Lordship of Transjordan

Lordship of Transjordan
1118–1187
The Lordship of Transjordan at its greatest extent. Boundaries approximate.
Status	Vassal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Capital	Montreal (1115 to 1140s) Kerak (1140s to 1188)
Common languages	Latin, Old French, Italian (also Arabic and Greek)
Religion	Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, Syriac Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism
Government	Feudal lordship
Lord
• 1118–1126	Roman of Le Puy
• 1126–1147	Pagan the Butler
• 1148–c.1160	Maurice of Montreal
• 1161–1165	Philip of Milly
• 1174	Miles of Plancy
• 1177–1187	Raynald of Châtillon
Historical era	High Middle Ages
• First Crusade	1118
• Conquered by Saladin	1187
Preceded by Succeeded by Fatimid Caliphate Ayyubid dynasty
Today part of	Israel Jordan Palestine

The Lordship of Transjordan (Old French: Oultrejourdain) was one of the principal lordships of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It encompassed an extensive and partly undefined region to the east of the Jordan River, and was centered on the castles of Montreal and Kerak.

Geography and demography

Transjordan extended southwards through the Negev to the Gulf of Aqaba (Ile de Graye, now Pharaoh's Island). To the north and east (the ancient Gilead) there were no real borders — to the north was the Dead Sea and to the east were caravan and pilgrimage routes, part of the Muslim Hejaz. These areas were also under the control of the sultan of Damascus, and by custom the two opponents rarely met there, for battle or for other purposes.

History

Before the First Crusade, Transjordan was controlled by the Fatimids of Egypt, whose representatives (originally very few, if any at all) withdrew when the Crusaders arrived. The various tribes there quickly made peace with the Crusaders. The first expedition to the area was under Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1100. Baldwin also invaded again in 1107 and 1112, and built Montreal in 1115 to control the Muslim caravan routes, which provided enormous revenue to the kingdom. The crusaders also controlled the area around Petra, where they set up an archbishopric under the authority of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

There were very few Christians in Transjordan, most of the inhabitants being Shia Bedouin nomads. Many of the Syriac Orthodox Christians who lived there were transplanted to Jerusalem in 1115 to fill up the former Jewish quarter (the Jews had been either killed or expelled). The other Christians who lived in Transjordan were nomadic or semi-nomadic and were often distrusted by the Crusaders.

According to John of Ibelin, the Lordship of Transjordan was one of the four major Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. John, writing in the 13th century, called it a lordship, but it may have been treated as a principality in the 12th century. It was established after the expedition of Baldwin I, but due to the relative size and inaccessibility of the area, the lords of Transjordan tended to claim some independence from the kingdom. With its mostly undefined borders, it was one of the largest seigneuries. Baldwin I may have given it away to Roman of Le Puy in 1118, but it probably remained under royal control until 1126 when Pagan the Butler was created lord (1126–1147). There was also a tradition that the ruler of Transjordan could not hold any other positions in the kingdom at the same time, so they were somewhat cut off from political life. Around 1134 a revolt occurred against King Fulk under Hugh II of Jaffa (Hugh II of Le Puiset), count of Jaffa, and Roman of Le Puy (who was possibly lord of Transjordan). They were defeated and exiled. In 1142, Fulk built the castle of Kerak (Crac des Moabites), replacing Montreal as the Crusader stronghold in the area. Other castles in Transjordan included Safed and Subeibe. Toron, near Tyre, and Nablus, in Judea, were not located in Transjordan, though they were sometimes ruled by the same people, usually through marriage.

Kerak Castle, Al-Karak, Jordan, in November 2009.

In 1148, the lord of Transjordan was involved in the decision to attack Damascus during the Second Crusade, despite the truce between Jerusalem and Damascus that was vital to the survival of the kingdom and especially the lordship. The crusade ended in defeat and the security of the lordship diminished as a result.

Philip of Milly who was compelled to resign his lands in Nablus in order to be recognized as ruler of Transjordan in 1161. Philip joined the Knights Templar in 1165, leaving the lordship to his daughter Helena and son-in-law Walter III Brisebarre. Walter ruled the lordship in the name of his and Helena's minor daughter, Beatrice, until Beatrice died. The lordship then passed to Philip's younger daughter, Stephanie of Milly. Stephanie's husbands, Miles of Plancy and Raynald of Châtillon, became lords of Transjordan in turn.

Raynald of Châtillon used his position to attack pilgrims and caravans, and threatened to attack Mecca, which resulted in an invasion of the kingdom by Saladin in 1187. Raynald was executed after the Battle of Hattin on July 4 of that year. By 1189 Saladin had taken all of Transjordan and destroyed its castles. In 1229 Jerusalem was briefly recovered by treaty by Emperor Frederick II, but the remnant of the kingdom never again controlled territory to the east of the Jordan. The principality was of course claimed by crusader nobles for a long time, the title passing to the line of Isabella of Toron, daughter of Stephanie, and for several generations belonged to Montfort family, who were lords of Tyre. After the 1350s, when the Montfort line became extinct without close heirs, the hereditary rights presumably passed to the kings of Cyprus who also were descendants of lords of Toron and Tyre.

While under Crusader control, the Bedouin nomads were generally left to themselves, although the king collected taxes on caravans passing through. The land was relatively good for agriculture, and wheat, pomegranates and olives were grown there. Salt was also collected from the Dead Sea.

Transjordan was also known in Latin as Transjordan, and covered territory that would later become part of the Emirate of Transjordan and the modern country of Jordan.

Lords

• Roman of Le Puy (possibly 1118 – 1126)
• Pagan the Butler (1126–1147)
• Maurice of Montreal (1147–1161)
• Philip of Milly (1161–1165)
• Helena of Milly (1165-?), elder daughter of Philip
  • Walter III Brisebarre, husband of Helena
• Beatrice Brisebarre, minor daughter of Helena and Walter, in whose name Walter ruled after Helena's death
• Stephanie of Milly, aunt of Beatrice
  • possibly Humphrey III of Toron (1168–1173), first husband of Stephanie
  • Miles of Plancy (1173–1174), second husband of Stephanie
  • Raynald of Châtillon (1176–1187), third husband of Stephanie.
• Humphrey IV of Toron (1187–1197), son of Stephanie from her first marriage to Humphrey III of Toron
• Alice of Armenia (possibly 1197 – 1199), niece of Humphrey IV of Toron, titular lady of Toron and Transjordan

Sub-vassals

In the time of Philip of Nablus, Arabian Petra was a vassal fief under the princes of Transjordan.

Sources

• John L. La Monte, Feudal Monarchy in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1100–1291. The Medieval Academy of America, 1932.
• Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Feudal Nobility and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1174–1277. The Macmillan Press, 1973.
• Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100–1187. Cambridge University Press, 1952.
• Steven Tibble, Monarchy and Lordships in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099–1291. Clarendon Press, 1989.