Top 5 Crusader Kings of Jerusalem

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Top 5 Crusader Kings of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem, situated on the edge of Christendom, surrounded by enemy Saracen kingdoms, was one of the most challenging territories to rule in the medieval world. It took an intelligent and capable king to successfully lead crusader Jerusalem; today we’ll meet some of the men who rose to the occasion.
Image Credits:
great mosque at sunset
by 미리암96
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[@bonitokun3645]

The kingdom of heaven was based on the reign of Baldwin IV.

[@keiserwilhem5543]

Kingdom of heaven was a shitty movie depicting Templar Knights as dishonorable men

[@RyderMCG]

@@keiserwilhem5543 no it portrayed the grandmaster as a greed stricken lunatic

[@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo]

@@keiserwilhem5543 the full length directors cut is a way better movie than the one released on screen.

[@arturliebl7248]

@@acestriker413 oh of course, nothing wrong with historical inaccuracy... Go back to drinking your milk kiddo

[@markedwardbaldwin]

King Baldwin the IV had Tzaraat not Leprosy... the movie has many errors and yes many a King has been romanticized throughout history, because the victor always held the pen.

[@krednevalga1686]

Baldwin IV is such a badass man

[@VOTE_REFORM_UK]

Cant spell Baldwin without “WIN.”

[@chamathdimantha6532]

haha yesss

[@markedwardbaldwin]

BOLD MEAD/Wine

[@itachi-kun7736]

Boudouin

[@lechristine1372]

Of all the Baldwin's , Baldwin IV is the best, among them, with his only young age he is very good in economic strategy and art of war, He decapitated Saladin, with just economic relations. If he didnt had that leper, how much more .

[@khanneha6822]

You said this only because u watched the kingdom of heaven right , he was also very cruel like other

[@itsakm4964]

@@khanneha6822 proof? Because all the records I’ve seen depict him as a great person

[@ramsshelbs6536]

He didn’t decapitate Saladin lol Saladin eventually took over Jerusalem what’re you talking about?!

[@itsakm4964]

@@ramsshelbs6536dude not literally

[@ramsshelbs6536]

@@itsakm4964 oh ok I was like huh? Lol my bad

[@respectablebogan3276]

If your name was Baldwin back then chances are you're a good bloke

[@markedwardbaldwin]

so are you saying that the Baldwin's of today are probably badasses ahahahaha also King Baldwin the IV had Tzaraat ( a biblical affliction as did Moses) not Leprosy. and he hearted the Cannabis.

[@markedwardbaldwin]

Templars were/are the world's greatest weed dealers.

[@edubvb5193]

@@markedwardbaldwin leprosy is a proven scientific disease, which is what Baldwin had. "Biblical afflictions" are basically religious interpretations of diseases.

[@Fallerin]

@@edubvb5193 We now can treat and cure it too.

[@risenfromyoutubesashesagai6302]

Have you done much research into the greatest Baldwin King of them all!? King Baldwin el-Baldwin the Baldwin Baldwin the 5th!!! He crushed all who opposed, with only 112 infantryman and 28 cavalry.

[@silva2094]

The Leper King Baldwin the 4th ✝️

[@markedwardbaldwin]

Tzaraat King

[@kingbaldwiniv5409]

I am cool with my ranking.

[@respectablebogan3276]

Hail the King

[@user-nk7xg8jn8q]

Do you know the king Salahuldin

[@janetteestrada9214]

King Baldwin IV marry me

[@kingbaldwiniv5409]

@@user-nk7xg8jn8q he and I don't get along.

[@booonesaaw]

@@kingbaldwiniv5409 apparently you actually did get along.

[@mr.p2544]

I have to get your book man. I love these videos

[@HaraldBaldr]

Wish this was 70 minutes instead of 7! Great video though

[@skkk352]

I know you Harald. You are a vlogger. Never thought you viewed videos like this.

[@monsterhighbites5090]

Yet hes probably right.. To an extent.. How can looking hurt?

[@pedrValente]

You can just whatch it 10 times

[@haydenbryce3824]

i know it's kinda randomly asking but do anybody know of a good site to watch newly released series online ?

