Helvis of Ibelin

Helvis of Ibelin (after 1178 – before 1 June 1216) was a daughter of Balian of Ibelin and his wife, Maria Komnene, who was the dowager Queen of Jerusalem.[1] Helvis was a member of the House of Ibelin. She was Lady of Sidon by her first and second marriage.

Helvis of Ibelin
Coat-of-arms of Ibelin
Lady of Sidon
Tenurec. 1191-1216
Bornafter 1178
Diedbefore 1 June 1216
SpouseReginald of Sidon
Guy de Montfort, Lord of Sidon
IssueAgnes of Sidon
Euphemia, Lady of Gogulat
Balian, Count of Sidon
Philip of Montfort, Lord of Tyre
Pernelle of Montfort
HouseHouse of Ibelin
FatherBalian of Ibelin
MotherMaria Komnene

Life

Helvis' mother was the widow of Amalric I of Jerusalem, which made Helvis a half-sister of Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem. Helvis was one of four siblings: although their order of birth is uncertain, the manuscripts of the Lignages d'Outremer suggest she was the elder daughter, and possibly the eldest child.[2] Her maternal grandparents were John Komnenos and his wife Maria Taronitissa. Her paternal grandparents were Barisan of Ibelin and his wife Helvis of Ramla.

Helvis' siblings were John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut, Margaret of Ibelin, and Philip of Ibelin, Regent of Cyprus.

Helvis spent her early life in Jerusalem, though during Saladin's siege of the city in 1187, Helvis, her mother and siblings were escorted to live in Tripoli. Her father Balian remained in Jerusalem and negotiated its surrender to Saladin, but joined his family in Tripoli afterward. They then went to Tyre, where they formed the strongest support for Conrad of Montferrat, who married Helvis's half-sister Queen Isabella in November 1190.

First Marriage

Helvis firstly married Reginald of Sidon, a widower over forty years her senior.[3] Reginald had been imprisoned by Saladin and married Helvis soon after his release in April 1190.

The couple had the following children:

Reginald died in 1202, leaving Helvis a widow.

Second Marriage

When Guy de Montfort arrived at Jaffa, he took part in King Amalric II of Jerusalem's expedition into Galilee. Amalric rewarded Guy's service by arranging his marriage to Helvis.[3] They married in 1204.

The couple had the following children:

  • Philip, who stayed in the Holy Land and became Lord of Tyre.[3]
  • Pernelle, who became a nun at the abbey of Saint-Antoine des Champs in Paris.

The couple were married for twelve years before Helvis' death in 1214. She had five children in total.

Ancestors

References
  1. Ambroise 2003, p. 149.
  2. Nielen (ed.), Lignages d'Outremer, pp. 62 & 98.
  3. Edbury 2001, p. 24.
  4. Nielen (ed.), Lignages d'Outremer, pp. 62, 71, 102.

Sources
  • Ambroise (2003). Barber, Malcolm (ed.). The History of the Holy War. Translated by Ailes, Marianne. The Boydell Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Edbury, Peter W. (2001). "The De Montforts in the Latin East". In Prestwich, Michael; Britnell, R. H.; Frame, Robin (eds.). Thirteenth Century England VIII: Proceedings of the Durham Conference 1999. The Boydell Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Peter W. Edbury, John of Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Woodbridge, 1997.
  • Marie-Adélaïde Nielen (ed.), Lignages d'Outremer, Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, 1993.
  • Reinhold Röhricht (ed.), Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani MXCVII-MCCXCI, and Additamentum, Berlin, 1893-1904.
  • William of Tyre, A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea. E. A. Babcock and A. C. Krey, trans. Columbia University Press, 1943.
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