Cold Open

It’s midday on July 26th, 1148, in orchards outside the city of Damascus, in the Holy Land.

Baldwin III of Jerusalem raises his shield as enemy arrows hiss through the leaves of the citrus trees and bury themselves in the earth around him.

Keeping low, the 17-year-old king hurries toward the shelter of a mud wall and shouts to his men to take cover.

The Second Crusade has been underway for a year. The Pope launched this war to reclaim territory that had been lost to Muslim forces in the Holy Land. But the Christian armies are faltering. Their attack on the city of Damascus has been repelled, and now the young King Baldwin and his men are pinned down in the orchards surrounding the city.

Beside Baldwin, a knight splutters and pants, overheating in his heavy chainmail and armor. Under the scorching sun, exhaustion and dehydration can almost be as dangerous as the enemy’s arrows.

The knight can’t breathe, and panicking, he drops his shield and peels off his sweat-drenched helmet, gasping for air.

Baldwin orders him to pick up his shield again. But before the man can react, an arrow plunges into his neck.

The knight crumples backward, clutching helplessly at his throat. There’s nothing Baldwin can do. And as the knight’s blood darkens the arid soil, Baldwin has a bitter realization that God has abandoned him. And he’s going to lose this battle.

Baldwin III’s failure to take Damascus will hearten his enemies, including his own mother, Melisende, who will use his defeat to tighten her own grip on power in the Holy Land. But the defeat at Damascus will not spell the end of King Baldwin’s reign. As he grows into manhood, he will gain more support, win more battles, and eventually be strong enough to overthrow his mother on April 20th, 1152.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is April 20th, 1152: Baldwin III Overthrows His Mother.

Act One: The Holy Land

It’s August 1148, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, a month after Baldwin III’s failure at Damascus.

38-year-old Queen Melisende kneels before the altar of the city’s holiest site. Draped in Byzantine silk and embroidered pearls, outwardly, she appears to be praying for her son Baldwin’s safe return from Damascus. But quietly, she thanks God for his defeat.

The failed siege of Damascus is a sign that the Lord has deemed him unworthy to rule, and that means it is still Melisende’s responsibility to protect Jerusalem.

Melisende has reigned over the city for nearly two decades. First, she ruled alongside her husband, but after his death, she became regent for their young son, the new king, Baldwin III. And it’s a weighty responsibility.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem is the most important of the four Crusader States in the Holy Land. It encompasses the ancient city of Jerusalem itself as well as lands stretching from Lebanon toward the deserts of the Sinai Peninsula. But despite its power, Jerusalem’s enemies are closing in. The forces of the Muslim Zengid Dynasty are massing in the North, while the Egyptian Fatimid Caliphate provokes the kingdom from the south.

In the face of these threats, Melisende does not believe it's time to hand over control of Jerusalem to the 17-year-old Baldwin. But as a woman, she is not allowed to lead the kingdom’s armies into battle. Baldwin has eagerly taken her place, hoping that victory at Damascus would prove he was ready to rule alone. Instead, though, his defeat has shown just how much he still has to learn.

And Melisende is quick to exploit Baldwin’s failure. She begins issuing royal edicts in her name only, distancing herself from her son. And to appease the clergy, Melisende orders extensive renovations of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. And to win the hearts of the people of Jerusalem, she launches a program of public works.

But despite all her political cunning, one vulnerability remains. Baldwin still leads the army. And there’s little she can do to stop him using it. In 1149, Baldwin marches north to strengthen the defenses in the cities of Acre and Tyre, building his own power base within the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

His confidence is growing, too, and in 1150, Baldwin makes a more direct move against his mother’s interests. He leads his troops south and begins fortifying the city of Gaza against Egyptian attacks. This ancient city is firmly in Melisende’s sphere of influence, but Baldwin is determined to show that he is capable of defending his kingdom wherever it is threatened.

But this political maneuver comes at a cost. Baldwin’s excursion to the south leaves his northern territories only lightly defended. Spotting this weakness, Zengid forces go on the offensive. Baldwin races back to Jerusalem to raise an army, but the city’s noble families refuse to support him. They claim their men are needed to protect Jerusalem itself, but Baldwin senses his mother’s hand at work. He thinks she is deliberately depriving him of an army, preferring to lose territory in the north rather than let her son win victory in battle.

So, Baldwin marches north with any soldiers he can muster. But he knows his makeshift army will be no match for the enemy. His territories in the north are as good as lost. So, he decides on a different approach.

