The Kingdom of Jerusalem, one of the Crusader states that was created in 1099, was divided into a number of smaller seigneuries. According to the 13th-century jurist John of Ibelin, the four highest crown vassals (referred to as barons) in the kingdom proper were the count of Jaffa and Ascalon, the prince of Galilee, the lord of Sidon (), and the lord of Oultrejordain.

There were also a number of independent seigneuries, and some land held under direct royal control, such as Jerusalem itself, Acre and Tyre.

Inheritance in the Kingdom of Jerusalem

Lordships in the Kingdom of Jerusalem were usually hereditary, in principle, but in practice the circumstances were such that their holders did not form long uninterrupted lines of inheritance, which was contrary to the usual patterns of succession in Europe.

In the early years of the kingdom, lords sought out their own territories, and lordships changed hands often. The average lifespan of male lords in Palestine was rather low, due to the constant state of warfare and violence, which led to inheritances by females and/or extinction of whole families.

Succession from father to son happened more rarely than in more peaceful countries in Europe. Female succession opened up the option for the liege or the monarch to reward services, loyalty and capability, as well as achievements, by giving an heiress' hand in marriage and her inherited lordship to a "new man".

A typical succession pattern was a father followed by a daughter, sister, or niece, who was then married to a man worthy of some reward, who then himself succeeded to the territory. This made the succession unpredictable and caused the family holding a particular territory to change once or perhaps even more often in a generation.

Sometimes families became extinct, or left the region, so either a distant relative came to claim their land, or more usually, their liege gave the lordship to another family. Sometimes a lord was condemned for treason, rebellion or some other reason, and he and possibly his descendants were disinherited from the lordship.

Occasionally, vacant lordships became part of the royal domain, but more often, another person was granted the lordship. This might give the impression that the titles were not hereditary, but almost always their succession took place according to feudal rights of inheritance, given the relatively high number of female heirs.

Many of these seigneuries ceased to exist after the loss of Jerusalem in 1187, and the rest of them after the fall of Acre in 1291. They often had Cypriot or European claimants for decades or centuries afterwards; these claimants held no actual territory in the region.

Northern states Aside from the Kingdom of Jerusalem, there were also three other major Crusader states in the Near East: County of Edessa County of Tripoli Principality of Antioch

These states nominally bore some dependency on the kingdom of Jerusalem. The king of Jerusalem was bound to reconcile them in case of disputes, or between a vassal prince and the Latin patriarch of Antioch, and could claim the regency in case of a vacancy or minority in their successions.

Edessa was perhaps the most closely tied to the kingdom, despite its distance. Its first two counts became kings of Jerusalem, and the county was bestowed as a royal gift on Joscelin I of Edessa.

The County of Tripoli, the nearest of them, is sometimes considered to have been a vassal lordship under the king's suzerainty, although it preserved an extraordinary degree of sovereignty.

Antioch was almost independent, for it was founded already before the kingship and its first holder was a rival of kings, the original leader of the crusade. Later in its history, it would at times recognize Byzantine or Armenian suzerainty, or none at all.

These states dated their documents by the reigns of their own rulers, carried out their own foreign policy, and sent military aid to the kingdom of their own will, rather than through feudal obligation; therefore, they are generally recognized as sovereign and are treated more fully under their own articles.

The Principality of Antioch, County of Tripoli and the Kingdom of Jerusalem were autonomous states.

County of Jaffa and Ascalon

Jaffa, on the Mediterranean coast, was fortified after the First Crusade, and was held by the Le Puiset family until the revolt of Hugh II in 1134. Afterwards, it was usually held directly by the royal family or one of their relatives. After 1153, it became the double County of Jaffa and Ascalon, when the Fatimid fortress of Ascalon was conquered. It passed in and out of direct royal control, and became titular after the loss of the counties to the Muslims in the 13th-century . A number of seigneuries were vassals to the count of Jaffa, including the Lordship of Ramla, Lordship of Ibelin and Lordship of Mirabel.

