Maria of Montferrat
Encyclopedia
Maria of Montferrat (1192–1212) was Queen of Jerusalem, the daughter of Conrad of Montferrat
and Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem
. She was known in her youth as The Marquise, because of her father's title.
was about to finish Third Crusade
and return to England, Conrad was assassinated. Her mother remarried in haste on May 5 to Henry II, Count of Champagne, nephew of King Richard and Philip II of France
. At the time of the wedding, Isabella was already visibly pregnant with Maria. Maria, the posthumous child was born during the summer of 1192.
Henry II of Champagne died in 1197, from this marriage Maria had gained three half-sisters. Amalric II of Cyprus married Isabella, he became joint ruler of Jerusalem with Isabella. He died on April 1, 1205.
, from the first marriage of Amalric, became King of Cyprus and married Maria half-sister, Alice of Champagne
. The half-brother of her mother, John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut
, acted as regent on behalf of Maria, wisely and to the satisfaction of the inhabitants of the kingdoms. Failing to conduct operations to reconquer the territories lost in 1187, he maintained the kingdom within its limits, a policy of peace with Al-Adil I
, brother of Saladin
, who had come to his estate by eliminating the other heirs.
In 1209, Maria was seventeen the regency expired, so the government believed it best for Maria to marry so she could secure her post as queen. The assembly of barons and prelates decided to seek advice from Philip II of France, who offered one of his followers, John of Brienne
. However John was not a very rich man. To overcome his lack of fortune and to enable him to fund his sovereign obligations (court and army) King Philip and Pope Innocent III
each paid him the sum of 40 000 livres.
The marriage was celebrated on September 4, 1210, then the couple were crowned King and Queen of Jerusalem on October 3, 1210 in Tyre Cathedral. John continued the peace policy of John of Ibelin. In 1212, Maria of Montferrat gave birth to a daughter, Isabelle (1212–1228) or Yolande, but died shortly afterwards, probably from puerperal fever
. John retained the crown but only as regent on behalf of his daughter who married (in 1225) to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
.
The lineage of Maria died out in 1268, with the death of her great-grand-grandson Conradin
(or Conrad III of Jerusalem), he was executed in southern Italy
on the orders of Charles of Anjou, who took the Kingdom of Sicily
. After him, the descendants of Maria's younger half-sister (Alice of Champagne
) inherit her kingdom.
Conrad of Montferrat
Conrad of Montferrat was a northern Italian nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the de facto King of Jerusalem, by marriage, from 24 November 1190, but officially elected only in 1192, days before his death...
and Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem
Isabella of Jerusalem
Isabella I was Queen regnant of Jerusalem from 1190/1192 until her death. By her four marriages, she was successively Lady of Toron, Marchioness of Montferrat, Countess of Champagne and Queen of Cyprus....
. She was known in her youth as The Marquise, because of her father's title.
Early life
On April 28, 1192, while the rivalry between Guy de Lusignan and Maria's father was about to find a term and Richard I of EnglandRichard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
was about to finish Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
and return to England, Conrad was assassinated. Her mother remarried in haste on May 5 to Henry II, Count of Champagne, nephew of King Richard and Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
. At the time of the wedding, Isabella was already visibly pregnant with Maria. Maria, the posthumous child was born during the summer of 1192.
Henry II of Champagne died in 1197, from this marriage Maria had gained three half-sisters. Amalric II of Cyprus married Isabella, he became joint ruler of Jerusalem with Isabella. He died on April 1, 1205.
Reign
Isabella died shortly thereafter and Marie became queen of Jerusalem, at the age of thirteen, while her stepbrother HughHugh I of Cyprus
Hugh I of Cyprus succeeded to the throne of Cyprus on April 1, 1205 underage upon the death of his elderly father Amalric of Lusignan, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem...
, from the first marriage of Amalric, became King of Cyprus and married Maria half-sister, Alice of Champagne
Alice of Champagne
Alice of Champagne was the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem and her third husband Henry II, Count of Champagne. Alice and her sister Philippa spent part of their life fighting for their father's homeland of Champagne, over another branch of their family...
. The half-brother of her mother, John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut
John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut
John of Ibelin , called the Old Lord of Beirut, was a powerful crusader noble in the 13th century, one of the best known representatives of the influential Ibelin family...
, acted as regent on behalf of Maria, wisely and to the satisfaction of the inhabitants of the kingdoms. Failing to conduct operations to reconquer the territories lost in 1187, he maintained the kingdom within its limits, a policy of peace with Al-Adil I
Al-Adil I
Al-Adil I was an Ayyubid-Egyptian general and ruler of Kurdish descent. From his honorific "Sayf al-Din" he was sometimes known to the Frankish crusaders as "Saphadin".- Life :...
, brother of 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...
, who had come to his estate by eliminating the other heirs.
In 1209, Maria was seventeen the regency expired, so the government believed it best for Maria to marry so she could secure her post as queen. The assembly of barons and prelates decided to seek advice from Philip II of France, who offered one of his followers, 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:...
. However John was not a very rich man. To overcome his lack of fortune and to enable him to fund his sovereign obligations (court and army) King Philip and Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
each paid him the sum of 40 000 livres.
Puerperal fever
Puerperal fever or childbed fever, is a bacterial infection contracted by women during childbirth or miscarriage. It can develop into puerperal sepsis, which is a serious form of septicaemia. If untreated, it is often fatal....
. John retained the crown but only as regent on behalf of his daughter who married (in 1225) to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
.
The lineage of Maria died out in 1268, with the death of her great-grand-grandson Conradin
Conradin
Conrad , called the Younger or the Boy, but usually known by the diminutive Conradin , was the Duke of Swabia , King of Jerusalem , and King of Sicily .-Early childhood:Conradin was born in Wolfstein, Bavaria, to Conrad...
(or Conrad III of Jerusalem), he was executed in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on the orders of Charles of Anjou, who took the Kingdom 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...
. After him, the descendants of Maria's younger half-sister (Alice of Champagne
Alice of Champagne
Alice of Champagne was the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem and her third husband Henry II, Count of Champagne. Alice and her sister Philippa spent part of their life fighting for their father's homeland of Champagne, over another branch of their family...
) inherit her kingdom.