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Coronation of Melisende and Fulk as King and Queen of Jerusalem
After Baldwin II died in August 1131, his daughter Melisende and her husband Fulk of Anjou were crowned in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on 14 Sep…
Timeline
- 1129–1131Jerusalem · JerusalemBaldwin II, having no son, designated his eldest daughter Melisende as heir and in 1129 married her to Fulk, Count of Anjou. Baldwin died on 21 August 1131, and his will required Melisende and Fulk to rule jointly, securing both the royal bloodline and Anjou's military resources.
- 1131Church of the Holy Sepulchre · JerusalemOn 14 September (the Feast of the Holy Cross), Melisende and Fulk were crowned Queen and King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; the ceremony emphasized co-rule rather than a husband ruling by right of his wife. In the following years Fulk excluded the queen's relatives, prompting Hugh of Le Puiset's defiance in 1134, and Fulk was ultimately forced to restore co-rule.
Sources
- Melisende https://www.britannica.com/biography/Melisende
- Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule — Katherine Pangonis (2021)
- Studies in the History of Queen Melisende of Jerusalem — Hans Eberhard Mayer