Counts of Jaffa Jaffa was taken by the Crusaders in June 1099 during the siege of Jerusalem and became part of the kingdom shortly thereafter. The counts of Jaffa were: Hugh I of Jaffa, first cousin of King Baldwin II, 1110–1118 Albert of Namur ruled on behalf of his stepson Hugh II from 1118 to 1122. Hugh II of Jaffa, son of Hugh I, 1122–1134 Jaffa was confiscated into the royal domain in 1134. Amalric of Jerusalem, son of Queen Melisende, 1151–1153 (when he reached the age of maturity)

Jaffa merged with newly-conquered Ascalon in 1153, becoming the County of Jaffa and Ascalon.

Counts of Jaffa and Ascalon After the siege of Ascalon in 1153, the frontier fortress of Ascalon joined Jaffa in a combined county. The counts of Jaffa and Ascalon were: Amalric of Jerusalem, 1153–1163 Amalric became king in 1163. The county was next granted to his daughter on her first marriage. Sibylla of Jerusalem, 1176–1186, with her husbands William of Montferrat (1176–1177) and Guy of Lusignan (1180–1186) From 1187 to 1191, Jaffa and Ascalon were occupied by the Ayyubids Geoffrey of Lusignan (1191–1193), brother of Guy of Lusignan Aimery of Lusignan, brother of Guy of Lusignan, 1193–1198 Aimery married Queen Isabella I in 1198, and so from 1198 to 1221 the county was part of the royal domain. Walter IV of Brienne (1221–1244), nephew of John of Brienne and grandson-in-law of King Aimery and Queen Isabella I, 1221–1244 John of Ibelin, son of Philip of Ibelin, Queen Isabella I's half-brother, 1244–1266 Ascalon was again occupied by the Ayyubids in 1247. James of Ibelin, son of John, 1266–1268 Jaffa was occupied by the Mamluks in 1268.

Lordship of Ramla

Originally held by the bishop of Ramla-Lydda, in 1126 Ramla became part of Jaffa, and a separate lordship was created after Hugh II's revolt in 1134. The castle of Ibelin happened to be located quite near Ramla. It was later a part of the Lordship of Ibelin, inherited from Helvis of Ramla, daughter of Baldwin I of Ramla and wife of Barisan of Ibelin. The Lords of Ramla were: Baldwin I of Ramla, 1134–1138 Barisan of Ibelin, 1138–1150 Manasses of Hierges, 1150–1152 Hugh of Ibelin, son of Barisan of Ibelin, 1152–1169 Baldwin of Ibelin, brother of Hugh of Ibelin, 1169–1186 Thomas of Ibelin, son of Baldwin of Ibelin, 1186–1187 Ramla occupied by Ayyubids, 1187–1191 Balian of Ibelin, brother of Baldwin of Ibelin, 1191–1193 John of Ibelin, son of Balian, 1193–1247 Lordship held by Counts of Jaffa and Ascalon after 1247.

Lordship of Ibelin

The Lordship of Ibelin was also created out of Jaffa (in the 1140s, or perhaps as early as 1134 after Hugh II's revolt). The lordship was given as a reward to Barisan of Ibelin, whose wife Helvis of Ramla already owned lands in the vicinity. The castle of Ramla, the family's other inheritance, was nearby, and together these territories formed a wealthy entity. Balian of Ibelin married Maria Comnena, widow of Amalric I of Jerusalem, and the Ibelins became the most powerful noble family of the kingdom, later ruling also over Beirut (see Lordship of Beirut, below). The lords of Ibelin were: Barisan of Ibelin, c. 1134–1150 Hugh of Ibelin, son of Barisan of Ibelin, 1150–1170 Balian of Ibelin, son of Barisan of Ibelin, 1170–1193 John of Ibelin, son of Balian, 1193–1236 Lordship held by Counts of Jaffa and Ascalon after 1236.

