Featured Post

||| LINK to author's Amazon page

Monday, November 28, 2011

Emperor Jean de Brienne & Empress Berengere of Castile-Leon

23640736. Emperor Jean de Brienne & 23640737. Empress Berengere of Castile-Leon

1170-75, Johan de Brienne born in Champagne, France, s/o §§Erard II, count of Brienne-sur-Aulie & Agnes de Montfaucon.

9/18/1180, Philip Augustus succeeded as King of France.

Aft. 1181, Jean’s older brother Andre died.

10/2/1187, Saladin captured Jersalem. [Initiating the 3rd crusade, but never to be retaken.]

10/4/1189, Jean’s uncle Andre died in the Holy land.

2/8/1191, Jean’s father died at the siege of Acre, his older brother Gauthier the heir.

1194, Willelmi et Johannis fratrum eius, a witnesses to their brother’s charter to Beaulieu abbey.

1199, Thibalt, earl of Champagne, brother and heir [in France] of Henry, King of Jerusalem, hosted a tournament at Ecry. Others attending included Baldwin, earl of Flanders and Hainault, Lewis, earl of Blois, Simon de Montfort, and Gaultier and Jean de Birenne.

By 1199, Jean’s older brother Guillaume [William] died.

1204, Berengere born in Castile, d/o 23638788. King Alphonso IX of Leon & 23638789. Berenguela of Castile.

1204, Jean at the siege of Constantinople.

6/1205, Jean’s oldest brother Gauthier died in Italy, leaving Jean as heir.

4/1206, Blanche, comtesse de Troyes, fait connaitre la cession de l’Hotel-Dieu de Chalette par Jean, comte de Brienne, a l’abbye de Saint-Loup. (S) Collection des Principaux Cartulaires de Diocese de Troyes, V1, 1875, P192.

1208, After receiving envoys from the Holy Land, King Philip selected Jean de Brienne as husband for the heiress and ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

1209, Johannes comes Brene and Guillaume I, count of Joigny, jointly sealed a letter attesting to Guillaume, count of Sancerre, as leigeman of Countess Blanche. (S) Littere Baronum, Evergates, 2003, P87.

1209, Jean fought at Beziers in the 4th crusade of the Cathar wars.

4/1210, Johannes comes Brene donated property to Basse-Fontaine. (S) FMG.

9/13/1210, Jean landed at Acre in the Holy land.

By 1210, King Philip Augustus of France promoted Jean as the future husband of the heir of the kingdom of Jerusalem as “the most worth champion of the Holy Land.” (S) The Historian’s History of the World, 1904, P299.

[––Jean & Maria––]

10/3/1210 at Tyre, Jean married Maria Yolanthe, d/o Conrad de Montferrat & Isabella of Jerusalem, becoming King of Jerusalem. King Philip II of France and Pope Innocent III each provided a dower of £40,000 silver.

1211, King Jean made a 5-year truce with Malik-el-Adil.

7/1/1211, Iohannes … Latinorum Ierusalem rex decimus et comes Brena et domina Maria uxor mea regina, donated property to the church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.

1212, Maria died.

1213, Pope Innocent confirmed John as lawful ruler of the Holy Land. Jean settled in Cyprus.

1213, Pope Innocent proclaimed the 5th crusade. [This takes years to organize and fund. The first group of crusaders left 9/1217.]

[––Jean & Stephanie––]

4/23/1214, Jean married Stephanie, d/o Leo II of Armenia. Stephanie receiving a dowry of 30,000 bezants.

7/1214, King Philip notifies Guillaume of Chartres, master of the Templars, … The king state that he and Prince Louis affirmed in the presence of Jean of Brienne, king of Jerusalem, that they will not hear any case brought against Thibaut by Count Henry II’s daughter until Thibaut reaches 21. (S) Littere Baronum, Evergates, 2003, P122.

9/1217, Jean led crusader forces in an attempt to conquer Egypt in the 5th crusade.

11/1217, The crusaders raided the territory of Al-Adil I for food.

12/1217, John de Frienne and Bohemond IV of Antioch laid siege to the Ayyubid fortress on Mount Tabor.

1218, Jean elected Supreme Commander of the various forces. [Strictly strategic, the forces did not follow anyone but their leader.]

5/11/1219, The crusaders captured Damietta.

8/29/1219, The forces suffered a severe defeat on an attack of the Egyptian forces, losing Damietta.

10/9/1218, Jean repulsed a surprise attack by the Egyptians.