[@tonyelijah1753]

@Hayden Bryce i use FlixZone. Just google for it :)

[@vaughnkrinhop4624]

man I love this channel

[@patsyk1213]

Me too! Real Crusades History has made me proud of the Crusades and the sacrificial nature of the Crusades and the Crusader knights.

[@TheAmericanCrusader]

Baldwin I may not have been as humble as his brother Godfrey (Godfrey refused to wear a Crown of Gold in the city where Christ wore a crown of thorns, also Baldwin had a history of loving women and war) but he was a successful conqueror. Baldwin the Conqueror.

[@markedwardbaldwin]

Saint Louis, undertook two crusades to the Holy Land. He acquired relics of Christ's passion from his cousin, the Latin emperor of Constantinople Baldwin II, most notably a piece of the True Cross and also the Crown of Thorns.

[@kaylew108]

It's so fascinating to think about the time, and the kingdom that was.

[@supremeleaderofobosrussian2661]

Great channel)

[@MrJimmibambo]

great video

[@ascaloncrusader]

Baldwin IV definitely ruled during a turbulent time. Hey, what about Fulk?

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Ascalon Crusader Fulk is probably #6.

[@ascaloncrusader]

Real Crusades History haha 😆 yes. Pretty sure it was Fulk who fell off a horse and crushed and had his skull crushed in Acre... right? 😦

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Ascalon Crusader well he was out on a hunting trip and was thrown from his horse. He was definitely a great king, it’s just that the competition is pretty stiff when it comes to crusader Jerusalem. A lot of really impressive kings, which they needed. When they finally got a dud everything went to heck.

[@ascaloncrusader]

Real Crusades History lmao what a GUY!

[@m.mozdemir]

He got fulked up

[@tsafa]

Great vid!

[@shotsfiredgaming6924]

These guys seem like they could be "the most interesting men in the world".

[@reggieorabuena6242]

Great vid.

[@kelvinosei6368]

i love this channel

[@nykia31]

I could watch stuff like this all day

[@deniseroe5891]

Awesome. I am coming to the history of the Crusades late. Remember studying them but didn't get it to them. Part of it is that I have researched our ancestry and have gone back far enough to find out that my multi-great ancestors were Knights and that King Fluk and King Baldwin were my grand fathers. Will check out the book. Thanks for the history.

[@samsoncaesar2263]

Long live Jerusalem !

[@nazimmmalikk1810]

Long live baitul muqaddas

[@koushikdas1992]

We must protect temple mount.

[@jimmymaximusace]

Amazing

[@antoinelambert938]

So i suppose Godefroy de Bouillon has the honorary spot #0 because he was discalified by being too badass to be a king.

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Antoine Lambert yeah I thought about cheating and including him, but since he was never technically a king it didn’t seem fair.

[@antoinelambert938]

Real Crusades History maybe in the next video add a special mention on why he is number 0 (not on the list yet above). Also, video Idea : why does history Chanel thinks the Templar were Jedi ( explaining common points and differences may be a good debuking idea).

[@mrnice7570]

Protector of the holy sepulchre not king but badass !!

[@lechristine1372]

Godfrey de bouillon was supposed to be the First King of Jerusalem according to the history, but because of the true faith in God and respect where Jesus was crowned the thorned crown, . . . He didnt want to take the position. But for the people back then he was the King of Jerusalem, and they just gave him the title, Protector of Jerusalem and Protector of the Holy Sephulcher. Well we need Knights like him today.

[@markedwardbaldwin]

The House of Flanders aka Baldwin the capital city of (BALDWIN) Flanders is Lille, France. The Lily is symbolic of the Merovingian Bloodline Fleur-de-Lis: also known as the Merovingian Lily, the three-pronged flower-head was a very sacred symbol, (of the roman goddess Latin Iūnō - the Lilly Maid, mother of shining one the war god, Mars... MARduK), used by the early Gauls and the powerful Salian Frankish dynasty that reigned across France from circa 481 to 751. (Tyr Mars Balder) Balder and Tyr are semantically related.

