Kings of Jerusalem
This is a list of
Kings of Jerusalem, from
1099 to
1291, as well as claimants to the title up to the present day.
The
Kingdom of Jerusalem had its origins in the
First Crusade, when
Godfrey of Bouillon took the title
Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, "Protector of the Holy Sepulcher", in
1099 and was crowned in the
Church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem. The following year, his brother
Baldwin I of Jerusalem was the first to use the title "king" and the first to be crowned in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in
Jerusalem itself. The actual title of the early Kings of Jerusalem was "Rex Latinitas Ierosolimitanus", or other variations meaning "King of the Latins of Jerusalem" - they did not pretend to rule over the native Christian or Muslim populations.
The kingship of Jerusalem was partially elected and partially hereditary. During the height of the kingdom in the mid-12th century there was a royal family and a relatively clear line of succession. Nevertheless the king was elected, or at least recognized, by the
Haute Cour. In the
Haute Cour the king was considered
primus inter pares, and in his absence his duties were performed by his
seneschal.
The royal palace was located in the Citadel in the
Tower of David. The Kingdom of Jerusalem introduced French
feudal structures to the
Levant: the king personally held several fiefs incorporated into the royal
domain (these varied from king to king). He was also responsible for leading the kingdom into battle, although this duty could be passed to the constable. While several contemporary European states were moving towards centralized monarchies, the king of Jerusalem was continually losing power to the strongest of his barons. This was partially due to the young age of many of the kings, and the frequency of regents from the ranks of the nobles.
After the fall of Jerusalem in
1187, the capital of the Kingdom was moved to
Acre, where it remained until
1291, although coronations took place in
Tyre. In this period the kingship was often simply a nominal position, held by a European ruler who never lived in Acre. When young
Conradin was king and living in Southern Germany, his father's second cousin
Hugh of Brienne claimed the regency of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem (and, indirectly, his place in the succession) in
1264 as senior heir of
Alice of Jerusalem, second daughter of Queen Isabella I, being the son of their eldest daughter, but was passed over by the Haute Cour in favor of his cousin
Hugh of Antioch, the future Hugh III of Cyprus and I of Jerusalem. After
1268, the kingship was held by the
Lusignan family, simultaneously
kings of Cyprus. However,
Charles I of Sicily had purchased the rights of one of the heirs of the kingdom in
1277. In that year, he sent
Roger of Sanseverino to the East as his
bailiff. Roger captured Acre and obtained a forced homage from the barons. Roger was recalled in
1282 due to the
Sicilian Vespers and left Odo Poilechien in his stead; his resources and authority was minimal, and he was ejected by
Henry II of Cyprus when he arrived from Cyprus for his coronation as King of Jerusalem. Acre was captured by the
Mamluks in 1291, eliminating the crusader presence in the east.
| King/Queen | Reigned! Regent | | Godfrey of Bouillon (Protector of the Holy Sepulchre) | 1099–1100 |
| Baldwin I | 1100–1118 |
| Baldwin II | 1118–1131 | Eustace Grenier (Regent, 1123)
William Bures (Regent, 1123-1124) |
| Melisende and Fulk | 1131–1153 Fulk lost influence after 1136, and died in 1143. Melisende continued to reign by right of law |
| Baldwin III | 1143–1162, was crowned as co-ruler and heir of Melisende 1143; claimed full power in 1153 | Melisende (Regent and advisor, 1154–1161) |
| Amalric I | 1162–1174 |
| Baldwin IV | 1174–1185 | Raymond III of Tripoli (Regent, 1174–1177)
Guy of Lusignan (Regent, 1183–1184) |
| Baldwin V | 1185–1186 | Raymond III of Tripoli (Regent, 1185–1186) |
| Sibylla and Guy of Lusignan | 1186–1187 |
| Jerusalem lost in 1187; Sybilla died in 1190, but Guy refused to cede crown; kingship disputed until 1192, after which kings ruled over a narrow coastal strip |
