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John of Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem
John of Ibelin, count of Jaffa and Ascalon (d. 1266), was one of the foremost politicians in the kingdom of Jerusalem in the mid-thirteenth century; his family was prominent in the Latin East, and linked by ties of marriage to the royal dynasties of both Jerusalem and Cyprus. John's career and his ancestors' rise to prominence are the subject of the first half of this book. The second concentrates on John's most lasting achievement, his treatise on the pleading, procedures and customs of the High Court of the kingdom of Jerusalem, which includes descriptions of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the juridical structure and the military capacity of the kingdom; this material provides invaluable insights into the kingdom's institutions, government and resources; it is here re-edited from the best surviving manuscripts and discussed in detail. Dr PETER W. EDBURY is Reader in Medieval History at the University of Wales, Cardiff.
- GenresHistory
240 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 1997
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About the author
Peter W. Edbury
25 books6 followersA specialist on the history of the Crusades and the crusader regimes in Syria, Cyprus and the Holy Land, author of John of Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Boydell, 1997) and The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374 (C.U.P., 1991) and joint author of William of Tyre: Historian of the Latin East (C.U.P., 1988).
His edition of Le Livre des Assises by John of Ibelin, count of Jaffa and Ascalon, was published by Brill in September 2003, and his edition of Philip of Novara’s Livre de Forme de Plait is expected at the end of 2009. He is curently engaged on an ARHC-funded project to re-edit the Old French Continuations William of Tyre.
His edition of Le Livre des Assises by John of Ibelin, count of Jaffa and Ascalon, was published by Brill in September 2003, and his edition of Philip of Novara’s Livre de Forme de Plait is expected at the end of 2009. He is curently engaged on an ARHC-funded project to re-edit the Old French Continuations William of Tyre.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 22, 2017
The John of Ibelin in the title of this book was one of the most influential and colorful barons of the 13th century crusader kingdoms of Jerusalem and Cyprus. He was the grandson of Balian of Ibelin, the man who defended Jerusalem against Saladin in 1187 and later negotiated the truce that ended the Third Crusade for Richard the Lionheart. (Balian is familiar to most people because of the historically inaccurate Hollywood film "The Kingdom of Heaven" starring Orlando Bloom.) His father, Philip of Ibelin, had been the Regent of Cyprus, and John is believed to have grown up on the island. He supported his uncle, another John of Ibelin and Lord of Beirut, in the baronial conflict with Friedrich II Hohenstaufen, 1228 - 1243. He participated in the 7th Crusade under King (Saint) Louis IX, playing a prominent role and winning praise from Jean de Joinville. He was also the first Ibelin to raise to count, having obtained the title of Count of Jaffa -- previously a royal domain -- in or around 1246. For all that, John of Ibelin (or John of Jaffa, as he is more commonly called to distinguish him from the many other Johns of Ibelin) is most famous and most revered not for his deeds at arms or in government, but as a scholar. John of Jaffa was the author of a legal treatise on the laws and feudal customs of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which has been described by scholars as "one of the most remarkable lay writings of the thirteenth century." (Jonathan Riley Smith, The Feudal Nobility of the Kingdom of Jerusalem 1174-1277.)
Edbury, one of the leading contemporary scholars of the crusader states, divides his book into two parts. In the first, he traces John of Jaffa's political career, starting with the (still somewhat mysterious) rise of the Ibelin family, and then looking at John’s own biography in some detail. In the second part of the book, Edbury examines the appendices of John's famous treatise. Far from being an arcane study of legal trivia, these appendices provide detailed insight into the feudal structure, military obligations and clerical establishment of the 12th century Kingdom of Jerusalem. For any interested in the history of the crusader states this is a gold-mine, a resource one will want to own and have at one's fingertips.
Edbury writes in an accessible, fluid style that makes it easy to read his works and this is no exception. The book is also sufficiently concise to make the first part of the book an excellent introduction to the history of the Holy Land during the period of John of Jaffa's lifetime, roughly 1215 - 1266. Edbury provides maps and invaluable genealogy tables of the House of Ibelin as well as an extensive bibliography.