[@jeffreytan2948]

The reason the kingdom of Jerusalem lasted for as long as it did was a succession of very capable and good leaders.

[@almighty5839]

A rarity of the time

[@zaidhernandez4601]

Nur as-Din even liked Baldwin, you gotta be pretty good to be liked even by your enemies

[@andreadato6447]

Same thing was between Saladin and Baldwin IV

[@Roox8115]

I agree with the top 5, although (a bit subjectively, i know) i would have been more inclined to put Baldwin IV on the first place. However, it would not have done justice to the historical accomplishments of his ancestors. A no.2 spot is most deserving, indeed. From my point of view, he was the only king of Jerusalem, or of Europe, or of Christendom in general, who conveyed most visibly a divine message (God's message) of a divine order. Through him, and everything that happened in his life (from the discovery of the disease till his death), God wanted to set an example for the entire humanity, and He succeeded. Baldwin IV took a horrific misfortune (and his greatest enemy) and turned it into a personal and collective triumph.

[@mervynjones1759]

God bless!

[@marshah4971]

Fulk of Anjou is my 27th Great Grandfather.

[@MisterShermo]

same

[@madenerg3555]

@@MisterShermo hes my 26th

[@karenbell1780]

@@madenerg3555 Mine too.

[@sirkesha]

Alternate Title: the 4 Baldwins and Almaric

[@FireMan1240]

Dose you book come in an audio version

[@noahclark4622]

I don't think its necessary to say the name I would give a son if I am ever blessed with one. The Baldwin's were each brilliant in their own ways, and I imagine Baldwin V would have been just as great, had God not called him home so soon. God bless 2018, its looking to be a good one. DEUS VULT!

[@Diwana71]

There was richest trade in the world in spice and cotton textile from India to Mediterranean Sea on to Europe. This used to come via Red Sea and cross the Holy Lands to the Mediterranean coast of Levant. Who ever controlled this coast controlled the most important cross roads.

[@PirateKnO]

Do you write those novels, where can I buy them?

[@TrajGreekFire]

Can we see a tier list of them all?

[@thedefender9516]

Great video and channel! #DeusVult

[@TheStrainers]

Fulk V, Count of Anjou and King of Jerusalem is one of my 25th great grandfathers

[@sheepshepherd5888]

Baldwin IV is like that one of Anime character who is so OP, but got a disease to stop him from being overshadow anyone

[@edinscot56789]

Great Kings. Great Men.

[@massimoarnaboldi3177]

Molto interessante 😀👑🎖️🥇🔝

[@nathanc1496]

I’m not sure if I’m the first to comment on this, but why did you use images from the bayeux tapestry in a video about the crusades?

[@nathanc1496]

Seriously, the bayeux tapestry was about William the Conqueror’s invasion of England. How does this have anything to do with the Holy Crusades that took place almost a hundred years later?

[@nathanc1496]

Btw I’m not even a medievalist, but that’s pretty glaring

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Because the Bayeux Tapestry shows us better than any other piece of art what the knights who actually fought during the First Crusade would have looked like. Historians often refer to the Bayeux Tapestry when trying to illustrate the armor and dress of the First Crusaders.

[@nathanc1496]

Real Crusades History That’s good reasoning. Thanks for the explanation. I’ll subscribe. If you don’t already the the channel should have a podcast then there’d be no need for finding images to display

[@kjell744]

interesting

[@rickyraps3887]

Could you do top 5 worst kings of Jerusalem?

[@GemmarVillanueva]

Top 1 for sure guy de loss

[@declanbuckley1287]

Rodney Stark his book on the crusaders----"God' Batallion" tremendous account-----making a great reason FOR the crusades

[@philipcallicoat9947]

Several of your illustration are from the Norman invasion of England... The Bayeux tapestry... Anyway, good job for short and historic accurate tale... Thanks.

[@patrickhows1482]

One of the tragedies of the kings of Jerusalem is that Baldwin III and Amalric I both died in their thirties, whereas the first two Baldwin's lived into their sixties. This is strange as one would imagine that people born in the Middle East would be more resistant to disease than those born in the West as Baldwin I and II were.

