Balian I Grenier was the Count of Sidon and one of the most important lords of the

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 ...

from 1202 to 1241. He succeeded his father

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (), known as Renaud (), born 11 May 1952, is a French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in F ...

. His mother was Helvis, a daughter of

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, ...

. He was a powerful and important representative of the native aristocracy during the three Levantine crusades of the first half of the thirteenth century. During the

Fifth Crusade The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by Al-Adil I, al-Adil, brothe ...

, Balian advised the troops of

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against sallying into the deserted regions of his county of Sidon, regions almost under Saracen control. The Hungarians refused to listen, however, and many were massacred during a Turcoman ambush. During the Sixth Crusade, Balian supported Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II for the throne of Jerusalem. He negotiated with Giordano Filangieri, brother of Richard Filangieri, sent by Frederick in 1228 to represent his authority in Acre until the emperor could make the trip in person. Balian was the chief native ally of the crusaders at the time when they were not well received by the locals. He supported the Emperor and his Germanisation, but tried, as with the previous crusade, to prevent a bloodbath. In 1229, Frederick left Balian in charge of Tyre and in 1231 he gave him the co-regency (bailiwick) of the kingdom with Garnier l'Aleman. During Barons' Crusade of

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 ...

in 1239, Balian joined a group of defiant barons at least part of the way to Gaza where a battle was fought between crusader and

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

forces. Balian was probably part of a group led by Hugh of Burgundy which departed before the actual battle. The remaining group of the crusaders charged the Egyptians, was routed, resulting in the capture of

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and the death of

Henry II of Bar Henry II of Bar in French ''Henri II de Bar'', in German ''Heinrich II von Bar'' (1190–13 November 1239) was a Count of Bar who reigned from 1214 to 1239. He was son of Count Theobald I of Bar and his first wife, Ermesinde of Bar-sur-Seine. Hen ...

. If Balian was part of the group which stayed and fought, he would have been among the relatively small number of survivors not to be captured by the Muslims. Balian later received the castle of Shaqil Arnun, which his father had defended by a ruse from

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 ...

in 1190, from the sultan As-Salih Ayyub. He died in 1240 or, according to

Philip of Novara Philip of Novara (c. 1200 – c. 1270) was a medieval historian, warrior, musician, diplomat, poet, and lawyer. born at Novara, Italy, into a noble house, who spent his entire adult life in the Middle East. He primarily served the Ibelin famil ...

, 1241. He was betrothed to Marguerite of Brienne (seduced by Frederick II), daughter of Walter III, Count of Brienne, older brother of

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), ultimately marrying Ida de Reynel. His son Julian succeeded him in Sidon, the greater part of which had been recovered by Balian.

Sources

* Setton, Kenneth M. (general editor)
A History of the Crusades: Volume II — The Later Crusades, 1189 – 1311
'. Robert Lee Wolff and Harry W. Hazard, editors. University of Wisconsin Press: Milwaukee, 1969. {{DEFAULTSORT:Grenier, Balian 1241 deaths Christians of the Crusades Christians of the Fifth Crusade Christians of the Sixth Crusade Christians of the Barons' Crusade Lordship of Sidon Year of birth unknown