This is a list of kings of Jerusalem, from 1099 to 1291, as well as claimants to the title up to the present day.
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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 as ruler of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
The following year, his brother Baldwin I was the first to use the title king and the first to be crowned king in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem itself.
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. Here the king was considered a primus inter pares (first among equals), and in his absence his duties were performed by his seneschal.
The royal palace was located in the Citadel of 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, that varied from king to king. He was also responsible for leading the kingdom into battle, although this duty could be passed to a 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 actually lived in Acre. When young Conrad III 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. The claim was made in 1264 as senior descendant and rightful heir of Alice of Champagne, second daughter of Queen Isabella I, Hugh being the son of their eldest daughter. But was passed over by the Haute Cour in favour of his cousin, Hugh of Antioch, the future Hugh III of Cyprus and Hugh I of Jerusalem.
After Conrad III's execution by Charles I of Sicily in 1268, the kingship was held by the Lusignan family, who were simultaneously kings of Cyprus. However, Charles I of Sicily 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 place to rule. 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 on the mainland.
Monarch | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Death |
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Godfrey (Protector of the Holy Sepulchre) 1099–1100 |
c. 1060 Boulogne-sur-Mer, France or Baisy, Brabant son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne and Ida of Lorraine |
never married | 18 July 1100 aged about 40 |
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Baldwin I 1100–1118 |
c. 1058 Lorraine, France son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne and Ida of Lorraine |
Godehilde de Toeni no children Arda of Armenia 1097 no children Adelaide del Vasto 1112 no children |
2 April 1118 Al-Arish, Egypt aged about 60 |
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Baldwin II 1118–1131 |
?? France son of Hugh I, Count of Rethel and Melisende of Montlhéry |
Morphia of Melitene 1101 four daughters |
21 August 1131 Jerusalem |
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Melisende 1131–1153 with Fulk until 1143 with Baldwin III from 1143 |
1105 Jerusalem daughter of King Baldwin II and Morphia of Melitene |
Fulk V, Count of Anjou 2 June 1129 2 sons |
11 September 1161 Jerusalem aged 56 |
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Fulk 1131–1143 with Melisende |
1089/1092 Angers, France son of Fulk IV, Count of Anjou and Bertrade de Montfort |
Ermengarde of Maine 1109 4 children Melisende of Jerusalem 2 June 1129 2 sons |
13 November 1143 Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem aged about 52 |
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Baldwin III 1143–1162 with Melisende until 1153 |
1130 son of King Fulk and Queen Melisende |
Theodora Komnene 1158 no children |
10 February 1162 Beirut, Kingdom of Jerusalem aged 32 |
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Amalric I 1162–1174 |
1136 son of King Fulk and Queen Melisende |
Agnes of Courtenay 1157 3 children Maria Komnene 29 August 1167 2 children |
11 July 1174 Jerusalem aged 38 |
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Baldwin IV the Leprous 1174–1185 with Baldwin V from 1183 |
1161 Jerusalem son of King Amalric and Agnes of Courtenay |
never married | 16 March 1185 Jerusalem aged 24 |
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Baldwin V 1183–1186 with Baldwin IV until 1185 |
1177 son of William of Montferrat and Sibylla of Jerusalem |
never married | August 1186 Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem aged 9 |
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Sibylla 1186–1190 with Guy |
c. 1157 daughter of King Amalric and Agnes of Courtenay |
William of Montferrat, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon 1176 one son Guy of Lusignan April 1180 2 daughters |
25 July (probable), 1190 Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem aged about 40 |
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Guy 1186–1190/1192 with Sibylla until 1190 |
c. 1150 or 1159/1160 son of Hugh VIII of Lusignan and Bourgogne de Rançon |
Sibylla of Jerusalem April 1180 2 daughters |
18 July 1194 Nicosia, Cyprus aged about 45 |
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Isabella I 1190/1192-1205 with Conrad until 1192 with Henry I 1192–1197 with Amalric II from 1198 |
1172 Nablus, Kingdom of Jerusalem daughter of King Amalric I and Maria Komnene |
Humphrey IV of Toron November 1183 no children Conrad of Montferrat 24 November 1190 one daughter Henry II, Count of Champagne 6 May 1192 2 daughters Amalric of Lusignan January 1198 3 children |
5 April 1205 Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem aged 33 |
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Conrad I 1190/1192–1192 with Isabella I |
mid 1140s Montferrat, Holy Roman Empire son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg |
unidentified woman before 1179 no children Theodora Angelina 1186/1187 no children Isabella I of Jerusalem 24 November 1190 one daughter |
28 April 1192 (murdered) Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem aged mid-40s |
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Henry I 1192–1197 with Isabella I |
29 July 1166 Champagne son of Henry I, Count of Champagne and Marie of France |
Isabella I of Jerusalem 6 May 1192 2 daughters |
10 September 1197 Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem aged 31 |
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Amalric II 1198–1205 with Isabella I |
- | 1145 son of Hugh VIII of Lusignan and Bourgogne de Rançon |
Éschive d'Ibelin before 29 October 1174 6 children Isabella I of Jerusalem January 1198 3 children |
1 April 1205 Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem aged 60 |
Maria 1205–1212 with John I from 1210 |
1192 daughter of Conrad of Montferrat and Queen Isabella |
