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Rulers of the Latin EastSeries

This series delves into the lives and influences of the rulers of the Crusader states in the Latin East. It examines the political intrigues, diplomatic maneuvers, and challenges inherent in governing during this tumultuous era. Beyond individual reigns, it explores broader themes such as gender, marriage, intellectual life, and inter-faith relations. These detailed biographies offer a compelling look at the men and women who shaped the region from the late 11th to the late 13th centuries and beyond.

Baldwin I of Jerusalem, 1100-1118
The Counts of Tripoli and Lebanon in the Twelfth Century
Godfrey of Bouillon

Recommended Reading Order

  • Godfrey of Bouillon

    This book offers a new appraisal of the ancestry and career of Godfrey of Bouillon (c.1060-1100), a leading participant in the First Crusade (1096-99), and the first ruler of Latin Jerusalem (1099-1100), the polity established by the crusaders after they captured the Holy City. While previous studies of Godfrey's life have tended to focus on his career from the point at which he joined the crusade, this book adopts a more holistic approach, situating his involvement in the expedition in the light of the careers of his ancestors and his own activities in Lotharingia, the westernmost part of the kingdom of Germany. The findings of this enquiry shed new light on the repercussions of a range of critical developments in Latin Christendom in the eleventh and early twelfth centuries, including the impact of the 'Investiture Conflict' in Lotharingia, the response to the call for the First Crusade in Germany, Godfrey's influence upon the course of the crusade, his role in its leadership, and his activities during the initial phases of Latin settlement in the Holy Land in its aftermath.

    Godfrey of Bouillon

  • The Counts of Tripoli and Lebanon in the Twelfth Century

    What little has been written previously on the Lebanese "crusader" county of Tripoli has focused upon the Southern French ancestry of the counts of Tripoli, descendants of the counts of Saint-Gilles. Kevin Lewis argues for a deeper understanding of the processes that shaped the county throughout the twelfth century. What emerges is an intriguing analysis of how the counts struggled to exert their power over Lebanon in the face of insurmountable geographical forces and a great diversity of religions, languages and cultures. This book challenges prevailing knowledge of this little-known crusader state and the medieval Middle East as a whole.

    The Counts of Tripoli and Lebanon in the Twelfth Century

  • Baldwin I of Jerusalem, 1100-1118

    • 220 pages
    • 8 hours of reading
    4.0(2)Add rating

    Baldwin of Boulogne was born the youngest of three sons and marked out for a clerical career, yet in turn he became a First Crusader, first Latin count of Edessa and the founder of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, remarkably, he has never been the subject of a full-length biography. This study examines in detail the stages of Baldwin's career, returning to the contemporary evidence to discover the qualities that enabled him not only to succeed his brother as ruler in 1100 but to maintain and expand the new kingdom of Jerusalem through the next eighteen years in the face of aggression from Muslim enemies and rivalry from fellow crusaders.

    Baldwin I of Jerusalem, 1100-1118