Guy
de Lusignan has the distinction of being the man who lost the Kingdom of
Jerusalem by leading the Christian army to an unnecessary but utterly
devastating defeat at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. Such noted modern
historians such as Malcolm Barber, Bernard Hamilton and W.B. Bartlett argue
Lusignan’s disastrous decision to abandon the Springs of Sephoria and march to
the relief of the garrison of Tiberius in July 1187 can be explained by the
fact that he was criticized for not taking the offense in the campaign of
1183. Guy, they argue, was in a difficult psychological position and had
every reason to doubt the Count of Tripoli’s loyalty. They generally portray
Guy more as a victim of circumstances rather than the cause of disaster. Guy’s
contemporaries saw it differently.
So who has the right of it? In two essays, Dr. Schrader examines Guy de Lusignan’s
biography, starting with his years as a parvenu adventurer.
Guy
de Lusignan in Ridley Scott's Film "The Kingdom of Heaven"
Guy
de Lusignan usually enters history books with his marriage to Sibylla of
Jerusalem, King Amalric’s first-born child and older sister too King Baldwin
IV. But this may be a mistake.
In
the spring of 1168, the Earl of Salisbury was escorting Queen Eleanor of
England to Poitiers with a small escort when the party was ambushed by “the
Lusignans.” The Lusignans had recently been dispossessed of their lands for
rebelling against Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. They hoped by capturing
Eleanor to gain a bargaining chip for the restoration of their fortunes. The
Earl of Salisbury turned over his own horse, which was stronger and faster, to
Eleanor so she could escape, but while he was remounting he was fatally pierced
from behind by a lance. Salisbury’s nephew William Marshal (later famous as
tutor of the Henry the Young King, Earl of Pembroke and Regent of England) was
in Salisbury’s entourage. According to the 13th century biography of William Marshal,
commissioned by his eldest son and based on the accounts of many of Marshal’s
contemporaries, this ambush was led by Guy de Lusignan and his brother
Geoffrey. Some sources claim that Guy himself wielded the murderous lance.
Allegedly, this act made Guy persona non grata in the courts of the
Plantagenets and induced him to seek his fortune in Outremer. Maybe, but
there was a gap of some 12 years, so maybe not.
Nevertheless,
when considering Guy de Lusignan’s later reputation, it is important to
remember that he was accused of a profoundly unchivalrous murder by
contemporaries — before he
ever set foot in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
A
Blow from Behind -- Here with a Sword
Guy
appears to have arrived in Jerusalem in late 1179 or early 1180 at the
invitation of his elder brother Aimery. Older brother Aimery was making a
career in Jerusalem, according to some, by sleeping with the Queen Mother,
Agnes de Courtenay. At the time Guy arrived in the Holy Land, Baldwin IV was
king — and clearly dying of leprosy. Since it was also clear that Baldwin IV
would not sire heirs of his body, his sister Sibylla was his heir apparent. Sibylla
herself was thus a young (20 year old) widow. There were rumors, however, that
she had pledged herself to the Baron of Ramla and Mirabel. The rumors were
widespread enough for Salah-ad-Din to demand a king’s ransom when Ramla
was taken captive on the Litani in 1179 (apparently in anticipation of
Ramla becoming King of Jerusalem) — and for the Byzantine Emperor to pay that
exorbitant ransom (since Ramla could not possibly pay it from his own
resources) in anticipation of the same event.
But
suddenly at Easter of 1180, Sibylla married not Ramla (who was on his way back
from Constantinople) but the virtually unknown and landless Guy de
Lusignan. The wedding was concluded in a hasty ceremony lacking
preparation and pomp. According to the most reliable contemporary source, the
Archbishop of Tyre (who was also Chancellor at the time and so an “insider,”)
Baldwin rushed his sister into the marriage with the obscure, landless and
discredited Guy because the Prince of Antioch, the Count of Tripoli and the
Baron of Ramla were planning to depose him and place Ramla on the throne as
Sibylla’s consort.