| Isabella I | 1192–1205 |
| With Conrad of Montferrat, Conrad I | 1192 |
| With Henry of Champagne, Henry I | 1192–1197 |
| With Amalric II | 1198–1205 |
| Maria of Montferrat | 1205–1212 | John of Ibelin (Regent, 1205–1210) |
| John of Brienne | 1210–1212 |
| Yolande (Isabella II) | 1212–1228 | John of Brienne (Regent 1212–1225) |
| With Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor | 1225–1228 |
| Conrad of Hohenstaufen, Conrad II | 1228–1254 | Frederick II (Regent, 1228–1243)
Queen Alice of Cyprus (Regent, 1243–1246)
King Henry I of Cyprus (Regent, 1246–1253)
Queen Plaisance of Cyprus (Regent, 1253–1254) |
| Conrad III of Jerusalem | 1254–1268 | Queen Plaisance of Cyprus (Regent, 1254–1261
Isabella of Lusignan (Regent, 1261–1264)
Hugh of Antioch (Regent, 1264–1268 (challenged by the claim of Hugh of Brienne)) |
| Hugh I (the former Hugh of Antioch) | 1268–1284 (firstly challenged by claims of Hugh of Brienne and Mary of Antioch, then opposed by Charles of Anjou) |
| Charles of Anjou | 1277–1285 (Opposed by Hugh I and John II) |
| John II | 1284–1285 (Opposed by Charles of Anjou) |
| Henry II | 1285–1291 |
| Acre captured in 1291; kingdom ends. |
Count
Hugh of Brienne claimed the regency of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem (and, indirectly, his place in the succession) in
1264 as senior heir of
Alice of Jerusalem, second daughter of Queen Isabella I, and
Hugh I of Cyprus, being the son of their eldest daughter, but was passed over by the
Haute Cour in favor of his cousin
Hugh of Antioch, the future Hugh III of Cyprus and I of Jerusalem. The
Brienne line continues, but has afterwards taken next to no part in affairs in Outremer.
After the end of the kingdom, Henry II of Cyprus continued to use the title "King of Jerusalem." After his death the title was claimed by his direct heirs, the
Kings of Cyprus.
The title was also continuously used by the Angevin
Kings of Naples, whose founder, Charles of Anjou, had bought a claim to the throne from
Mary of Antioch. Thereafter, this claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem was treated as a tributary of the crown of Naples, which often changed hands by testament or conquest rather than direct inheritance. As Naples was a papal fief, the Popes often endorsed the title of King of Jerusalem as well as of Naples, and the history of these claims is that of the Neapolitan Kingdom.
In
1806, Emperor
Napoleon I of France conceded the title to his brother and the new King of
Naples Joseph Bonaparte, who died in
1844.
Over the years, many European rulers claimed to be the rightful heirs to one of these claims. None of these, however, have actually ruled over a part of the Kingdom.
Italics indicate individuals who did not themselves use the title of "King of Jerusalem".
Cypriot claimants
*
Henry II (
1285)
1291–
1324 *
Hugh 1324–
1359 *
Peter I 1359–
1369 *
Peter II 1369–
1382 *
James I 1382–
1398 *
Janus 1398–
1432 *
Jean 1432–
1458 *
Charlotte I 1458–
1485 (d.
1487) m.
1459 her cousin
Louis of Savoy (d.
1482) In
1460, Charlotte was dispossessed of Cyprus by her illegitimate half-brother James. However, she maintained her claims until
1485, when she resigned them to the next legitimate heir,
Charles I of Savoy.
*# Cypriot illegitimate claimants
*#*
James II 1460–
1473 (illegitimate, usurped Cyprus from his half-sister Charlotte)
*#*
James III 1473–
1474*#*
Catherine 1474–
1489 (wife and widow of James II)
*#* Catherine surrendered her rights to the
Republic of Venice in
1489.
*# Savoyard claimants
*#*
Charles I 1482–
1490*#*
Charles II 1490–
1496 On the death of Charles, the Duchy of Savoy passed to his heir-male Philip, and the Dukes of Savoy continued to claim Jerusalem. However, there was never historically a bar on female succession to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
*#*# Savoyard heirs-general
*#*#* Charles' heirs-general do not appear to have used the title King of Jerusalem or ever asserted a claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The current heir-general is either Charles-Antoine Lamoral, Prince de Ligne de la Trémoïlle or Elisabeth, Princess of Urach.
