The piety, power, and patronage of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem's Queen Melisende.
Item
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Title
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The piety, power, and patronage of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem's Queen Melisende.
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Identifier
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AAI3169909
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identifier
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3169909
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Creator
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Gaudette, Helen A.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Pamela Sheingorn
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Date
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2005
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, Medieval | History, Middle Eastern | Biography
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Abstract
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This dissertation is an examination of Queen Melisende's piety, power, and patronage in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem of the twelfth century. The principal sources used to assess her reign are William of Tyre's A History of the Deeds Done Beyond the Sea and the royal charters issued in her name, or with her consent, as well as the witness lists that accompany them. The first chapter consists of an "Introduction" to Melisende's life and circumstances as well as the sources for her reign. The second chapter, "Melisende's Inheritance," describes the foundation of her kingdom by the First Crusade's princes and soldiers as well as the monarchy and church institutions that were established and modeled after those they knew back home in Western Europe. The third chapter, "Melisende's Reign," pieces together the evidence to create a narrative of her life and actions. It demonstrates that her political position in the kingdom was much more significant than the queens who preceded her, and describes her success in wielding power and keeping her position during her marriage to Fulk of Anjou despite his attempt to take it away from her. The third chapter ends by relating the successes and failures in her reign after Fulk's death in the years leading up to the revolt of her son Baldwin III and her activities during retirement until her death in 1161. The fourth chapter, "Melisende's Patronage," examines the power of gift-giving in the twelfth century and all of the surviving evidence that indicates the extent of Melisende's patronage and the significant ways that she accessed political power through donations and support for the kingdom's churchmen and religious institutions. The fifth chapter, "Melisende's Contemporaries," examines the reigns of other ruling women in the twelfth century in the West as well as in the East to put Melisende's accomplishments into perspective and provide a context for her circumstances and actions. It concludes that Melisende and some of her contemporaries were successful because they skillfully manipulated the power structures of the twelfth century that allowed for the possibility of female inheritance and independent rule under certain conditions.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