Allegedly a Depiction of a Royal Wedding in Jerusalem
Perhaps. But there is no other evidence of Tripoli much less Antioch’s disloyalty. Furthermore, Ramla’s
hopes of marrying Sibylla had been known for a long time — and all the way to
Damascus and Constantinople. Why did that marriage suddenly seem threatening to
Baldwin IV?
Another
contemporary source, the now lost chronicle of Ernoul, suggests another reason
for the hasty and unsuitable (for there is no way the third son of a Poitevin
baron could be considered a suitable match for the heiress of Jerusalem)
marriage: that Guy had seduced Sibylla. Aside from the fact that this had happened
more than once in history, the greatest evidence for a love match is Sibylla’s
steadfast — almost hysterical — attachment to Guy, as we shall see.
Meanwhile, however, the marriage alienated not only the jilted Baron of Ramla,
but the Count of Tripoli as well. In short, it was not a very wise political
move and thus hard to explain as a political decision. Last but not
least, even the Archbishop of Tyre admits the King soon regretted the decision.
All these factors point to Ernoul’s explanation of a seduction, a scandal and
an attempt to “put things right” by a King who was devoted to his sister.
Guy
was named Count of Jaffa and Ascalon and appears to have been accepted by the
Barons of Jerusalem as a fait accompli that could no longer be changed — until,
in September 1183, King Baldwin became so ill that he named his brother-in-law Guy
regent of the kingdom. As such, Guy took command of the Christian forces during
Salah-ad-Din’s fourth invasion of the Kingdom. What happened next is obscure.
Although Saladin managed to burn some monasteries and there were some bitterly
fought skirmishes, ultimately the Saracens were forced to withdraw; an apparent
Christian victory (and certainly better than what happened four years later,
the next time Guy was in command!)
Yet
something more must have happened on this
campaign because just two months later, when word reached Jerusalem that the
vital castle of Kerak was besieged by Saladin, the barons of Jerusalem
“unanimously” refused to follow Guy. They flat out refused to come to the relief
of an important border fortress in which both royal princesses (Sibylla and
Isabella), the Queen Mother and the Dowager Queen were all trapped (because of
a wedding) until Guy was stripped of the regency.
That is an incredibly strong statement. The fact that the historical
record is too patchy to enable us to explain it does not negate the importance
of the event. The collective barons of Outremer were not dolts, cowards or
fools. They had accepted Guy’s command two months earlier. Even Tripoli
and Ramla, who both detested him, had mustered under Guy’s command to face
Salah-ad-Din in September, putting the welfare of the kingdom ahead of their
personal feelings. But two months later even men who had previously shown no
particular animosity toward Lusignan refused to accept his leadership. King
Baldwin had no choice but to take back the reins of government, command of his
army and have his nephew crowned as co-king. The latter was to reassure the
barons that even if he died in the near term (as he expected), they would not
have to pay homage to Guy.
After Kerak
had been successfully relieved, Baldwin IV sought desperately to have his
sister’s marriage to Guy annulled. This had nothing to do with personal
grievances against Guy (although he had those too); it was necessary in order
to find a long-term solution to the succession crisis. His nephew was a sickly
boy, and the kingdom needed a vigorous and militarily competent leader.
Baldwin’s efforts to replace the discredited Guy were thwarted by Sibylla, who
refused to consider a divorce — something she is hardly likely to have done, if
the marriage had been political in the first place. Sibylla's was successful:
Baldwin IV died before his sister’s marriage to Guy was annulled, paving the
way for the next step in Guy’s career: a usurpation of the throne.
Guy’s story
will be continued next week on Sept. 15.
Dr Helena P. Schrader holds a PhD in History.
She is the Chief Editor of the Real Crusades History Blog.
She is the author of numerous books both fiction and non-fiction, including a three-part biography of Balian d'Ibelin.
Guy is a major character in both "Defender of Jerusalem" and "Envoy of Jerusalem."