*#*# Savoyard heirs-male
*#*#*
Philip 1496–
1497*#*#*
Philibert 1497–
1504*#*#*
Charles III 1504–
1553*#*#*
Emmanuel Philibert 1553–
1580*#*#*
Charles Emmanuel I 1580–
1630*#*#*
Victor Amadeus I 1630–
1637 (assumed the title of "
King of Cyprus" only in
1632)
*#*#*
Charles Emmanuel II 1637–
1675*#*#*
Victor Amadeus II of Savoy 1675–
1730 (assumed the title
1713, in conjunction with his brief reign as
King of Sicily)
*#*#*
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia 1730–
1773*#*#*
Victor Amadeus III 1773–
1796 *#*#*
Charles Emmanuel IV 1796–
1819*#*#*
Victor Emmanuel I 1819–
1821*#*#*
Charles Felix 1821–
1831*#*#*
Charles Albert 1831–
1849*#*#*
Victor Emmanuel II 1849–
1878*#*#*
Humbert I 1878–
1900*#*#*
Victor Emmanuel III 1900–
1946*#*#*
Humbert II 1946–
1983*#*#*
Victor Emmanuel IV 1983–present
Neapolitan claimants
Mary of Antioch claimed the throne of Jerusalem from
1269 to
1277. She was the daughter of Prince
Bohemond IV of Antioch and his second wife
Melisende of Cyprus. Melisende was the youngest daughter of
Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem and her fourth husband King-Consort
Amalric II of Jerusalem. Since Mary was, at the time of the death of
Conradin, the only living grandchild of Queen Isabella, she claimed the throne on basis of
proximity in blood to the Kings of Jerusalem. Denied by the
Haute Cour, she went to Rome and sold her rights, with papal blessing and confirmation, to
Charles of Anjou in
1277. Thereafter, this claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem was treated also as tributary to the crown of Naples, which often changed hands by testament or conquest rather than direct inheritance.
*
Charles I 1277–
1285; acquired title with approval of the Pope in
1277 *
Charles II 1285–
1309 **
Charles Robert, king of Hungary, son of his eldest, predeceased son
**
Louis I of Hungary, king of Hungary and also of Poland, made a claim to Jerusalem and Sicily
**
Mary I of Hungary, childless, her kingdoms were kept by her husband, the future
Emperor Sigismund**
Jadwiga of Poland (d.
1399), sister, childless, left her rights to her husband king Ladislas
Jagello of Lithuania and Poland; after her death, the heir-general was her distant cousin and her family's enemy's widow
**
Margaret of Durazzo (d.
1412), Dowager Queen of Hungary, Sicily and Jerusalem
**
Ladislas of Naples**
Joanna of Durazzo, after whose death, the heir-general of the line of Charles I of Sicily was:
**
Charles VII of France**
Louis XI of France**
Charles VIII of France, conquered Naples
1495 and assumed the title
**
Anne of France, Duchess of Bourbon
**
Anne of Laval, ancestress of La Tremoille, her issue also heirs of rights of Frederick IV of Naples
*
Robert 1309–
1343, third but eldest surviving son, who succeeded in Naples superseding the rights of his eldest brother's heirs
*
Joan I 1343–
1382. Joan left her kingdom by testament to
Louis I of Anjou, whom she had previously adopted as heir, but she was ousted and soon murdered by
Charles of Durazzo, the heir male of her house.
*# Senior Angevin claimants
*#*
Charles III (the Durazzo prince)
1382–
1386*#*
Ladislas 1386–
1414*#*
Joan II 1414–
1435 Joan left her kingdom by testament to
René of Anjou, of the junior line. She had previously adopted (and subsequently repudiated the adoption) her kinsman
Alfonso V of Aragon and Sicily, who launched a conquest to have Naples. However, her heir general in Jerusalem, Sicily, Hungary etc was her distant cousin
Charles VII of France, see above
*# Junior Angevin claimants
*#*
Louis I 1382–
1384*#*
Louis II 1384–
1417*#*
Louis III 1417–
1434*
René I 1434–
1480 united the claims of junior and senior lines. However, in
1441, control of the Kingdom of Naples was lost to
Alfonso V of Aragon, who also claimed the Kingdom of Jerusalem thereby. In addition, while René was succeeded in Bar by his grandson
René of Vaudemont, René's nephew and heir male
Charles IV of Anjou claimed the kingdoms of Sicily and Jerusalem, and he then testamented them to his cousin
Louis XI of France. In 1494
Charles VIII of France also claimed the Kingdom of Naples and Jerusalem as the great-grandson of Louis II of Anjou and launched his conquest.