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

This is an often overlooked point. Both were outstanding kings, both could've lived well past 1187. Under either of these kings, the defeat at Hattin is not possible.

[@patrickhows1482]

@@RealCrusadesHistory Perhaps you would like to follow up with the top five queens of Jerusalem and the top five thirteenth century rulers of Jerusalem ( I deliberately use the term ruler, because so many of the monarchs were absentees, so you might want to include one of the Ibelin baillis). My first choice would be John of Brienne, whose extraordinary career would make a good subject for an historical novel. Finally some thoughts on Fulk of Anjou, I always feel a certain sense of disappointment with him, he was not a bad king, but he was merely competent and he failed to establish good relations with two important people. Firstly his wife Melisande, I read in a recent book that Baldwin ll and Melisande planned that Melisande should jointly rule with Fulk, whereas on Baldwin's death he tried to reduce her to a queen consort, hence the dispute between them which nearly caused civil war. Secondly, unlike his sons, he failed to realise the importance of establishing good relations with the Byzantine Emperor, even if had to implicitly acknowledge the Emperor as suzerain, something Baldwin lll was willing to do when he rode beside Manuel without wearing any royal regalia.

[@Bardawil1]

The arabic form of Baldwin is Bardawil that the name of Crusaders King are known in arabic countries.

[@chazdoit]

Hey man, if you ever pick up a video game in your life, get Crusader Kings 2

[@DootDoot93]

chazdoit I wish he played games, because I think he’d be able to enjoy it. Especially with certain mods. I use CK2Plus with the Rex Teutonicorum mod, mostly.

[@nmjjmn663]

If he has 300$ bucks laying around for all the DLC that is.

[@davidwright6591]

@@nmjjmn663 g2a my guy

[@torrvic1156]

It is free to play now. Not a problem to grab one in Steam.

[@arturliebl7248]

@@torrvic1156 what the heck? Are you serious?

[@johnsanford2683]

Has anyone here notices the Jerusalem Cross emblem on his shield???

[@markedwardbaldwin]

knight templar symbolism on the oreo cookie

[@novzki]

Where is Godfrey?

[@markedwardbaldwin]

Balian was actually based on a combination of two people Balian and his brother Baldwin of Ibelin

[@jerzygawor958]

In hoc signo vinces !

[@thecrippledgod2789]

All baldwins seem nice

[@chroniccoffin1]

Fulk or Foulques is my 30th great grandfather

[@babyhercules9875]

Dont forget the greatest conqueror , Alec the Bladwin

[@AUTOBOTGJB1997]

Was Baldwins wife named after the Theodora who was married to Justinian I?

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

The Knight of Jests not sure. She was Byzantine so Theodora was a pretty common name.

[@AlexM.317]

Theodora means ''God's gift '' in Greek . It is a very common name even in modern day Greece.

[@philly0976]

how did Baldwin the 4th come into contact with leprosy? What age was he?

[@FronteirWolf]

He was 9 when it was first noticed, but he was 15 by the time it was really noticeable.

[@ramilherrera4781]

He maybe not a King but Balian of Ibelin is one of the great man in Jerusalem.

[@camilomateus]

Gracias por el video. #BaldwinsRules #mynameisBaldwin 🐎🌪️🐎🌪️🌪️

[@seanrupert2308]

Fulk was one of the best and why isnt he on here and he is my 27th great grandfather and his son geoffrey of anjou is my 26th and king henry the 2nd is my 25th great grandfather and his son john Lackland king of England.

[@bobmcbride1487]

I am related to King Fulk and Melusine... They are the ancestors of the Plantagenets, Kings and Queen's line, The devil's brood, Such evil and insane behavior from The Monarchs.

[@azariahisrael5632]

Hello Cousin. I was thinking we decend from Baldwin I as well but now I dont think so. I think I confused him with Baldwin V of Flanders after watching this.

[@apriliahfitridamayanti9507]

THEY WERE THE REAL TEMPLARS. I LOVE TEMPLARS 🌟🌟💟💟🌟🌟

[@tazboy1934]

From small Israelite tribal war ...to big empire war

[@coodude5686]

what about Richard the Lionheart???!!!

