the lordship of Oultrejordain, and used his new position to harass Muslim
caravan
Caravan or caravans may refer to:
Transport and travel
*Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together
**Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop
*Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals
*Convoy, a group of veh ...
and
pilgrimage routes; in 1183 he even threatened to attack
Mecca itself. In 1180,
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem had betrothed his eight-year-old half-sister
Isabella to Stephanie's son Humphrey. The marriage took place in the castle 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.
...
in 1183. The ceremonies were interrupted by the arrival of
Saladin, who
besieged the place in response to Raynald's threats against Mecca. According to the chronicle of
Ernoul, Stephanie sent messengers to Saladin, reminding him of the friendship they shared when he had been a prisoner in Kerak many years before; this is likely a fiction or some mis-remembered event, as Saladin is not otherwise known to have ever been held hostage at Kerak. Saladin did not lift the siege but agreed not to target Humphrey and Isabella's wedding chamber. The siege was soon raised by King Baldwin. The ''Old French Continuation of William of Tyre'' claimed that Stephanie hated Isabella's mother
Maria Comnena, and prevented her having any contact with her daughter. This was probably for political reasons: Baldwin had arranged the marriage to remove the little girl from the influence of her stepfather's family, the
Ibelins.
Capture of Humphrey
Raynald continued to harass the caravan and pilgrimage routes, leading to the invasion of the kingdom by Saladin in 1187. Raynald was killed at the ensuing
Battle of Hattin
The Battle of Hattin took place on 4 July 1187, between the Crusader states of the Levant and the forces of the Ayyubid sultan Saladin. It is also known as the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, due to the shape of the nearby extinct volcano of t ...
, at which Humphrey IV was captured. Saladin agreed to return Humphrey to Stephanie in exchange for Kerak and
Montreal; the castles refused to surrender, however, and Stephanie dutifully sent her son back to captivity under Saladin. Saladin took pity on her and released him. Her own principality of Oultrejordain and its castles were lost to Saladin within a few years of Hattin, and, located so far from the Mediterranean coast where the remaining crusader strongholds were located, remained in Muslim hands.
As her son Humphrey had apparently died before her, Stephanie's heiress (as well as the heiress of Toron) was her daughter, Isabella.
References
Bibliography
*
*
* L. de Mas-Latrie
''Chronique d'Ernoul et de Bernard le Trésorier'' (in French) Paris, Société de l'histoire de France, 1871.
*
William of Tyre, ''Historia Rerum In Partibus Transmarinis Gestarum'' (A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea), (in English) translated by E. A. Babock and A. C. Krey, Columbia University Press, 1943.
* William of Tyre, ''Chronique Willelmi Tyrensis Archiepiscopi Chronicon'', (in French) edition by R.B.C. Huygens; identification of historical sources and determination of dates fixed by H. E. Mayer and G. Rosch, Turnholti: Brepol, 1986. 2 v. (1170 p. compless.)
External links
*{{MLCC , external links=1 , url=http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CHAMPAGNE%20NOBILITY.htm#AlixChatillondied1235 , title-date= , title= Champagne Nobility, date=August 2012
1190s deaths
Women of the Crusader states
Year of birth uncertain
Lords of Oultrejordain
12th-century women rulers