- Balian of Arsuf
Balian of Ibelin (1239 –
29 September 1277 ) was theLord of Arsuf from 1258 until the early 1260s (probably 1261), when he sold it to theKnights Hospitaller . He was the son and successor ofJohn of Arsuf ,Constable of Jerusalem . At the time when he sold it to the Hospital, his fief of Arsuf was worth six knights' fees and twenty sergeants'; the Hosptial took up his obligations with the exception of the "servise de cors ".He was married to
Plaisance of Antioch from 1254 until their divorce in 1258, after which he moved fromAntioch toTripoli . He was createdConstable of Jerusalem like his father had been in 1268 and held that post until his death. Hugh III of Cyprus and Jerusalem appointed Balianbailiff , effectively regent, of the kingdom upon returning toCyprus in October 1276. Hugh's claim to the royal title, however, was disputed byCharles I of Naples , who sentRoger of Sanseverino toAcre as his bailiff in 1277.Balian initially refused to admit Roger into the citadel until papers signed by Charles,
Mary of Antioch , andPope John XXI were produced and the Knights Hospitallers andJohn of Versailles , Patriarch of Jerusalem, had refused to intervene. To avoid war, he allowed Roger in and Charles was proclaimed king.References
*Marshall, Christopher. "Warfare in the Latin East, 1192–1291". Cambridge University Press, 1992.
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