Balian Grenier
Encyclopedia
Balian I Grenier was the Count of Sidon and one of the most important lords
of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
from 1202 to 1241. He succeeded his father Renaud. His mother was Helvis
, a daughter of Balian of Ibelin
. He was a powerful and important representative of the native aristocracy during the three Levantine crusades of the first half of the thirteenth century.
During the Fifth Crusade
, Balian advised the troops of Andrew II of Hungary
against sallying into the deserted regions of his county of Sidon, regions almost under Saracen control. The Hungarians refused to listen, however, and many were massacred during a Turcoman
ambush.
During the Sixth Crusade
, Balian supported the Emperor Frederick II for the throne of Jerusalem. He negotiated with Giordano Filangieri, the marshal
of Sicily
, sent by Frederick in 1228 to represent his authority in Acre
until the emperor could make the trip in person. Balian was the chief native ally of the crusaders at the time when they were not well-received by the locals. He supported the Emperor and his Germanisation, but tried, as with the previous crusade, to prevent a bloodbath. In 1229, Frederick left Balian in charge of Tyre and in 1231 he gave him the co-regency (bailiwick)
of the kingdom with Garnier l'Aleman.
During the crusade of Theobald I of Navarre
in 1239, he participated in the battle near Ascalon
between crusader and Egyptian
forces. Against his good judgement, Amaury VI of Montfort
and Henry II of Bar
charged the Egyptians and were routed.
Balian later received the castle of Shaqil Arnun, which his father had defended by a ruse from Saladin
in 1190, from the sultan As-Salih Ayyub
. He died in 1240 or, according to Philip of Novara
, 1241. His son Julian
succeeded him in Sidon, the greater part of which had been recovered by Balian. He was betrothed to Marguerite of Brienne, who was seduced by Emperor Frederick II (daughter of the Count of Brienne, older brother of John of Brienne
), and ultimately he married Ida de Reynel.
Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Crusader state of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, created in 1099, was divided into a number of smaller seigneuries.-Introduction:According to the 13th century jurist John of Ibelin the four highest barons in the kingdom proper were:* the Count of Jaffa and Ascalon...
of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
from 1202 to 1241. He succeeded his father Renaud. His mother was Helvis
Helvis of Ibelin
Helvis of Ibelin was a daughter of Balian of Ibelin and his wife, Maria Komnene, who was the dowager Queen of Jerusalem. Helvis was a member of the House of Ibelin. She was Lady of Sidon by her first and second marriage....
, a daughter of Balian of Ibelin
Balian of Ibelin
Balian of Ibelin was an important noble in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century.-Early life:Balian was the youngest son of Barisan of Ibelin, and brother of Hugh and Baldwin. His father, a knight in the County of Jaffa, had been rewarded with the lordship of Ibelin after the...
. He was a powerful and important representative of the native aristocracy during the three Levantine crusades of the first half of the thirteenth century.
During the Fifth Crusade
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was an attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt....
, Balian advised the troops of Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II the Jerosolimitan was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was the younger son of King Béla III of Hungary, who invested him with the government of the Principality of Halych...
against sallying into the deserted regions of his county of Sidon, regions almost under Saracen control. The Hungarians refused to listen, however, and many were massacred during a Turcoman
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
ambush.
During the Sixth Crusade
Sixth Crusade
The Sixth Crusade started in 1228 as an attempt to regain Jerusalem. It began seven years after the failure of the Fifth Crusade. It involved very little actual fighting...
, Balian supported the Emperor Frederick II for the throne of Jerusalem. He negotiated with Giordano Filangieri, the marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
, sent by Frederick in 1228 to represent his authority in Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
until the emperor could make the trip in person. Balian was the chief native ally of the crusaders at the time when they were not well-received by the locals. He supported the Emperor and his Germanisation, but tried, as with the previous crusade, to prevent a bloodbath. In 1229, Frederick left Balian in charge of Tyre and in 1231 he gave him the co-regency (bailiwick)
Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
There were six major officers of the kingdom of Jerusalem: the constable, the marshal, the seneschal, the chamberlain , the butler and the chancellor...
of the kingdom with Garnier l'Aleman.
During the crusade of Theobald I of Navarre
Theobald I of Navarre
Theobald I , called the Troubadour, the Chansonnier, and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne from birth and King of Navarre from 1234...
in 1239, he participated in the battle near Ascalon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
between crusader and Egyptian
Sultan of Egypt
Sultan of Egypt was the status held by the rulers of Egypt after the establishment of the Ayyubid Dynasty of Saladin in 1174 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Though the extent of the Egyptian Sultanate ebbed and flowed, it generally included Sham and Hejaz, with the consequence that the...
forces. Against his good judgement, Amaury VI of Montfort
Amaury VI of Montfort
Amaury VI de Montfort was the son of the elder Simon de Montfort and Alice of Montmorency, and the brother of the younger Simon de Montfort.He participated in the Albigensian Crusade under his father's command...
and Henry II of Bar
Henry II of Bar
Henry II of Bar alternately Henri II of Bar was a Count of Bar who reigned from 1214 to 1239. He died in Gaza while on Crusade.-Spouse and children:In 1219 he married Philippa de Dreux , the daughter of Robert II of Dreux....
charged the Egyptians and were routed.
Balian later received the castle of Shaqil Arnun, which his father had defended by a ruse from Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
in 1190, from the sultan As-Salih Ayyub
As-Salih Ayyub
Al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub , also known as al-Malik al-Salih was the Ayyubid ruler of Egypt from 1240 to 1249.-Biography:...
. He died in 1240 or, according to Philip of Novara
Philip of Novara
Philip of Novara was a medieval warrior, musician, diplomat, poet, and lawyer born at Novara, Italy, into a noble house, who spent his entire adult life in the Middle East. He primarily served the Ibelin family, and featured in a number of prominent battles and negotiations involving Jerusalem and...
, 1241. His son Julian
Julian Grenier
Julian Grenier was the Count of Sidon from 1239 to 1260, then becoming merely titular. He was the son and successor of Balian I and Margaret of Brienne...
succeeded him in Sidon, the greater part of which had been recovered by Balian. He was betrothed to Marguerite of Brienne, who was seduced by Emperor Frederick II (daughter of the Count of Brienne, older brother of John of Brienne
John of Brienne
John of Brienne was a French nobleman who became King of Jerusalem by marriage, and ruled the Latin Empire of Constantinople as regent.-Life:...
), and ultimately he married Ida de Reynel.
Sources
- Setton, Kenneth M. (general editor) A History of the Crusades: Volume II — The Later Crusades, 1189 – 1311. Robert Lee Wolff and Harry W. Hazard, editors. University of Wisconsin Press: Milwaukee, 1969.