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

He was King of England, not King of Jerusalem. But he was a great and victorious crusader certainly.

[@jaywilliams9294]

who was the worst?

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Jay Williams Guy of Lusignan.

[@lambert4116]

easy to say because he lost at Hattin. I would almost argue that Amalric was as bad because of his lust for Egypt which would set the trend of shifting crusader focus from Syria to disastrous results in Egypt for the next 100 years. If he had not wanted the wealth of Egypt, Damascus and Aleppo would probably have been captured.

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Lambert 41 Hmmm interesting point. Egypt seemed a more likely conquest than Aleppo or Damascus though.

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Lambert 41 Personally I think Amalric has to be admired for the Egypt project. Ultimately it was a big bust, but had he done nothing Nur ad-Din would have acquired Egypt easily. As it was, Amalric was able to establish a protectorate over Egypt for a good portion of the 1160’s, which kept the powers of Damascus and Egypt separated. On top of that Amalric came very close to actually conquering Egypt. Had that happened he would be #2 on this list.

[@lambert4116]

I'm sure it did because of the political strife of the time. However, militarily, the second crusade showed what not to do when attacking Damascus. Learning from their mistakes and changing tactics (as they could be seeing as how very little military ingenuity occurred in the period) may have been more intelligent as it was much closer than Cairo and the siege would be more effectively re-supplied (as it could be since no re-supply was guaranteed anywhere in the Levant except the coast if you controlled the sea)

[@octoberwed9824]

I wouldn't have any issue if all of them were named Baldwin actually as most of these rulers were all called Balwin.

[@markedwardbaldwin]

and why were they all called Baldwin?

[@kellyr8230]

How about Richard the Lionhart? No honorary mention?

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

He was never king of Jerusalem.

[@carvideos5276]

W imię ojca, syna i ducha świętego

[@kaze.5564]

AMEN.

[@TheJohnson861]

Who was the worst ??????

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Guy of Lusignan

[@TheJohnson861]

Thought so!!! Do you think he was solely accountable for the loss of Jerusalem to the Muslims. And if Jerusalem didn’t fall and stayed in Christian crusader hands do you think the Middle East would have being different today? Possibly more Christian ??

[@TheJohnson861]

Thought so!! Do you think he was solely accountable for Jerusalem falling to the Saladin. And if it didn’t and remained under Christian crusader rule do you think the Middle East today would have been different?? Perhaps more Christian

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

I think his handling of the 1187 campaign was entirely to blame for the loss at Hattin. Hattin is one of the most ridiculous defeats in history, quite frankly. All of Guy's advisors warned him against marching out to such an indefensible position against Saladin, except for Gerard of Ridefort, the Master of the Templars, and the worst of his office in all Templar history. Saladin was very lucky to be dealing with two fools in this case who handed him his great victory at Hattin. When Saladin had to deal with better commanders, like Baldwin IV the Leper and Richard the Lionheart, he was mostly defeated.

[@FreeMind5094]

@@RealCrusadesHistory With or without the Leper, Salahuddin was preparing to liberate Jerusalem from western invaders who slaughtered 70 thousand Muslims and Christian Arab civilians when Alquds fell to them in 1099. Salahuddin was merely waiting for the right moment. And btw, we called the invaders "Feranja" which is "The French" in Arabic as we didn't consider them true Christians. and btw again, I am a proud Agnostic Arab.

[@tamiloxd7168]

Who said Crusader Kings?

[@shotsfiredgaming6924]

It seems kind of a bummer for Saladin not to be able to defeat a young poor leper.

[@5winder]

God is good.

[@islamicsensei]

He was wise, ofc he knew the leper would die soon and the kingdom would be in chaos, that's exactly what happened.

[@munir9781]

Being a leper doesn't take from the fact that Baldwin IV was a shrewd and intelegent leader. Also Saladin defeated Baldwin IV in the battle of Jacobs Ford. The video is a little bit misleading on that front.

