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Amalric, King of Jerusalem
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===Vizierate of Shawar=== ====Intervention in Egypt==== [[File:Map Crusader states 1165-en.svg|thumb|Crusader states and their neighbors in 1165]] Amalric's chief aim as king was to [[Crusader invasions of Egypt|conquer Egypt]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=237}} Its government was in disarray: [[Dirgham]] and [[Shawar]], rival [[vizier (Fatimid Caliphate)|vizier]]s, fought for power while the [[Fatimid caliph]] was sidelined.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=238}} Zengi's son [[Nur ad-Din Zangi|Nur ad-Din]] unified the Muslim principalities of [[Syria (region)|Syria]] by bringing the great cities of Damascus and [[Aleppo]] under his rule; if he were to conquer Egypt as well, the crusader states would be encircled.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|pp=549-550}} Although his lords were preoccupied with extending their own holdings, Amalric could not ignore Egypt, and in this had the support of the masters of the military orders, the [[Knights Hospitaller]] and the [[Knights Templar]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=241}} In 1163 the Egyptian government failed to pay the tribute. In response Amalric came with a large force within {{cvt|35|miles}} of the capital, [[Cairo]],{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=238}} and besieged [[Bilbais]].{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|pp=549-550}} Dirgham, who had driven out Shawar, desperately attempted to fend off the invaders by opening the [[floodbank]]s on the [[Nile]], but ended up agreeing to pay an even larger tribute and surrendered hostages as guarantees. After returning to Jerusalem, Amalric wrote to King [[Louis VIII of France]] that it was only the annual [[flooding of the Nile]] that prevented him from taking [[Bilbais]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=238}} Shawar appealed to Nur ad-Din for help against Dirgham. Nur ad-Din dispatched [[Asad al-Din Shirkuh]], one of his most able generals, who helped Shawar defeat Dirgham and seize power. Shirkuh then decided to conquer Egypt for himself, forcing Shawar to request help from Amalric. After Shawar offered a once again increased tribute, the king undertook his second Egyptian expedition, fully financed by Shawar, in July 1164. The invasion ended in Shirkuh's defeat and Amalric's restoration of Shawar to power.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=238}} ====Turkic threat==== [[File:Nur ad-Din Zangi.jpg|thumb|Nur ad-Din emerged from the battle of Artah victorious and with several key captives.]] Nur ad-Din could not afford to allow Amalric to control Egypt. The king's southern expedition left the kingdom and the northern crusader states undefended, which allowed Nur ad-Din to act. In the [[battle of Harim|battle of Artah]] on 10 August 1164 he destroyed a large Christian army and captured Prince [[Bohemond III of Antioch]], Count [[Raymond III of Tripoli]], [[Joscelin III of Edessa]], and the Byzantine governor of [[Cilicia]], [[Constantine Coloman]]. On 12 August he captured [[Harim]]. Amalric's brother-in-law Count [[Thierry of Flanders]] arrived with numerous knights, but this failed to deter Nur ad-Din.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=240}} Amalric returned to Jerusalem in October,{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=238}} and immediately hurried north with Thierry.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=240}} Raymond declared that, during his captivity, Amalric should rule Tripoli.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=551}} The king thus stopped at Tripoli to establish his rule,{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=370}} and then proceeded further north to install governors in the cities of Bohemond's principality.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=240}} On 18 October 1164 Nur ad-Din captured [[Banias]], described by Patriarch Amalric as "the gateway to the whole kingdom". The king and the master of the Knights Templar, [[Bertrand of Blancfort]], declared that Banias had been sold by traitors. In mid-1165 King Amalric secured the release of Prince Bohemond.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=240}} Amalric and Bertrand's attempts to entice the king of France to assist in their planned conquest of Egypt proved fruitless, and so the Christian leaders continued to court the Byzantines. In late 1165 the king sent an embassy led by the [[butler of Jerusalem|royal butler]], [[Odo of Saint-Amand]], and the [[archbishop of Caesarea]], [[Ernesius]], to arrange a royal marriage with a member of Emperor Manuel's family.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=242}} In late 1165 Philip of Milly resigned the [[lordship of Oultrejordain]] to join the Templars.