John II of Beirut

John of Ibelin (died 1264), often called John II, was the Lord of Beirut from 1254, named after his grandfather John I, the famous "Old Lord of Beirut". His parents were Balian of Ibelin and Eschiva de Montfaucon, daughter of Walter of Montbéliard and Bourgogne de Lusignan of Cyprus.

John II
Coat-of-arms of Ibelin
Lord of Beirut
Reign	1254–1264
Predecessor	Balian of Beirut
Successor	Isabella of Beirut
Died	1264
Buried	Nicosia
Noble family	House of Ibelin-Beirut
Spouse(s)	Alice de la Roche of Athens
Issue Isabella of Beirut Eschiva of Beirut
Father	Balian of Beirut
Mother	Eschiva de Montfaucon Montbéliard

Biography

He inherited the Lordship of Beirut from Hugh of Ibelin. In 1258, by "manipulat[ing] the complex regency laws", John and his compatriot John of Jaffa, succeeded in aligning the feudatories of Jerusalem with the Republic of Venice against that of Genoa in the War of Saint Sabas. He took part in a very large raid alongside the Templars into Galilee in 1260. They were defeated at the camp near Tiberias in a route by some Turcomen and John was taken captive along with John of Gibelet, James Vidal, and Thomas Bérard, Grand Master of the Knights Templar. His ransom alone was 20,000 bezants.

He married Alice de la Roche, daughter of Guy I, Duke of Athens; he had two daughters:

• Isabelle 1252–1282/83, lady of Beirut, who married Hugh II of Cyprus; the marriage was not consummated, then Haymo Létrange, Nicolas l'Alleman and William Barlais.
• Eschive 1253–1312, lady of Beirut, who married Humphrey de Montfort, lord of Tyre and Guy constable of Cyprus.

Ancestry

Ancestors of John II of Beirut

Barisan d'Ibelin Balian d'Ibelin Helvis, lady of Ramla John I d'Ibelin, lord of Beirut John Komnenos Maria Komnene Maria Taronitissa Balian d'Ibelin, lord of Beirut Guy of Arsuf Melissende, lady of Arsuf John II d'Ibelin, lord of Beirut Richard II of Montfaucon Amadeus II of Montfaucon Sophie of Montbéliard Walter of Montbéliard Beatrice Grandson-Joinville Eschiva de Montfaucon Hugh VIII of Lusignan Aimery de Lusignan, king of Cyprus Bourgogne de Rancon Bourgogne de Lusignan of Cyprus Baldwin of Ibelin Eschive d'Ibelin Richilde de Bethsan

References

• Marshall, Christopher. Warfare in the Latin East, 1192–1291. Cambridge University Press, 1992.