Waleran (Galéran) of Le Puiset (d. in prison 1126), son of
Hugh I of Le Puiset and Alice de Montlhéry (daughter of
Guy I of Montlhéry Guy I (died 1095) was the second lord of Bray and the second lord of Montlhéry (Latin: ''Monte Leterico''). He was probably the son of Thibaud of Montmorency, but some sources say that his father was named Milo. Thibaud may instead have been his ...
). Seigneur of
Birejik.
He is quoted in a donation made ''circa'' 1102 by his brother
Hugh to the
abbey of Saint-Martin-des-Champs. He went to fight in the Holy Land at the service of
Baldwin of Bourg, Count of Edessa, in the
army of Bohemond of Taranto. From 1115, he decided to eliminate the Armenian nobility of the county after several Armenian plots to deliver Edessa to the Turks. After having subjected and exiled
Kogh Vasil Kogh Vasil, or Vasil the Robber (; died on 12 October 1112), was the Armenian ruler of Raban and Kaisun at the time of the First Crusade. In the early 12th century, he was the most influential Armenian ruler who adhered to the Armenian Apostolic C ...
, Baldwin attacked
Abu'lgharib Artsuni, Lord of Birejik. A compromise is reached, whereby Abu'lgharib delivered the city and exiled himself into Cilician Armenia. Baldwin then gave the fief of Birejik and the hand of the daughter of Abu'lgharib to Waleran.
King Baldwin I of Jerusalem died in 1118, and Baldwin II, Count of Edessa, succeeded him, with the help of
Joscelin I of Courtenay. Before his departure for Jerusalem in 1118, Baldwin, before entrusting Edessa to Waleran, subordinated the county of Edessa to Joscelin in order to reward him for his help in gaining the throne.
On September 13, 1122, Joscelin and Waleran tried to surprise
Belek Ghazi
Belek Ghazi (''Nuruddevle Belek'' or ''Balak'') was a Turkish bey in the early 12th century.
Early life
His father was Behram and his grandfather was Artuk Bey, an important figure of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century. He was a short-term ...
, who traveled from Aleppo to his stronghold of
Kharput, but they were captured and imprisoned. King Baldwin II, who tried to free them, is captured in turn on April 18, 1123. Belek then tried to exploit his advantage and invade the principality of Antioch. But a mere fifty Armenians undertook to deliver their lords and went to Kharput, disguised as monks and merchants. With the help of the Armenian workers of the city, they massacred the garrison, seized the citadel and delivered the prisoners. While Baldwin, Waleran and the Armenians held the city, Joscelin went to seek help. But Belek, warned on August 7, 1123, returned to Kharput and besieged the citadel, forcing the defenders to surrender before the arrival of those who would rescue the defenders.. Belek ordered the execution of all the defenders, with the exception of Baldwin, one of his nephews, and Waleran, who were again imprisoned and transferred to Harran. Waleran died in captivity in 1126.
Sources
Riley-Smith, Jonathan, ''The First Crusaders, 1095-1131'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1997
La Monte, John L., T''he Lords of Le Puiset on the Crusades''. Speculum, 1942
Grousset, René'', L'Empire du Levant : Histoire de la Question d'Orient'', Paris, Payot, coll. Bibliothèque historique, 1949
Grousset, René, ''Histoire des croisades et du royaume franc de Jérusalem, Vol I. 1095-1130'', L'anarchie musulmane, Paris, Perrin, 1934
Runciman, Steven, ''A History of the Crusades, Volume II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1952
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Christians of the First Crusade