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|pp=91-92}} His sole heir was his elder daughter, [[Helena of Milly|Helena]], who was married to the [[lord of Beirut]], [[Walter III Brisebarre]].{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=92}} When Walter and his brothers, Guy and Bernard, were captured by the Muslims, Amalric forbade anybody to lend money to them for their ransom. By 1167 the king had forced Walter to surrender Beirut in return for money.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=91}} Hamilton concludes that this "sharp" treatment originated from Amalric's desire to prevent Walter from holding the great lordships of Beirut and Oultrejordain simultaneously.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|pp=91-92}} Around this time Emperor Manuel's cousin [[Andronikos Komnenos]] arrived in the kingdom after scandalously seducing [[Philippa of Antioch|Philippa]], sister of Prince Bohemond and sister-in-law of the emperor.{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=377}} His bravery impressed Amalric,{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=378}} who gave him the [[lordship of Beirut]] in fief in 1167.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=91}} ====Third invasion of Egypt==== William relates that a Templar garrison surrendered a cave fortress besieged by Shirkuh while Amalric was on his way to relieve them; in his anger the king hanged about a dozen Templars who were responsible. Barber dates the incident to 1166.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=250}} In January 1167, before the Byzantines could assist, news reached Jerusalem that Shirkuh was marching towards Egypt at the head of a large army furnished by Nur ad-Din.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=242}} Amalric called a general council at Nablus, at which funds were raised for a counter-strike, and set out from Ascalon on 30 January.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=242-243}} Amalric rapidly mobilized an army, but failed in his attempt to catch Shirkuh before he crossed the Nile. Shawar again agreed to an annual tribute to the king of Jerusalem in return for Frankish help against Shirkuh.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=243}} The Franks secured the support of the Fatimid caliph, [[al-Adid]], but then a stalemate ensued between them and Shirkuh as the opposing forces were encamped on the opposite banks of the Nile.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=244}} For over a month Amalric waited for enforcements from his constable, [[Humphrey II of Toron]], and Philip of Milly. The king then secretly moved his men {{cvt|8|miles}} south, leaving some to protect the young caliph and the wooden bridge they had raised on the Nile. A whirlwind prevented them from crossing the river, however, and so instead of catching Shirkuh by surprise, Amalric chased him with his knights for three days.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=244}} On 18 March an indecisive battle took place, after which Shirkuh subjugated [[Alexandria]]. The Franks followed him and [[blockade]]d the city until Shirkuh fled, leaving his nephew [[Saladin]] in charge. The king pursued Shirkuh until the Egyptians convinced him to attack Alexandria instead. The [[Siege of Alexandria (1167)|siege of Alexandria]] forced Shirkuh to sue for peace. The Franks entered Alexandria, where the king placed his banner on the city's [[Lighthouse of Alexandria|Lighthouse]], and then departed Egypt.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=245}} ====Byzantine alliance==== [[File:SvatbaAmaury marie.jpg|thumb|Amalric's marriage with Maria Komnene was a token of his alliance with Emperor Manuel.]] King Amalric returned to his kingdom on 21 August 1167. His envoys to Emperor Manuel arrived with his new bride, the emperor's grandniece [[Maria Komnene, Queen of Jerusalem|Maria Komnene]]. On 29 August, in the {{ill|Cathedral of Saint Mark, Tyre|lt=Cathedral of Tyre|it|Cattedrale_Crociata_di_Tiro}}, Patriarch Amalric celebrated the king's second marriage.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=246}} The new queen received Nablus as her [[dower]].{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=391}} The same year Queen Theodora, niece of Emperor Manuel and widow of Amalric's brother, eloped with the emperor's cousin Andronikos. The lovers fled to Damascus, where they were received by Nur ad-Din.{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=378}} The scandalous conduct of his kin enraged the emperor, but Amalric was glad to take Acre, his sister-in-law's rich dower, back into the royal domain;{{sfn|Runciman|1952|pp=378-379}} Beirut also reverted to Amalric.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=92}} Maria's arrival was shortly followed by that of two envoys from the emperor, [[Alexander of Gravina]] and Michael Hydruntius of Otranto. The envoys were immediately met by the king. They stated that the king and the emperor ought to conquer Egypt together lest the weakened country should fall in the hands of another. William of Tyre believed that the idea came from Amalric; Barber sees a link between his Byzantine marriage and the arrival of the envoys. A treaty was drawn up and taken by William to the emperor for ratification.