Regency of Jerusalem
During her absence, civil war had raged between the Levantine barons and supporters of the emperor. The emperor had lost his wife, Alice's niece Isabella II of Jerusalem. Isabella left a son, Conrad. Frederick wanted to become regent of Jerusalem but the barons were against this idea. The barons legitimized their position by appointing Alice and her husband Raoul de Soissons as regent, to secure a legitimate political position against Richard Filangieri, who was representing the emperor. Raoul then asked to receive the city of Tyre, on behalf of her regency, but Philip of Montfort, Lord of Tyre preferred to keep it to increase his stronghold of Toron, and supported by other barons, made it clear to Raoul that the title of regent was only symbolic. In the end Raoul left the Holy Land and his wife and went to the West early in 1244.
Alice of Jerusalem and Champagne remained at Saint-Jean d'Acre and assumed the title of (symbolic) regent of the kingdom of Jerusalem and died in 1247. Her son took over as regent for Conrad.
Read more about this topic: Alice Of Champagne
Famous quotes containing the word jerusalem:
“Comfort, comfort ye my people, speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
comfort those who sit in darkness mourning ‘neath their sorrows’ load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem of the peace that waits for them;
tell her that her sins I cover, and her warfare now is over.”
—Johann G. Olearius (1611–1684)