John of Brienne 14 September 1210 one daughter |
1212 aged 20 |
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John I 1210–1212 with Maria |
c. 1170 son of Erard II of Brienne and Agnes de Montfaucon |
Maria of Jerusalem 14 September 1210 one daughter Stephanie of Armenia one son Berengaria of León 1224 4 children |
27 March 1237 aged about 67 |
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Isabella II also called Yolande 1212–1228 |
1212 daughter of John of Brienne and Queen Maria |
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor August 1225 2 children |
25 April 1228 Andria, Holy Roman Empire aged 16 |
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Conrad II 1228–1254 |
25 April 1228 Andria, Holy Roman Empire son of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and Queen Isabella II |
Elisabeth of Bavaria 1 September 1246 one son |
21 May 1254 Lavello, Holy Roman Empire aged 26 |
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Conrad III 1254–1268 |
25 March 1252 Wolfstein Castle, Landshut, Bavaria son of King Conrad II and Elisabeth of Bavaria |
never married | 29 October 1268 Castel dell'Ovo, Naples aged 16 |
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Hugh 1268–1284 |
- | 1235 son of Henry of Antioch and Isabella of Cyprus |
Isabella of Ibelin after 25 January 1255 11 children |
24 March 1284 Nicosia, Cyprus aged 49 |
John II 1284–1285 |
- | 1259/1267 son of King Hugh and Isabella of Ibelin |
never married | 20 May 1285 Nicosia, Cyprus aged 17 or 26 |
Henry II 1285–1324 in title only after 1291 |
- | 1271 son of King Hugh and Isabella of Ibelin |
Constanza of Sicily 16 October 1317 no children |
31 August 1324 Strovolos, Cyprus aged 53 |
The frequent absence or minority of monarchs required regents to be appointed many times throughout the Kingdom's existence.
Regent | Regent for | Relation to the monarch | Became regent | Regency ended |
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Eustace Grenier, Constable of the Kingdom | Baldwin II | - | 1123 King held captive by the Ortoqids |
1123 death |
William I of Bures, Prince of Galilee | - | 1123 King held captive by the Ortoqids |
1124 return of the King from captivity |
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Queen Melisende | Baldwin III | mother | 1154 as the King's advisor |
1161 death |
Raymond III of Tripoli | Baldwin IV | cousin | 1174 minority of the King |
1176 majority of the King |
Guy of Lusignan | brother-in-law | 1182 appointed by the King in his illness |
1184 deposed by the King |
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Raymond III of Tripoli | Baldwin V | first cousin once removed | 1185 minority of the King |
1186 death of the King |
John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut | Maria | half-uncle | 1205 minority of the Queen |
1210 majority of the Queen |
King John I | Isabella II | father | 1212 minority of the Queen |
1225 the Queen's marriage |
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor | Conrad II | father | 1228 minority of the King |
1243 majority of the king |
Alice of Champagne, Queen of Cyprus | half-aunt | 1243 absence of the king |
1246 death |
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Henry I of Cyprus | half-cousin | 1246 absence of the King |
1253 death |
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Plaisance of Antioch, dowager Queen of Cyprus | half-cousin-in-law | 1253 absence/minority of the King |
1261 death |
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Conrad III | half-cousin-in-law once removed | |||
Isabella of Antioch | half-cousin once removed | 1261 minority of the King |
1264 death |
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Hugh of Antioch | half-second cousin | 1264 minority of the King |
1268 death of the King, ascension to the throne |
Over the years, many European rulers claimed to be the rightful heirs to one of these claims. None of these claimants, however, has actually ruled over any part of the Kingdom:
Italics indicate individuals who did not themselves use the title of king of Jerusalem.
House of Savoy: Savoyard legitimate claimants
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House of Lusignan: Lusignan illegitimate claimants and effective kings of Cyprus:
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On the death of Charles II of Savoy, the Duchy of Savoy passed to his grand uncle and heir-male Philip (brother of Amadeus IX of Savoy). Although Charles II's sister Yolande Louise of Savoy did not succeed in Savoy because of her gender, she was the heir general of his brother and as such might be regarded to have succeeded him in claims to Cyprus and Jerusalem.
The Dukes of Savoy continued to claim Jerusalem. However, to avoid conflicts with claims of the major European houses as the Habsburg and Bourbons, the Savoyard claim appears hidden in the list of titles with the elliptical "&c."[1]
Issue of Philip II of Savoy|
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Issue of Amadeus IX of Savoy
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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, Amalric II of Jerusalem, king of Cyprus.
Since Mary was, at the time of the death of Conrad III (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.
House of Anjou-Sicily: Senior Angevin claimants :
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House of Valois-Anjou: Junior Angevin claimants : |
House of Anjou-Hungary: Senior Angevin claimant :
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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. |
Aragonese claimants:
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Angevin-Lorraine claimants : House of Valois-Anjou
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French claimants: House of Valois-Anjou
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Spanish Bourbon claimant :
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Habsburg claimant :
Two Sicilies claimants :
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Senior line :
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Junior line :
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There are several potential claimants today on the basis of (disputed) inheritance of the title. None of these has, or claims, any power in the area of the former Kingdom.