10/1218, Sultan Al-Kamil sent messengers to the crusaders offering to restore Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth to them if they withdrew from Egypt. Jean supported the agreement, but the military leaders refused. They then re-captured Damettia. [Coins minted there bore John’s name.]

1220, Stephanie’s father died.

2/1220, Jean left the crusade to travel to Armenia to claim the throne. On the trip his wife and infant son died. [Jean no longer had a claim and turned back.]

7/6/1221, Jean arrived back at Egypt.

1221, The crusaders made an unsuccessful assault on Cairo. Jean was captured. In order to retreat without being slaughtered, the crusaders had to concede Damietta.

8/28/1221, The crusaders gave up Damietta in an 8-year truce, and John was freed.

1222, The crusaders left Damietta.

1223, Jean met with Pope Honorius III and Frederick II at Ferentino where Frederick was pledged to Jean’s daughter Isabella.

Stephanie died.

[––Jean––]

7/14/1223, Louis VIII succeeded as king of France.

8/6/1223 at Reims, Jean de Brienne, roi de Jerusalem, at the coronation of Louis VIII as King of France [Blanch, older sister of Berengere, crowned Queen.] (S) Livre de Louis VIII.

Jean traveled in France and England seeking a bride.

1224, Jean on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela visited with King Alfonso IX of Leon in Toled. King Alfonso offered his daughter Berengere as his bride.

[––Jean & Berengere––]

1224 in Toledo, Jean married Berengere on his return trip back from Santiago.

By 1225, Jean visited Germany, where Frederick II [Jean’s son-in-law] demanded he step down as King of Jerusalem and name him as his heir. [Jean refused.]

1225, Jean traveled to Rome.

11/8/1226, Louis IX succeeded as king of France; Berengerer’s sister Blanche named Regent during the minority of Louis IX.

1228, Frederick II crowned himself King of Jerusalem. [By negotiation, Frederick had obtained access for Christians to Jerusalem from Acre. ]

1228-29, Jean commanded the Papal forces against southern Italy. Jean expelled duke Reginald from the duchy of Spoleto and captured numerous other towns, except Bojano, where his grandson was being raised.

1229, John was invited by the barons of the Latin Empire of Constantinople to become emperor-regent for life, on condition that Baldwin of Courtenay should marry his second daughter and succeed him.

4/1229 at Perugia, Jean named Emperor of Constantinople.

6/1231 at Constantinople, Jean crowned Emperor of Constantinople.

1231, Gui I de la Roche became a vassal of Jean de Brienne, king of Jerusalem, and amassed wealth from the silk industry in Thebes. (S) Courtly Arts, 2006, P66.

1235, Jean, with 160 knights and an an army of citizens, defended Constantinople against the combined forces of Vatatzes, emperor of Nicaea, and Asan, king of Bulgaria.

1235-36, Jean, in declining health, retired and took the habit of a Franciscan friar.

3/27/1237, Jean, Count of Brienne, King Consort of Jerusalem, Emperor Regent of Constantinople died, [possibly] buried in the Hagia Sophia.

[––Berengere––]

1244, Berengere sent her 3 sons, Alphonse, Jean and Louis to the court of King Louis IX of France.

1246, Berengere died, buried at Las Huelgas.

(S) Jean de Brienne, Empereur de Constatinople Et Roi De Jerusalem, Georges, 1858. (S) Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. (S) Histoire de Jean de Brienne Roy de Jerusalem, Printed in Paris, 1727. (S) Medieval Popes, Emperors, Kings and Crusaders, Busk, 2005. (S) Berenguela of Castile. Shadis, 2009.

Family notes:

·         Erard II de Brienne, son of Gauthier II, Seigneur de Brienne & his wife Humbeline de Baudément. (S) FMG.

Child of Jean and Maria:

i. Yolande, Queen of Jerusalem, born 1212 in Acre.

1223, Yolande married to Emperor Friedrich II. [His 2nd]

Child of Jean and Stephanie:

i. Stephanie of Armenia, born ~1215 in Acre.

Bef. 1237, Stephanie died.

Children of Jean and Berengere:

i. Marie of Brienne, born 1225 in Acre.

Marie married Baldwin II of Constantinople.

ii. Alfonso of Brienne, born ~1227 in Acre.

Alfonso married Marie d’Issoudon, countess of Eu.

Alfonso became Great Chamberlain of France.

1270, Alfonso died in Tunis on the 7th crusade.

iii. Jean de Brienne (9994870), born ~1229 in Acre.

iv. Louis de Brienne (11820368), born ~1231 in Constantinople.

Followers