[@ahmedbassam118]

That is wrong saladin defeated Baldwin in the battle of marj ayyun and battle of Jacob ford Baldwin defeated saladin in battle of montgisard when saladin caught Un prepared by Baldwin but saladin strikes back at marj ayyun and Jacob ford

[@waseemhasan6546]

its funny you say that , since Saladin restored glory to jerusalem and returned it to its rightful owners, and kicked the invaders out!

[@DS-zn7yk]

how abount king richard the lion heart

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

This is specifically about the kings of Jerusalem.

[@DS-zn7yk]

@@RealCrusadesHistory oh i see because king richard the lion heart are not a king of jerusalem and he is the one of ally forces of the 3rd crusades right?????

[@robertbishop5357]

The Movie Kingdom of heaven doesn't even come close to historical accuracy.

[@ruuuuudooooolph]

Wish we had more baldwins.

[@dennisofster8623]

We are descended from the Baldwins,the Dukes of Flanders,related to Charlemagne and Alfred the Great,through Richard Forestarius,or Forester. hench the surname Forester,Forster and Foster.

[@dennisofster8623]

And to be honest,have a stronger claim to the Throne of England than the present imposters.

[@dravendfr]

Baldwin IV is my favorite, but Baldwin I makes perfect sense for the top spot. I’d say great list, but you already know that.

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Well thanks for that! I agree with your choices as well.

[@Mucusa]

Baldwin 4 the great king

[@voltaireabelgas3017]

orlando bloom can beat salahadin

[@justgamesaaron7968]

Lol lmao

[@malcigloe]

Frederik the second was King of Jerusalem

[@DeusVult5316]

Viva la monarchy!

[@arielg7000]

OMG

[@UncleWigz]

Family storys all was a uncle or a cousin

[@nfkveterana4491]

Bohemond sas Aldo badass, ha tool alone antiochia

[@ricoman486]

Baldwin the 3rd was the best crusader king

[@lightbeing3955]

Fulk (V), Knight Templar, King of Jerusalem is my 28th great grandfather and must be considered the greatest King of Jerusalem because he is lead sire of 11 US Presidents. It is likely that he is lead sire of many more US Presidents but I only have so much ability to check these studies out. But, this truth I know. Six Kings of Jerusalem are my great grandfathers.

[@arhambliss8606]

If you are Caucasian pretty sure he is your grandfather. There would have had to be billion upon billion of people back then to not be true.

[@donaldoduckus6566]

I suppose you venerate, and hope to emulate your 28th grandfather. To look up to him is understandable, but to honour his legacy is the most noble thing you can do in your lifetime.

[@theodoros9428]

the BALDWIN III was the BEST

[@nasalimbu3078]

Khai ra

[@highlordsilverhand1228]

#MAGA✝️

[@balidancer]

king Baldwin the great.....

[@rhdelndz]

Bald-WIN.....

[@akali7355]

Where is King Richard the Lionheart?

[@gabrielamdg8647]

He was king of England, and not Jerusalem sadly...

[@islamicsensei]

Kafir wasn't allowed into AlQuds (Jerusalem).

[@salahad-din3907]

He was killed by a boi with a bow

[@alexandrelacazette6169]

Salahuddin Al - Ayyubi

[@hewillneverleaveme.4564]

Im suprised you didnt mentioned Baldwin I disastrous loss against the Bulgarians under the leadership of Tsar/King Kaloyan and their mercenaries the Cumans, the bulgarians even captured him and later unfortunately executed him by pushing him off tower of Tsarevets(from were the name of the tower later gets its name Baldwin's Tower)

[@RealCrusadesHistory]

Well I didn't mention that because you're talking about a completely different Baldwin. You're talking about Baldwin I of Constantinople (1204-1205). This video discusses Baldwin I of Jerusalem (1100-1118). Baldwin I of Jerusalem only suffered a couple of minor losses in battle, but he was an overwhelmingly successful king, who died having mostly subdued his enemies.

[@hewillneverleaveme.4564]

@@RealCrusadesHistory okay then it is my mistake, sorry

[@maxxxstrong4577]

1 Infidel down voted.

[@FreeMind5094]

make them two, as I am an agnostic Arab, you narrow-minded fanatic