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=246}} In this period the king was depicted on his seal wearing a sash in the [[Byzantine fashion]], and the two rulers cooperated in the extensive [[mosaic]] program undertaken in the [[Bethlehem]]'s [[Church of the Nativity]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=246-247}} Amalric was even willing to concede to Manuel on theological issues, such as the exclusion of the ''[[filioque]]'' clause from the Bethlehem church's mosaic inscriptions and the admission of Greek clergy into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in order to secure military assistance.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=247-248}} ====Attempted conquest of Egypt==== William returned to the kingdom in late 1167 and was astonished to find that, by 20 October, King Amalric had departed on another expedition to Egypt without the Byzantines. He did not know the reason for it: he recorded the rumor that Shawar, the vizier of Egypt, had allied with Nur ad-Din, but did not himself believe in it and suggested that the vizier had faithfully kept his treaty with Amalric.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=247}} Ibn al-Athir depicts the king as a reluctant invader, pressured by "the Frankish knights and policy makers".{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=248-249}} Amalric struck a deal with the Hospitallers, who pledged more men than ever before and to whom the king in return promised a vast lordship from Bilbais to the coast as well as the first pick of the spoils and the best house or palace after the king's in all the major cities of Egypt. William names the [[grand master of the Knights Hospitaller|order's master]], [[Gilbert of Assailly]], as the driving force, if not the mastermind, behind the campaign. The Templars refused to participate; William speculates that they either objected to betraying Shawar or to following the lead of the Hospitallers, their rivals.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=249}} Barber suggests that the Templar master, Bertrand of Blancfort, may have also resented the king's execution of some of his knights.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=249}} [[File:Peluse.jpg|thumb|Amalric's reign saw multiple Christian attacks on Egypt.]] Bilbais was captured and plundered and its inhabitants massacred in 1168 after a three-day siege. Amalric then moved onto Cairo, but Shawar burned it down to prevent the Franks from seizing it. Unable to resist, Shawar offered huge sums of money to Amalric while simultaneously petitioning Nur ad-Din for help. The Christian fleet arrived, took [[Tinnis]], and blocked the Nile below Cairo. Shawar convinced Amalric to retreat a few miles so that Shawar could collect the money he had promised to the king; the vizier actually worked to strengthen the city's defenses and the population's morale. Ibn al-Athir reports that the inhabitants of Cairo grew resolute when they heard about the fate of the people of Bilbais. William believes that the city could have been taken but for the greed of the king, encouraged by his seneschal, [[Miles of Plancy]]: if they had taken the city by [[storming]], they would have had to share the plunder, but all the tribute money would go to the king.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=251}} On 2 December Shirkuh set out from Damascus with a large army and ample provisions provided by Nur ad-Din. Amalric returned to Bilbais, but Shirkuh bypassed him and encamped on the other side of the Nile. Amalric judged it too risky to attack him. On 2 January he set out for his kingdom with his army. Not only was the expedition a complete failure, but it also delivered Egypt to Shirkuh: Shawar was soon killed, and the caliph appointed Shirkuh to succeed him.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=252}} Amalric was undeterred and in mid-1169 started planning his fifth attempt to take Egypt.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=252}} He appealed for help in letters sent to Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]], Kings Louis VII of France and [[Henry II of England]], Queen [[Margaret of Navarre|Margaret of Sicily]], and Counts [[Philip I of Flanders]], [[Theobald V of Blois]], and [[Henry I of Champagne]]. Patriarch Amalric and Archbishop Ernesius, who were carrying the letters, were driven back by a severe storm at sea.{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=384}} He sent a new embassy, consisting of the [[archbishop of Tyre]], [[Frederick de la Roche]], and the [[bishop of Banyas]], [[John (bishop of Banyas)|John]], but to no avail.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=252}}
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