Eustace Grenier
Encyclopedia
Eustace Grenier (died June 15, 1123) was an important crusader lord, and Constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
He was from Beaurain-Château, in Thérouanne
in northern France
(at the time in the County of Flanders
); he has accompanied Hugues II of St. Pol on the First Crusade
, in the retinue of Godfrey of Bouillon
.
While probably only a minor presence during the crusade itself, he participated in the Battle of Ramlah
in 1105, and in 1109 he assisted in the siege of Tripoli
. There he was one of the envoys sent by Baldwin I of Jerusalem
to negotiate between William-Jordan
and Bertrand of Toulouse
, both sons of Raymond IV of Toulouse
who disputed the claim to Tripoli. On December 19, 1111 he was granted the city of Sidon
, after it was captured by Baldwin I with the help of Sigurd I of Norway
. He was already lord of Caesarea
, which had been captured in 1101 and given to him at an unknown date. Soon after this he married Emelota or Emma, the niece of Patriarch
Arnulf of Chocques
, and was also granted Jericho
and its revenue, which was formerly church property. He also took part in the sieges of Shaizar
, which was not captured, and Tyre (Lebanon), which was. At the siege of Tyre he supervised the construction of the siege engine
s. In 1120 he was present at the Council of Nablus
, convened by Baldwin II
, where the laws of the kingdom were first written down. When Baldwin II was captured in 1123 by the Ortoqids, Eustace was elected constable of Jerusalem
and regent of the kingdom. As regent Eustace defeated an Egypt
ian invasion at the Battle of Yibneh
on May 29, 1123. Eustace died soon after on June 15, 1123, and was replaced as Constable
and Regent
by William I of Bures
. He was buried in Jerusalem at the Abbey of St. Maria Latina.
With Emelota he was the father of Eustace II and Walter, who succeeded him in Sidon and Caesarea respectively and were important nobles in their own right. His widow Emelota later married Hugh II of Le Puiset
. According to Fulcher of Chartres
he was "a stout man of honest character," and "a wise and prudent man, with great experience in military matters" according to William of Tyre
.
He was from Beaurain-Château, in Thérouanne
Thérouanne
Thérouanne is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Thérouanne is located 10 miles southwest of Saint-Omer, on the D157 and D341 road junction.-Population:-History:...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(at the time in the County of Flanders
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....
); he has accompanied Hugues II of St. Pol on the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
, in the retinue of Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087...
.
While probably only a minor presence during the crusade itself, he participated in the Battle of Ramlah
Battle of Ramla (1105)
The third Battle of Ramla took place on 27 August 1105 between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Fatimids of Egypt. The town of Ramla lay on the road from Jerusalem to Ascalon, the latter of which was the largest Fatimid fortress in Palestine...
in 1105, and in 1109 he assisted in the siege of Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
. There he was one of the envoys sent by Baldwin I of Jerusalem
Baldwin I of Jerusalem
Baldwin I of Jerusalem, formerly Baldwin I of Edessa, born Baldwin of Boulogne , 1058? – 2 April 1118, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade, who became the first Count of Edessa and then the second ruler and first titled King of Jerusalem...
to negotiate between William-Jordan
William-Jordan
William II Jordan was the Count of Berga beginning in 1094, the Count of Cerdanya beginning in 1095, and Regent of the County of Tripoli beginning in 1105....
and Bertrand of Toulouse
Bertrand of Toulouse
Bertrand of Toulouse was count of Toulouse, and was the first count of Tripoli to rule in Tripoli itself....
, both sons of Raymond IV of Toulouse
Raymond IV of Toulouse
Raymond IV of Toulouse , sometimes called Raymond of St Gilles, was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne, and Margrave of Provence and one of the leaders of the First Crusade. He was a son of Pons of Toulouse and Almodis de La Marche...
who disputed the claim to Tripoli. On December 19, 1111 he was granted the city of Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
, after it was captured by Baldwin I with the help of Sigurd I of Norway
Sigurd I of Norway
Sigurd I Magnusson , also known as Sigurd the Crusader , was King of Norway from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his brother Eystein I of Norway , has been regarded by historians as a golden age for the medieval Kingdom of Norway...
. He was already lord of Caesarea
Caesarea Palaestina
Caesarea Maritima , Caesarea Palaestina from 133 CE onwards, was a city and harbor built by Herod the Great about 25–13 BC. Today, its ruins lie on the Mediterranean coast of Israel about halfway between the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, on the site of Pyrgos Stratonos . Caesarea Maritima was...
