The Ruling Of Women In The Kingdom Of The Lord

This historical novel delves into a fascinating political phenomenon: the involvement of Latin women in politics during Medieval History, specifically in the Early Crusading Period. The third king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, King Baldwin II, sought to extend his authority over the Crusader states, including Edessa, Tripoli, and Antioch. To achieve this, he married his daughter Alice to Prince Bohemond II of Antioch, thereby forcing Bohemond to recognize his dominance. Additionally, Baldwin married his elder daughter, Melisande, to an old and weak man named Fulk, possibly to allow Melisande an opportunity to rule the Kingdom.

Baldwin II crowned Melisande alongside her husband Fulk and their son Baldwin III, making them joint rulers of the Kingdom. After her father’s death, Queen Melisande was determined to rule the Kingdom with full authority. This led to conflicts with her husband, King Fulk, as he attempted to diminish her power. Upon King Fulk’s death, when her son Baldwin III was only thirteen years old, Melisande tried to govern without consulting him, even as he approached adulthood.

After a prolonged struggle, Baldwin III eventually succeeded in stripping his mother of her authority in 1161. This year marked the end of female rule in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The author has been intrigued by the phenomenon of Latin women’s involvement in the East, in matters of politics and governance, during the first sixty years of the Crusaders’ presence in the Islamic East. The Crusader women did not actively seek involvement in politics or compete with men for rule. Instead, they found themselves inadvertently entangled in a complex web. The persistence of the Kings of Jerusalem in asserting their authority over all Crusader entities in the Islamic East provided the gateway for Crusader women to assume political leadership through means such as political marriages. In this novel, the author adopted an approach that combines elements of a novel and a play. The author narrated the events through the voices of the Crusader characters themselves. He tried his best to be objective, especially since the novel is relevant to the Crusaders, the opponents of Muslims.