Joscelin III, Count of Edessa facts for kids

Joscelin III of Edessa (born around 1139 – died after 1190) was a important figure in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He held the title of Count of Edessa, even though the city of Edessa had already been lost. Joscelin was known for gathering enough land to create his own territory, called the Seigneurie of Joscelin.

Early Life and Family

Joscelin was the son of Joscelin II and his wife Beatrice of Saone. He inherited the title of Count of Edessa from his father. However, the city of Edessa had been captured by enemies in 1144. The remaining parts of the county were either taken over or sold years before Joscelin III received his title.

Joscelin lived in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He worked hard to collect land, especially around the city of Acre. This land became his own special territory, known as the Seigneurie of Joscelin.

Serving the Royal Family

Joscelin had a close connection to the royal family. His sister, Agnes of Courtenay, was the first wife of King Amalric I. She was also the mother of King Baldwin IV and Queen Sibylla.

In 1164, Joscelin was captured by Nur ad-Din Zengi during the Battle of Harim. He was held prisoner for many years. In 1176, his sister Agnes paid a huge ransom of 50,000 dinars to free him. The royal treasury likely helped her. After his release, his nephew King Baldwin IV made him the seneschal of Jerusalem. This meant he was a very high-ranking official, managing royal affairs. He faced some challenges from other powerful nobles, like Raymond III, Count of Tripoli.

Chastel Neuf, or King's castle, in Mi'ilya, in 2009

In 1180, Joscelin traveled as an ambassador to the Byzantine Empire. That same year, King Baldwin IV's half-sister Isabella became engaged to Humphrey IV of Toron. As part of this arrangement, the lands of Toron were given to the crown. In return, Joscelin received part of these lands, including a castle called Chastel Neuf. His sister Agnes also received income from the produce of Toron. Agnes passed away in late 1184, a few months before her son, King Baldwin IV.

In 1185, Joscelin became the guardian of his young great-nephew, Baldwin V. At the same time, Raymond III was acting as regent, ruling for the young king. Raymond was worried that if he personally guarded the child, he might be blamed if the king died, especially since Raymond himself had a claim to the throne. Joscelin, however, was the brother of the king's maternal grandmother. He had no claim to the throne and a strong reason to keep the young king safe. Baldwin V's grandfather, William V of Montferrat, also arrived from Italy to offer support.

Sadly, Baldwin V seemed to be sickly and died in Acre in 1186. Joscelin and William escorted his coffin to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Raymond tried to take control with Balian of Ibelin to make Isabella queen. This attempt failed. Instead, Sibylla was crowned queen, and she also crowned her second husband, Guy of Lusignan, as king.

In 1186, King Guy and Queen Sibylla gave Chastel Neuf and Toron, along with other lands, to Joscelin. Joscelin, in turn, used these lands as a dowry for his older daughter, Beatrice. He betrothed her to William of Valence, King Guy's younger brother. His younger daughter, Agnes, was supposed to marry one of Guy's nephews. If Beatrice died young, William was to marry Agnes instead.

At the terrible Battle of Hattin in 1187, Joscelin commanded the rearguard alongside Balian of Ibelin. Both managed to escape the disastrous defeat and fled to Tyre. All of Joscelin's lands were captured by Saladin. Joscelin then joined the siege of Acre during the Third Crusade. He was last mentioned in a document on October 25, 1190, after Queen Sibylla's death. It is very likely that he died during this long siege.

A month later, Isabella, who was now claiming the crown from Guy, said that Humphrey of Toron could have Chastel Neuf and Toron back if they were ever recaptured. This happened when her marriage to Humphrey was ended. If Joscelin was still alive, he didn't object. This event seems to have ended the plans for his daughters to marry into the Lusignan family. Joscelin was definitely dead by October 1200.

Joscelin's territory, the seigneurie, was later bought by the Teutonic Knights in 1220.

His Family

After he was freed from captivity in 1176, Joscelin married Agnes of Milly. She was the third daughter of Henry "the Buffalo" of Milly, who was the Lord of Petra. Agnes was also the sister of Stephanie of Milly. Joscelin and Agnes had two daughters:

• Beatrix de Courtenay (died after 1245), who was first betrothed to William of Valence (King Guy's brother) in 1186. However, she later married Otto von Botenlauben.
• Agnes de Courtenay, who was betrothed to a nephew of Guy of Lusignan in 1186. By 1200, she married William of Amandolea, a Norman from Calabria. He later became the Lord of Scandeleon.

Sources

• Nielen, Marie-Adelaïde (ed.), Lignages d'Outremer. Paris, 2003.