, which had been captured in 1101 and given to him at an unknown date. Soon after this he married Emelota or Emma, the niece of Patriarch
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is the title possessed by the Latin Rite Catholic Archbishop of Jerusalem. The Archdiocese of Jerusalem has jurisdiction for all Latin Rite Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Cyprus...
Arnulf of Chocques
Arnulf of Chocques
Arnulf Malecorne of Chocques was a leader among the clergy during the First Crusade, and was Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1099 and from 1112 to 1118....
, and was also granted Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
and its revenue, which was formerly church property. He also took part in the sieges of Shaizar
Shaizar
Shaizar, Shayzar or Saijar was a medieval town and fortress in Syria, ruled by the Banu Munqidh dynasty, which played an important part in the Christian and Muslim politics of the crusades.- Early history :...
, which was not captured, and Tyre (Lebanon), which was. At the siege of Tyre he supervised the construction of the siege engine
Siege engine
A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some have been operated close to the fortifications, while others have been used to attack from a distance. From antiquity, siege engines were constructed largely of wood and...
s. In 1120 he was present at the Council of Nablus
Council of Nablus
The Council of Nablus was a council of ecclesiastic and secular lords in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, held on January 16, 1120. It established the first written laws for the kingdom.-History:...
, convened by Baldwin II
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II of Jerusalem , formerly Baldwin II of Edessa, also called Baldwin of Bourcq, born Baldwin of Rethel was the second count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and the third king of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death.-Ancestry:Baldwin was the son of Hugh, count of Rethel, and his wife Melisende,...
, where the laws of the kingdom were first written down. When Baldwin II was captured in 1123 by the Ortoqids, Eustace was elected constable of Jerusalem
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...
and regent of the kingdom. As regent Eustace defeated an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian invasion at the Battle of Yibneh
Battle of Yibneh
In the Battle of Yibneh in 1123, a Crusader force led by Eustace Grenier crushed a Fatimid army from Egypt sent by Vizier Al-Ma'mum between Ascalon and Jaffa.-Background:...
on May 29, 1123. Eustace died soon after on June 15, 1123, and was replaced as Constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
and Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
by William I of Bures
William I of Bures
William of Bures was a French crusader from Bures-sur-Yvette, Ile-de-France.He arrived in the Kingdom of Jerusalem before 1115, with his brother Geoffrey. They were vassals of Joscelin I of Edessa....
. He was buried in Jerusalem at the Abbey of St. Maria Latina.
With Emelota he was the father of Eustace II and Walter, who succeeded him in Sidon and Caesarea respectively and were important nobles in their own right. His widow Emelota later married Hugh II of Le Puiset
Hugh II of Le Puiset
Hugh II of Le Puiset was a crusader knight and Count of Jaffa, who revolted against King Fulk in 1134.-Arrival in the kingdom:...
. According to Fulcher of Chartres
Fulcher of Chartres
Fulcher of Chartres was a chronicler of the First Crusade. He wrote in Latin.- Life :His appointment as chaplain of Baldwin of Boulogne in 1097 suggests that he had been trained as a priest, most likely at the school in Chartres...
he was "a stout man of honest character," and "a wise and prudent man, with great experience in military matters" according to William of Tyre
William of Tyre
William of Tyre was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from a predecessor, William of Malines...
.
Sources
- Fulcher of ChartresFulcher of ChartresFulcher of Chartres was a chronicler of the First Crusade. He wrote in Latin.- Life :His appointment as chaplain of Baldwin of Boulogne in 1097 suggests that he had been trained as a priest, most likely at the school in Chartres...
, A History of the Expedition to Jerusalem, 1095-1127, trans. Frances Rita Ryan. University of Tennessee Press, 1969 - William of TyreWilliam of TyreWilliam of Tyre was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from a predecessor, William of Malines...
, A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea, trans. E.A. Babcock and A.C. Krey. Columbia University PressColumbia University PressColumbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, history, social work, sociology,...
, 1943 - Steven RuncimanSteven RuncimanThe Hon. Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman CH — known as Steven Runciman — was a British historian known for his work on the Middle Ages...
, A History of the Crusades, vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem. Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1952 - Alan V. Murray, The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Dynastic History 1099-1125. Prosopographia et Genealogica, 2000.