Edbury, one of the leading contemporary scholars of the crusader states, divides his book into two parts. In the first, he traces John of Jaffa's political career, starting with the (still somewhat mysterious) rise of the Ibelin family, and then looking at John’s own biography in some detail. In the second part of the book, Edbury examines the appendices of John's famous treatise. Far from being an arcane study of legal trivia, these appendices provide detailed insight into the feudal structure, military obligations and clerical establishment of the 12th century Kingdom of Jerusalem. For any interested in the history of the crusader states this is a gold-mine, a resource one will want to own and have at one's fingertips.
Edbury writes in an accessible, fluid style that makes it easy to read his works and this is no exception. The book is also sufficiently concise to make the first part of the book an excellent introduction to the history of the Holy Land during the period of John of Jaffa's lifetime, roughly 1215 - 1266. Edbury provides maps and invaluable genealogy tables of the House of Ibelin as well as an extensive bibliography.
September 12, 2015
As I continue to study the fascinating 200-year history of the Crusader States, Peter Edbury comes to my aid with this work on the 13th-century nobleman and jurist known to history as John of Jaffa, a member of the famous Ibelin dynasty.
Part 1 of this book outlines the career of the Ibelin clan from its beginning with Barisan (aka Balian the Elder) in the mid-12th century all the way up to the death of John of Jaffa in the later 13th. It pays particular attention to Balian (aka the Younger) of Ibelin, who's most famous for negotiating the surrender of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187; to Balian's son John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut, who's best known for the War of the Lombards, defending Outremer against the power-play of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II; and finally to Balian's grandson and John of Ibelin's nephew John of Jaffa, as the author of a treatise on the political-legal structure of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
This segment was particularly helpful for its outline of the War of the Lombards and the adept political maneuverings of John of Ibelin (of Beirut), whom I'd hoped from the title that the book was about. Edbury sifts conscientiously through the account of Ibelin-historian/propagandist Philip of Novara, fact-checking and providing helpful guidance on bits of the history that Philip may have omitted from his pro-Ibelin work.
Part 2 is a commentary on a few pages from John of Jaffa's magisterial treatise on the traditional laws and customs of the Latin Kingdom (which wound up remaining influential throughout the lifetime of the Latin Kingdom of Cyprus). This, together with quotations and translations, provides a thoroughly valuable snapshot of some of the military, legal, and ecclesiastical structure of the kingdom. It is not intended to be comprehensive, mostly just highlighting some quirks and idiosyncracies of the kingdom, but for an author keen on knowing Who Was Who in 1187 it was a goldmine.
Alas, like most of the books I've read on the history of the Crusader States, this one definitely falls on the "dry scholarly treatise" side of things. If you're a total Crusader nerd who wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about poulani and Turcopoles, this book will be right up your alley. :P As such, I should say how tremendously grateful I am to the scholars like Peter Edbury who have done such terrific work in books like this. Thank you!
Part 1 of this book outlines the career of the Ibelin clan from its beginning with Barisan (aka Balian the Elder) in the mid-12th century all the way up to the death of John of Jaffa in the later 13th. It pays particular attention to Balian (aka the Younger) of Ibelin, who's most famous for negotiating the surrender of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187; to Balian's son John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut, who's best known for the War of the Lombards, defending Outremer against the power-play of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II; and finally to Balian's grandson and John of Ibelin's nephew John of Jaffa, as the author of a treatise on the political-legal structure of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
This segment was particularly helpful for its outline of the War of the Lombards and the adept political maneuverings of John of Ibelin (of Beirut), whom I'd hoped from the title that the book was about. Edbury sifts conscientiously through the account of Ibelin-historian/propagandist Philip of Novara, fact-checking and providing helpful guidance on bits of the history that Philip may have omitted from his pro-Ibelin work.
Part 2 is a commentary on a few pages from John of Jaffa's magisterial treatise on the traditional laws and customs of the Latin Kingdom (which wound up remaining influential throughout the lifetime of the Latin Kingdom of Cyprus). This, together with quotations and translations, provides a thoroughly valuable snapshot of some of the military, legal, and ecclesiastical structure of the kingdom. It is not intended to be comprehensive, mostly just highlighting some quirks and idiosyncracies of the kingdom, but for an author keen on knowing Who Was Who in 1187 it was a goldmine.
Alas, like most of the books I've read on the history of the Crusader States, this one definitely falls on the "dry scholarly treatise" side of things. If you're a total Crusader nerd who wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about poulani and Turcopoles, this book will be right up your alley. :P As such, I should say how tremendously grateful I am to the scholars like Peter Edbury who have done such terrific work in books like this. Thank you!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews