The Lordship of Ramla was one of the Crusader

vassal states A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to t ...

of the

Latin 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 establishe ...

. It has been vassal to and part of the

County of Jaffa and Ascalon The double County of Jaffa and Ascalon was one of the four major seigneuries comprising the major Crusader state of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, according to 13th-century commentator John of Ibelin. History Jaffa was fortified by Godfrey of Boui ...

History

During the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...

was abandoned by its Muslim inhabitants, as it lacked the defenses necessary to withstand a siege.Mayer, Hans Eberhard. "The Origins of the Lordships of Ramla and Lyddia in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem," ''Speculum'' 60.3 (1985): 538. Upon its capitulation in 1099, Ramla was left under the supervision of Robert of the

diocese of Rouen The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Ar ...

, whom the crusaders installed as

Bishop of Lydda Diocese of Lydda ( Lod) is one of the oldest bishoprics of the early Christian Church in the Holy Land. Suppressed under Persian and Arab-Islamic rule, it was revived by the Crusaders and remains a Latin Catholic titular see. History In early ...

and Ramla. Thus, Ramla was initially an ecclesiastical lordship. This would change, however, sometime between 1115 and 1120, when a certain Baldwin is noted as having a "lordlike position"Mayer, Hans Eberhard. "The Origins of the Lordships of Ramla and Lyddia in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem," ''Speculum'' 60.3 (1985): 541. in Ramla, suggesting the city had passed into secular control. In 1126, Ramla became part of the County of Jaffa, and a separate lordship was created after the revolt of Count Hugh II in 1134, with Baldwin II as lord (although Baldwin I was not a lord in his own right). The castle of Ibelin was located quite near Ramla. It was later a part of the Ibelin possessions, inherited from Helvis, daughter of Baldwin of Ramla and wife of

Barisan of Ibelin Barisan of Ibelin (french: Barisan d'Ibelin; died 1150) was an important figure in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, and was the founder of the Ibelin family. His name was later written as "Balian" and he is sometimes known as Balian the Elder, B ...

. Along with most of the rest of the kingdom, Ramla was recaptured by

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 1187. Though legally distinct, Ramla in practise merged with the other Ibelin holdings regained after the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

, and in the mid-13th century it was indistinguishable from the larger County of Jaffa and Ascalon.

Lords/officials of Ramla

*Bishop Robert (1099–1106) *

Baldwin I of Ramla Baldwin I (died 1138) was the castellan and lord of Ramla in the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1106 to his death. In 1120, he participated in the Council of Nablus. In 1126, the castellany, which controlled the surrounding countryside too, was given i ...

, Castellan (1106–1134), Lord of Ramla (1134–1138) *

(1138–1150) *

Manasses of Hierges Manasses of Hierges was an important crusader and constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was lord of Ramla from 1150 to 1152. Biography Early years He was the son of Hodierna of Rethel and Héribrand II of Hierges; Hodierna was daughter of ...

(1150–1152) *

Hugh of Ibelin Hugh of Ibelin (c. 1132 – 1169/1171) was an important noble in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and was Lord of Ramla from 1152-1169. Hugh was the eldest son of Barisan of Ibelin and Helvis of Ramla. He was old enough to witness charters in 1148, ...

, son of Barisan of Ibelin (1152–1169) *

Baldwin of Ibelin Baldwin of Ibelin, also known as Baldwin II of Ramla ( French: ''Baudouin d'Ibelin'', early 1130s – c. 1187 or 1186/1188), was an important noble of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and was lord of Ramla from 1169-1186. He was ...

(1169–1186) *Thomas of Ibelin, son of Baldwin of Ibelin (1186–1188; actually held by

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, 20t ...

, 1186–1193) *John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut, John of Ibelin (c. 1247)Edbury, Peter W. "John of Ibelin's Title to the Counties of Jaffa and Ascalon." ''The English Historical Review'' 98.386 (1983): 115.

Notes

Sources

* John L. La Monte, ''Feudal Monarchy in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1100-1291''. The Medieval Academy of America, 1932. * Jonathan Riley-Smith, ''The Feudal Nobility and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1174-1277''. The Macmillan Press, 1973. * Steven Runciman, ''A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187''. Cambridge University Press, 1952. * Steven Tibble, ''Monarchy and Lordships in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099-1291''. Clarendon Press, 1989. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramla, Lordship Lordships of the Crusader states County of Jaffa and Ascalon Feudalism in the Kingdom of Jerusalem Titles of nobility of the Kingdom of Jerusalem History of Ramla, Lordship of Ramla

History

Lords/officials of Ramla

See also

Notes

Sources