Lordship of Mirabel Mirabel was separated from Jaffa after the revolt in 1134, and given to Baldwin of Ibelin in 1166, although it was separate from Ibelin. He was succeeded by his son Thomas of Ibelin, ruling from 1186–1188.

Principality of Galilee

The Principality of Galilee was established by Tancred in 1099 and was centered around Tiberias in Galilee proper, and was sometimes called the Principality of Tiberias or the Tiberiad. The principality became the fief of the families of Saint Omer, Montfaucon (Falcomberques), and then Bures. The principality was destroyed by Saladin in 1187, although the title was used by relatives and younger sons of the kings of Cyprus (the titular kings of Jerusalem) afterwards. The principality had its own vassals, the Lordships of Beirut, Nazareth and Haifa, which often had their own sub-vassals.

Princes of Galilee The princes of Galilee were: Tancred, 1099–1101 Hugh of Fauquembergues, 1101–1106 Gervaise de Bazoches, 1106–1108 Tancred, second reign, 1109–1112 Joscelin I of Edessa (as Lord of Courtenay), 1112–1119 William I of Bures, 1120–1141 Elinand, 1142–1148 William II of Bures, brother of Elinand, 1148–1158 Eschiva of Bures, 1159–1187, with Gautier of Saint Omer (1159–1171) and Raymond III of Tripoli (1174–1187) Galilee occupied by Ayyubids, 1187–1240 Eschiva of Saint Omer, granddaughter of William II, 1240–1247, with Odo of Montbéliard (1240–1247) Galilee taken by Ayyubids, 1247.

The sons of William II of Bures were titular princes of Galilee after the death of Eschiva of Bures in 1187: Hugh II of Saint Omer from 1187–1204 and Raoul of Saint Omer from 1204–1219. Eschiva of Saint Omer was daughter of Raoul of Saint Omer, and she was titular princess of Galilee from 1219–1240 and 1247 until after 1265. Her husband was titular prince of Galilee from 1219–1240.

Lordship of Nazareth Nazareth was the original site of the Latin patriarch, established by Tancred. It was created as a seigneury in Galilee in 1115. The archbishop of Nazareth also ruled over Haifa.

Lordship of Haifa

Haifa was partly an ecclesiastical domain ruled by the archbishop of Nazareth, and partly created from other lands in the Principality of Galilee. The lords of Haifa were: Geldemar Carpenel, 1100–1101 Tancred, 1101–1103 Rorgius, 1103–1107 Pagan, 1107–1112 Royal domain, 1112–1187 Haifa occupied by Ayyubids, 1187–1191 Vivian, c. 1140s Pagan, 1190–? Rorgius II, ?–1244? Garsias Alvarez, c. 1250 Gilles d'Estrain, c. 1260 Haifa taken by Mamluks, 1265.

Lordship of Beirut

Beirut was captured in 1110 and given to Fulk of Guînes. It was one of the longest-lived seigneuries, surviving until the final collapse of the kingdom in 1291, although only as a tiny strip on the Mediterranean coast surrounding Beirut. It was important for trade with Europe, and had its own vassals.

Beirut taken by Mamluks in 1291.

The vassals of the lord Beirut were the lords of Banias and the lords of Toron.

Lordship of Banias Banias (Caesarea Philippi) was under the control of the Assassins from 1126–1129, when it was given to the Franks following the purge of the sect in Damascus by Taj al-Muluk Buri. The area was in dispute from 1132–1140 when Banias was merged with Toron under Humphrey II of Toron. It fell to Nur ad-Din in 1164, and when recovered it became part of the Lordship of Joscelin III of Edessa (see below).

Lordship of Chastel Neuf

Chastel Neuf was built by Hugh of Falkenberg around 1105 but was later given to the Hospitallers, until it fell to Nur ad-Din in 1167.Jean Richard, The Crusades, C.1071-c.1291, transl. Jean Birrell, (Cambridge University Press, 2001), 310.

Lordship of Toron