Joscelin III, Count of Edessa
Joscelin III. (* 1135, † before 1200 ) from the noble family of Courtenay was Titulargraf of Edessa, and Baron in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Life
He was the son of Joscelin II, Count of Edessa, and his wife Beatrix. As the city of Edessa in 1144 and the rest of the county had been conquered by the Muslims inherited to 1149 Joscelin III. when his father's death in 1159 only Titularansprüche on the county.
Joscelin lived in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, where he was from 1156 to 1159 Marshal. His sister Agnes had married in 1157 King Amalric I ( † 1174 ) and was the mother of the heir to the throne in 1161 and soon King Baldwin IV († 1185 ).
To 1163, he acquired the castle and lordship Harenc in the Principality of Antioch. This was attacked in 1164 by Nur ad - Din. In the ensuing battle of Artah Joscelin was taken prisoner and held in Aleppo. Harenc fell to the Muslims. Only when the Zengids 1175, after the death of Nur ad -Din, Saladin harassed by an understanding with the Christians strove, he was in 1176 for ransom that Agnes probably paid, released. They procured his appointment as Seneschal of Jerusalem, so that he now belonged to the inner circle of the royal family in Jerusalem, where the lower nobles who. Raimund III Graf led by Tripoli, faced in opposition.
After his release in 1176 he married Agnes of Milly, daughter of Henry of Milly, known as Bubalus ( buffalo ), Lord of Petra. He also succeeded, around Acre from the royal domain to acquire enough land as a fief that a separate rule could be established. The rule was later called " Seigneurie de Joscelin " ( rule of Joscelin ). The rule did not form a closed territory, but consisted of 44 Casa Lien in relatively dense scatter location on fertile land in the northeast of Acre and also included the castles Banias (from 1176 ), Castellum Regis ( from 1182 ) and Toron (from 1186 ).
1180 was Joscelin royal ambassador to the Byzantine Empire, where he replaced William of Tyre, whose influence had fallen on the farm. In 1184 he was during the reign of Raymond III. the supervision of the minor king Baldwin V, which brought him closer to the simple nobility and away from the royal family. Agnes had died at that time well, and although Joscelin Baldwin was great-uncle, the power was with Raymond aristocratic party. When Baldwin V died in 1186, Joscelin moved again the sides and prevented Raymond from attending the funeral. As a partisan of the new King Guy of Lusignan, he was enfeoffed of this with Toron, which he added to the " Seigneurie de Joscelin ."
At the Battle of Hattin, he took part in the rear next to Balian of Ibelin, he managed to escape to Tyre. His lands were conquered all of Saladin. The following Third Crusade to recapture the kingdom, especially in the siege of Acre, he took part. His reign was until 1191/92 largely restored, only Toron remained Muslim occupied.
Joscelin date of death is unclear. He signed recently in October 1190 a certificate. As during the siege of Acre in July 1190 Queen Sybille had died from their legal her husband Guy of Lusignan was wearing the royal crown of Jerusalem, the marriage between Sybille's sister and heiress Isabella and her first husband Humphrey was in November 1190 for political reasons IV canceled by Toron. By marriage with Isabella Conrad of Montferrat this now became king of Jerusalem. Humphrey IV was introduced in the context of his marriage Toron in the royal domain and received his claims to the - still occupied Muslim - Castles and Power back now. In the relevant Notes will not protest against the removal of Joscelin Torons from his rule is included, which is why speculation that he had died already in November 1190 during the siege of Acre in the camp of an epidemic. Documentary evidence is in any case that he was already dead in October 1200.
Progeny
With his wife Agnes he had two daughters, Beatrix and Agnes.
Beatrix ( † after 1245 ) was first in 1186 with William of Lusignan ( † before 1208), Lord of Valence, a brother Guido of Lusignan engaged, but eventually married 1206-1208 the German crusaders and minstrels Otto von Botenlauben ( son of the Earl of Henneberg ). This Hermann von Salza bought from 1220 Joscelin rule of the Teutonic Order.
Agnes ( † after 1200) was first in 1186 engaged to a nephew of Guido of Lusignan, but married in 1200, William of Mandelée ( Amigdala ) ( † after 1220 ), a Norman from Calabria.