Editing Amalric, King of Jerusalem (section)

===Childhood===
On his deathbed in 1131 [[King Baldwin II]] conferred the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]&ndash;one of the [[crusader states]] established by the [[Latin Christians]] who [[First Crusade|invaded]] the [[Levant]] and defeated its [[Muslim]] rulers{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=2}}&ndash;on his eldest daughter, [[Melisende of Jerusalem|Melisende]]; her husband, [[Fulk of Anjou]]; and their infant son, [[Baldwin III of Jerusalem|Baldwin III]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=149}} Fulk was considerably older than Melisende and had adult children in Europe from his first marriage, including Count [[Geoffrey V of Anjou]] and Countess [[Sibylla of Flanders]].{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=178}} He excluded Melisende from power until she and the [[barons of Jerusalem|barons]] forced him to acknowledge her as a co-ruler in 1135.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=155-156}} Fulk was eager to be reconciled, and historian [[Malcolm Barber]] suggests that Melisende agreed because the succession of her family rested on only one son. The couple consequently conceived Amalric in late 1135 or early 1136.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=155}} To the north of the kingdom were three more crusader states: the [[County of Tripoli]], the [[Principality of Antioch]], and the [[County of Edessa]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=2}} Antioch and Tripoli were ruled by the families of Melisende's sisters [[Alice of Antioch|Alice]] and [[Hodierna of Tripoli|Hodierna]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=157}}
[[File:Balduin3.jpg|thumb|Amalric's mother, Melisende, and brother, Baldwin III, were crowned together, but Melisende refused to share power.]]
Amalric's father, King Fulk, was fatally injured in a horse-riding accident on a family outing near [[Acre, Israel|Acre]] in 1143. He died on 10 November. Queen Melisende seized power and was crowned again on 25 December, this time alongside 13-year-old King Baldwin III.{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=233}} In 1144 the Turkic Muslim [[atabeg of Mosul]], [[Imad al-Din Zengi]]{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=163-164}} [[siege of Edessa (1144)|captured Edessa]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=179}} This prompted the [[Second Crusade]], which failed in its objective to [[siege of Damascus (1148)|conquer Damascus]],{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=188}} one of the greatest Muslim-held cities.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=150}} Melisende continued to withhold power from Baldwin after he reached the [[age of majority]], and by 1151 their relationship had broken down.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=196}} In 1151 Melisende bestowed on Amalric the [[County of Jaffa]], which was part of her endeavor to consolidate her position against Baldwin.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=176}} Amalric became his mother's most important partisan besides the Church.{{sfn|Mayer|1972|p=175}}