Ibelin was a castle in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century, the namesake of an important family of nobles.
The site of Ibelin was occupied since ancient times; the Romans called it Iamnia. The crusader castle was built in 1141 between Jaffa and Ascalon, near Montgisard and Ramla. At that time Ascalon was still controlled by Fatimid Egypt, and Egyptian armies marched out every year from Ascalon to attack the crusader kingdom. Ibelin was constructed in order to contain these attacks to a smaller area. The original castle, built by King Fulk of Jerusalem, had four towers.
The Ibelin family claimed to be descended from the Le Puiset viscounts of Chartres, but the ancestor of the family was actually Barisan, who was given the castle of Ibelin in 1141 by Fulk as a reward for his loyalty during the revolt of Hugh II of Le Puiset in 1134. Ibelin was part of the County of Jaffa, which was itself part of the royal domain after Hugh's unsuccessful revolt. Barisan married Helvis of Ramla; their children were Hugh, Baldwin, Barisan, Ermengarde, and Stephanie. The younger Barisan came to be known as Balian. Along with Ibelin, the 12th century family also held Ramla and Nablus, but Balian was the last to hold these territories as they all fell to Saladin in 1187. The family regained control of Ibelin in 1241 in the aftermath of the Sixth Crusade, when certain territories were returned to the Christians by treaty.
Balian's descendents were among the most powerful nobles in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Cyprus. Balian's first son John of Ibelin, the "Old Lord of Beirut", was the leader of the opposition to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, when he tried to impose imperial authority over the crusader states. John had numerous children with Melisende of Arsuf, including Balian, lord of Beirut; Baldwin, seneschal of Cyprus; another John, lord of Arsuf and constable of Jerusalem; and Guy, constable of Cyprus. This Balian was married to Eschiva of Montbéliard and was the father of John II of Beirut, who married the daughter of Guy I de la Roche, duke of Athens. John of Arsuf was the father of Balian of Arsuf, who married Plaisance of Antioch. Guy the constable was the father of Isabella, who married Hugh III of Cyprus.
Balian of Ibelin's second son Philip was regent of Cyprus. With Alice of Montbéliard, he was the father of John of Ibelin, count of Jaffa and Ascalon, regent of Jerusalem, and author of the Assizes of the Haute Cour of Jerusalem, the most important legal document from the crusader kingdom. John married Maria, sister of Hethum I of Armenia, and was the father of James, count of Jaffa and Ascalon and also a noted jurist; and of Guy, count of Jaffa and Ascalon and husband of his cousin Maria, Hethum's daughter.
Today Ibelin is known as Yavne.
Family tree
