Bartholomew Mansel was the vicar of the diocese of Antioch, regent of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

, and

bishop of Tortosa The bishop of Tortosa is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tortosa in Catalonia, Spain.

around 1272, a post he held until 1291.

Biography

Bartholomew belonged to the important Frankish family of the Mansels in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

. He was probably the son of

Robert Mansel Sir Robert Mansell (1573–1656) was an admiral of the English Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament (MP), mostly for Welsh constituencies. His name was sometimes given as Sir Robert Mansfield and Sir Robert Maunsell. Early life Mansel was a W ...

, who was Constable of Antioch in 1207.

Simon Mansel Simon Mansel (between 1205 and 1220 – after 1268) was a Constable of Antioch. He belonged to the important Frankish Mansel family from Antioch. He was believed to be a son of Robert Mansel, who became constable to Antioch in 1207. Bartholomew ...

, Constable of Antioch, was probably his brother. He was maternally related to King

Hethum I Hethum I (Armenian: Հեթում Ա; 1213 – 21 October 1270) ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (also known as "Little Armenia") from 1226 to 1270. He was the son of Constantine of Baberon (d. 1263) and Princess Alix Pahlavouni of Lampron (a ...

, as his father married his half-sister. In 1268, Bartholomew escaped the sack of Antioch, which was under the command of his brother Simon. He was appointed bishop of Tortosa when that see fell vacant in 1272. After the death of

Bohemond VI Bohemond VI (–1275), also known as the Fair, was the prince of Antioch and count of Tripoli from 1251 until his death. He ruled while Antioch was caught between the warring Mongol Empire and Mamluk Sultanate. In 1268 Antioch was captured by t ...

in 1275, his widow, Sibylla, invited Bishop Bartholomew to act as regent for her young son, Bohemond VII. Since Bartholomew was also the vicar of the absentee patriarch of Antioch, Opizo dei Fieschi, this brought him into conflict with the bishop of Tripoli

Paul of Segni Paul of Segni was an Italian nobleman and Franciscan friar who served as the bishop of Tripoli in the Levant from 1261 until 1285 and as a papal legate to the kingdoms of Germany and Sicily in 1279–1280. He was the most prominent churchman from ...

. After he took up residence in Tripoli, Bartholomew, who outranked Paul both spiritually and secularly, sided with Paul's detractors among the native baronage. He also had a dispute with the Lord

Guy II of Gibelet Guy II or Guido II, surnamed Embriaco (died 1282), was the lord of Gibelet (Arabic ''Jubayl'', Greek ''Byblos'') from about 1271 until his death. Guy was the eldest son of Henry I Embriaco and Isabella of the House of Ibelin, a daughter of Lord ...

, which was provoked by the marriage of the heiress of Hugh l'Aleman to Guy's brother John, which preempted her marriage to Bartholomew's nephew. Bartholomew, acting as patriarchal vicar, absolved Bohemond of the excommunication issued by

Pope Nicholas III Pope Nicholas III ( la, Nicolaus III; c. 1225 – 22 August 1280), born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 November 1277 to his death on 22 August 1280. He was a Roman nobleman who ...

, following a letter from Paul to the Pope in which he accused Bohemond of seizing his goods, imprisoning his servants and attacking his safehouse. He returned to Tortosa after the fall of Tripoli in 1289. On 3 August 1291, the

Knight Templars The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon ( la, Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici), also known as the Order of Solomon's Temple, the Knights Templar, or simply the Templars, was a Catholic military order, o ...

and Bartholomew evacuated Tortosa, which had ceased to be a residential bishopric afterwards.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mansel, Bartholomew People of the Crusader states