Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem

BALDWIN I, King of Jerusalem. - Brother of Godfrey of Bouillon. Destined for the ecclesiastical state, he was, in his youth, suitably instructed in literary disciplines. In 1096, probably following Pope Urban II's appeal to the Flemings, B. took the cross together with two of his brothers.

In the army of his brother Godfrey, composed of Walloons, Flemings and Germans, he reached Asia Minor after a long and dangerous journey, where he fought victoriously in various battles against the Turks and local lords. In 1098 he was recognized as prince of Edessa. After learning of the occupation of Jerusalem by the Crusaders (15 July 1099), he went to visit the holy places and arrived in Jerusalem toward the end of the year 1099. Godfrey of Bouillon (v.), who died on 18 July 1100, had designated his brother B. to succeed him as prince of the Franks and guardian of the Holy Sepulchre. Having returned to Jerusalem in Nov. 1100, he accepted the title: « Balduinus Dei gratia rex Hierusalem Latinorum primus » and was crowned by the patriarch Daimbert in the church of Bethlehem on 25 Dec. 1100. B. was a man of courage, perseverance and prudence and succeeded during his reign (1100-18) in expanding externally and consolidating internally the Latin State in Palestine. With the help of new forces from the West, especially the fleet of Venice, Genoa and Pisa, he gradually conquered the maritime cities belonging to Palestine. In 1101 Arsuf and Caesarea, in 1104 the important fortress of Acre or Ptolemais, in 1109 Tripoli, in 1110 Beirut and Sidon. In the interior of the country castles and towers were built to secure the roads. Finally the sovereignty of the kingdom of Jerusalem over the other principalities of the Westerners in the Near East was recognized. In an expedition against Egypt in 1118 B. contracted a fatal illness and on the return died at el-'Arish on 2 Apr. 1118. Since he had no descendants he recommended as his most capable successors his brother Eustace and Count Baldwin of Edessa. The great men decided in favor of the latter, because he was already in the East and at that very time in Jerusalem.