Ioveta of Bethany
Encyclopedia
Ioveta was the fourth and youngest daughter of King Baldwin II
and Morphia of Melitene
. She was the princess of Jerusalem.
in 1123, Ioveta was one of the hostages given for his release. She was held at Shaizar
until being ransomed to Baldwin in 1125 for eighty thousand dinars. Her ransom was gathered from the spoils taken after Baldwin's victory at the Battle of Azaz
that year.
Her sisters married well. The eldest, Melisende
, married Fulk V of Anjou
and succeeded Baldwin to the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
. Alice
married Bohemund II of Antioch
, and Hodierna
married Raymond II of Tripoli
. Ioveta, on the other hand, entered the Convent of St. Anne in Jerusalem. In 1143 Melisende built a convent dedicated to St. Lazarus
at Bethany
, on land purchased from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
. After the death of the elderly first abbess, Ioveta was elected to the position in 1144. Though not as influential as her sisters, she had some power as abbess; a charter from 1157 survives in which she donated land to the Knights Hospitaller
.
Ioveta was responsible for the education of her grandniece Sibylla
. Sibylla was the daughter of her nephew.
Ioveta and her sisters were very close. When Melisende lay dying in 1161, Ioveta and Hodierna were at her side (Alice had probably died sometime earlier). After this Ioveta disappears from history; the date of her own death is unknown, but she was dead by 1178, when another abbess appears at the Convent of St. Lazarus.
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,...
and Morphia of Melitene
Morphia of Melitene
Morphia of Melitene, or Morfia, or Moraphia was the wife of Baldwin II, king of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem....
. She was the princess of Jerusalem.
Names
Ioveta's name appears in various forms, including Joveta, Jovita, Jowita, Yvette, Iveta, Ivetta, and even Juditta.Biography
Ioveta was the only one of Baldwin's daughters born after he became king in 1118. When Baldwin was taken captive by the Ortoqids near EdessaCounty of Edessa
The County of Edessa was one of the Crusader states in the 12th century, based around Edessa, a city with an ancient history and an early tradition of Christianity....
in 1123, Ioveta was one of the hostages given for his release. She was held at 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 :...
until being ransomed to Baldwin in 1125 for eighty thousand dinars. Her ransom was gathered from the spoils taken after Baldwin's victory at the Battle of Azaz
Battle of Azaz
In the Battle of Azaz forces of the Crusader States commanded by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem defeated Aq-Sunqur il-Bursuqi's army of Seljuk Turks on June 11, 1125 and raised the siege of the town....
that year.
Her sisters married well. The eldest, Melisende
Melisende of Jerusalem
Melisende was Queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1153, and regent for her son between 1153 and 1161 while he was on campaign. She was the eldest daughter of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem, and the Armenian princess Morphia of Melitene. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Melisende of...
, married Fulk V of Anjou
Fulk of Jerusalem
Fulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death...
and succeeded Baldwin to the throne 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....
. Alice
Alice of Antioch
Alice of Jerusalem was a Princess of Jerusalem. She later became Princess of Antioch.- Biography :Alice was the second daughter of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem and Morphia of Melitene. She has three sisters...
married Bohemund II of Antioch
Bohemund II of Antioch
Bohemond II was the Prince of Taranto and Prince of Antioch from 1111. He was the son of the founder of the principalities, Bohemond I, and Constance, daughter of Philip I of France. Taranto was lost to Roger II of Sicily in 1128....
, and Hodierna
Hodierna of Tripoli
Hodierna of Jerusalem was a Countess consort of Tripoli. She was the daughter of Baldwin II of Jerusalem and the Armenian noblewoman Morphia. She was countess of Tripoli through her marriage to Raymond II of Tripoli...
married Raymond II of Tripoli
Raymond II of Tripoli
Raymond II of Tripoli was Count of Tripoli from 1137 to 1152.He was the son of Pons of Tripoli and Cecile of France. In 1137, he married Hodierna of Rethel, daughter of Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem. Later that year, he succeeded his father, after Pons was killed in a battle with the army of...
. Ioveta, on the other hand, entered the Convent of St. Anne in Jerusalem. In 1143 Melisende built a convent dedicated to St. Lazarus
Church of Saint Lazarus, Israel
The Tomb of Lazarus is a traditional spot of pilgrimage located in the West Bank town of al-Eizariya, traditionally identified as the biblical village of Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, some 2.4 kilometers east of Jerusalem...
at Bethany
Bethany (Israel)
Bethany is recorded in the New Testament as the home of the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, as well as that of Simon the Leper...
, on land purchased from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
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...
. After the death of the elderly first abbess, Ioveta was elected to the position in 1144. Though not as influential as her sisters, she had some power as abbess; a charter from 1157 survives in which she donated land to the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
.
Ioveta was responsible for the education of her grandniece Sibylla
Sibylla of Jerusalem
Sibylla of Jerusalem was the Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon from 1176 and Queen of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1190. She was the eldest daughter of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes of Courtenay, sister of Baldwin IV and half-sister of Isabella I of Jerusalem, and mother of Baldwin V of Jerusalem...
. Sibylla was the daughter of her nephew.
Ioveta and her sisters were very close. When Melisende lay dying in 1161, Ioveta and Hodierna were at her side (Alice had probably died sometime earlier). After this Ioveta disappears from history; the date of her own death is unknown, but she was dead by 1178, when another abbess appears at the Convent of St. Lazarus.
Sources
- 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. E. A. Babcock and A. C. Krey, trans. Columbia University Press, 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 Press, 1952.