John of Valenciennes facts for kids
John of Valenciennes was an important person who lived from about 1243 to 1267. He was a noble (a baron) and a special messenger (a diplomat) for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This was a Christian kingdom in the Middle East during the Middle Ages.
John first worked for Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire. Later, he joined King Louis IX of France during the Seventh Crusade. He became the lord of Haifa through marriage, ruling from 1257 to 1265.
John also helped the Kingdom of Jerusalem raise money in Europe between 1261 and 1264. He served King Louis IX as a diplomat, visiting Mamluk Egypt (1250–1251), England (1264), the Papacy (1266), and Sicily (1267).
Working for the Emperor
John was born in Europe. He started his career in the Latin Empire, which was a Christian empire in Constantinople. In 1243, he lent money to Emperor Baldwin II. We know this from a letter Baldwin sent to Blanche of Castile.
Even though John was close to Baldwin, he never received a special Greek or imperial title. In 1247, Baldwin gave John part of a tax from Mehaigne to pay off a debt. Later that year, Baldwin borrowed even more money from John, about 3,433 livres.
Serving in the Holy Land
After working for the Emperor, John joined King Louis IX of France as a royal soldier during the Seventh Crusade. This was a big military journey to the Holy Land.
In 1250 and 1251, John went on two important missions to Mamluk Egypt. His main goal was to get Christian prisoners released from the crusade. He also wanted to make sure the Egyptians followed the peace treaty signed in May 1250.
John of Joinville, a writer from that time, described John's first talks. John demanded that the Egyptian leaders apologize for how they treated the king. The leaders agreed if the king would join them against the sultan of Damascus. John strongly told them to release all the knights they held prisoner. This would help make the king happy. They did this and even sent the bones of Count Walter IV, Count of Brienne back for proper burial.
John returned from his first mission in October 1250. He brought back 25 Hospitallers, 15 Templars, 10 Teutonic Knights, and many other prisoners. The leader of the Hospitallers, Guillaume de Chateauneuf, was among those freed.
John went on a second mission after February 1251. He asked the sultan to cancel the remaining 200,000 livres that King Louis still owed. John returned with gifts for King Louis, including an elephant and a zebra. He also brought back 3,000 prisoners in exchange for 300 Egyptian prisoners. Some children who had been captured and raised as Muslims were also returned. The rest of the ransom money was cancelled.
By 1257, John became the lord of Haifa. He likely gained this title by marrying Helvis, who was the widowed heiress of Haifa. Her sister was married to John of Arsuf. Records show that John of Valenciennes and John of Arsuf were close allies. John's work as lord of Haifa continued until the mid-1260s.
Missions in Europe
After Mongol attacks on Palestine in 1260, John and Archbishop Giles of Tyre were sent to Europe. Their job was to tell Pope Alexander IV about the difficult situation in Palestine. They arrived shortly after the Pope died in June 1261.
They then traveled to King Louis IX's court. After a new Pope, Pope Urban IV, was chosen, they returned to Rome. Their mission was a success! Pope Urban agreed to collect a special tax (a "hundredth") for three years to help defend the Holy Land.
In 1262, John asked Pope Urban and King Louis to quickly make peace with King Manfred of Sicily. Around the same time, Pope Urban put John and Giles in charge of collecting the "hundredth" tax. The money was kept with the Templars in Paris, and King Louis IX decided how it would be spent. In 1264, Pope Urban IV ordered a new tax for five years for the Holy Land. He gave John and Giles the job of collecting these funds.
In 1264, while John was in Europe, King Louis IX sent him to England. This was during the Second Barons' War. John's goal was to convince Simon de Montfort to accept a peace agreement. He also tried to get King Henry III to stop giving important jobs to foreigners. This mission did not succeed.
While John was still in Europe in March 1265, the city of Haifa was captured by the Mamluks.
In October 1266, King Louis IX decided to start a new crusade (the Eighth Crusade). He sent John and another official to tell Pope Clement IV. In 1267, Louis sent John and two others to his brother, King Charles I of Sicily. They wanted to convince Charles to join the crusade or at least provide money. The messengers arrived in Rome, where Charles was staying, in early May.
See also
In Spanish: Juan de Valenciennes para niños