*# Angevin-Lorraine claimants
*#*
Yolande 1480–
1483, Titular Queen of Jerusalem, Sicily, Aragon etc
*#*
René II 1480–
1508, Titular King of Jerusalem, Sicily and Aragon etc. (did not adopt the title until
1493)
*#*
Anthony 1508–
1544*#*
Francis I 1544–
1545*#*
Charles III 1545–
1608*#*
Henry 1608–
1624*#*
Nicoletta 1624–
1657, and her husband
Charles*#*
Ferdinand I Philip 1657–
1659*#*
Charles Leopold 1659–
1690*#*
Leopold I Joseph 1679–
1729, resumed the title in
1700*#*
Francis II Stephen 1729–
1765*#*
Joseph 1765–
1790*#*
Leopold II 1790–
1792*#*
Francis III 1792–
1835*#*
Ferdinand 1835–
1875*#*
Francis Joseph 1875–
1916*#*
Charles 1916–
1922*#*
Otto 1922–present
*# French claimants
*#*
Charles IV 1480–
1481, heir male of René, Titular King of Jerusalem and Sicily
*#*
Louis 1481–
1483, first cousin, by testament
*#*
Charles V 1483–
1498 — In
1495,
Charles VIII of France had conquered Naples and was crowned as king. He died 1498, leaving his sister Anne of Beaujeu as his heir-general, and his second cousin
Louis XII of France as his heir male. After
Anne of France, the heir-general was Anne of Laval, great-granddaughter of Louis XI's eldest surviving sister. See above (Cyprus claim)
*#*
Louis V 1498–
1515 took up the claim, although he was heir-male of Charles and lacked close descent from the main Neapolitan lines (he was a descendant of the eldest daughter of Charles II of Naples). He succeeded in conquering part of Naples
1500–
1504. No other French king has adopted the title [
1].
*# Aragonese claimants
*#*
Alfonso I 1442–
1458 by conquest of Naples
*#*
Ferdinand I 1458–
1494, natural son, by testament
*#*
Alfonso II 1494–
1495*#*
Ferdinand II 1495–
1496, who lost briefly to
Charles VIII of France. His heiress general was his sister
Isabella of Naples*#*
Frederick 1496–
1501, uncle, during whose reign the Neapolitan lands were invaded by the alliance of
Louis XII of France, who claimed the succession, and
Ferdinand II of Aragon, who succeeded in driving out both Frederick and Louis by
1504. Frederick's heirs exercised the claim afterwards as puppets of France for several decades, when it was convenient for the French policies; his current heir is the Prince de Ligne de la Trémoïlle aforementioned.
*#*
Ferdinand 1504–
1516 (by conquest, and Papal enfeoffment) - the heir of original Aragonese claims of Constance Manfredi of Sicily and
Peter III of Aragon*#*
Charles 1516–
1554*#*
Philip I 1554–
1598*#*
Philip II 1598–
1621*#*
Philip III 1621–
1665*#*
Charles 1665–
1700*#*
Philip IV 1700–
1734 (by testament), during whose reign the Kingdom of Naples was lost in
1707 to
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor and 1713 the island of
Sicily (later that of Sardinia) to
Victor Amadeus II of Savoy who also was given the title King of Jerusalem (see above the Savoyard succession).
*#*# Habsburg claimants
*#*#*
Joseph 1707–
1711*#*#*
Charles VI 1711–
1740, who lost the Kingdom of Naples in
1734 to a Bourbon prince, the future
Charles III of Spain, and renounced his claims, retaining his titles to Naples and Jerusalem during his lifetime.
*#*
Charles of Bourbon 1734–
1788 Charles was obliged by treaty to prevent the union of the crowns of Spain and the Two Sicilies, and so resigned the Two Sicilies to his son
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. However, the Kings of Spain continued to use the titles of the Two Sicilies and Jerusalem.
*#*# Two Sicilies claimants (Ferdinand's father and older brother took the Jerusalem title)
*#*#*
Ferdinand 1759–
1825*#*#*
Francis I 1825–
1830*#*#*
Ferdinand 1830–
1859*#*#*
Francis II 1859–
1894*#*#* Alfonso (Count of Caserta)
1894–
1934*#*#* Ferdinand
1934–
1960*#*#* Alfonso (Duke of Calabria)
1960–
1964*#*#* Charles
1964–present
*#*# Spanish claimants
*#*#*
Charles 1788–
1819*#*#*
Ferdinand 1819–
1833*#*#*
Isabella 1833–
1904*#*#*
Alfonso 1904–
1941*#*#*
Juan 1941–
1977*#*#*
Juan Carlos 1977–present
Other Claims
*
Hugh of Brienne and his heirs represent the senior heirs-general to the Kingdom, although they never pressed the claim after Hugh's rejection by the
Haute Cour. His current heir-general is the Prince de Ligne de la Trémoïlle aforementioned.
*
Frederick of Meissen,
Landgrave of
Thuringia, briefly used the title after the death of
Conradin in
1268, as grandson of
Frederick II, who had crowned himself King of Jerusalem in his own right. This claim was never recognized in
Outremer or elsewhere.
*
Kings of Jerusalem family tree