While the land is still just in his control, he cedes it to the Emperor of Byzantium and then escorts its Christian citizens to better-defended territories farther south. And so when the north inevitably falls to the Muslims a few months later, it’s the Byzantine Emperor who is blamed by many, while Baldwin is hailed as the savior of the Christians.

His shrewd diplomacy has turned a potentially damaging defeat into a personal victory. And with his prestige growing, many nobles in Jerusalem quietly change sides. They bypass Queen Melisende and begin sending men and supplies to Baldwin.

This rattles Melisende, and to tighten her grip on the realm, she makes Baldwin’s younger brother Amalric the Count of Jaffa, a crucial city on the coast.

But Baldwin is outraged by this appointment. To him, it looks like Melisende is laying the groundwork to replace him with his more pliable brother. A showdown is coming between mother and son, and soon Baldwin will set out for Jerusalem to wrest control of his kingdom from Melisende once and for all.

Act Two: A Family Feud

It’s March 31st, 1152, outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, a year after Queen Melisende named a new count of Jaffa.

21-year-old King Baldwin III strides down the stone steps, with a retinue of knights at his heels. Leaving the domed church behind, they march through the streets of Jerusalem in a solemn procession. Robed pilgrims and local citizens alike stop to stare. But it’s not the sight of the king that surprises them the most, it’s what he’s wearing on his head. Baldwin has been crowned with a Roman laurel wreath like those worn by the ancient emperors. His message is clear—he is the rightful ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Word of Baldwin’s procession soon spreads across the city, and an urgent meeting of the nobility is called. They must decide if Baldwin and his mother, Queen Melisende, can continue ruling the kingdom together.

The nobles meet at the Tower of David, an ancient fortification that is the symbolic heart of Jerusalem. Inside a vaulted chamber, Baldwin and Melisende face off across a table. Frustrated, Baldwin scolds the nobles for standing in the way of his birthright. Still, he knows that his mother has too many allies in the south. They won’t be easily persuaded to abandon her. So, he proposes that the kingdom be divided in two. She can have the south, and he will rule the north.

As the council debates Baldwin’s request, Melisende stays silent at first. She has no desire to give up her grip on power just yet. But her son is a man now, and by law, she can no longer deny him his crown. So, in the end, she reluctantly gives the split of territories her blessing—though she can’t resist pointing out that it is Baldwin and not she who has torn the Holy Kingdom in two.

But a divided realm is not Baldwin’s endgame. When he returns to his stronghold in the north, he rallies his troops and proclaims that a half kingdom is not sufficient. He gathers an army of knights and mercenaries and then marches south. His target is Mirabel Castle—the final fortress on the road to Jerusalem, and the only thing between him and total power.

Standing on the parapets of the castle is Queen Melisende’s influential ally, the constable of Jerusalem, Manasses of Hierges. Melisende has ordered Manasses to hold the fortress and block Baldwin’s route to Jerusalem. But Manasses knows he is in for a tough fight.

Baldwin's men march in tight formation, their armor shimmering on the sunbaked road as they surround the castle. Riding in the vanguard, Baldwin draws his sword and points at the sky—asking God for divine favor. And then the attack begins.

Manasses and his troops fire arrows and hurl heavy stones down at Baldwin’s men. But they’re hopelessly outnumbered, and they can’t stop Baldwin’s knights from reaching the fortress gates. As a battering ram hammers on the wooden gate, it becomes clear to Manasses that the battle is already lost.

He gives a signal, and a shrill trumpet blast cuts through the fighting. As a strange silence settles over the castle, he orders his men to lay down their weapons. They will be surrendering to King Baldwin.

And when Manasses emerges from the fortress to surrender his sword, Baldwin meets him with a cold smile. He is merciful and spares Manasses’s life. But for his crime of supporting Baldwin’s mother, he strips him of his titles and banishes him from the Holy Land. And with this victory, Baldwin can turn his attention to his mother’s final stronghold—Jerusalem itself.

A few days later, Baldwin’s army camps outside this ancient city and begins to prepare for a long siege. But soon afterward, while Baldwin is inspecting his catapults, the gates of Jerusalem burst open. For a moment, Baldwin wonders whether his mother’s allies are launching some kind of counterattack. But it quickly becomes clear that these aren’t soldiers pouring out of the gates. The ordinary people of Jerusalem have made their choice. They’ve betrayed their Queen to welcome their one true King.

Cheers erupt as Baldwin’s knights march through the city, but Melisende herself remains defiant. She and her last remaining loyalists barricade themselves inside the Tower of David. But Baldwin hasn’t come this far to be thwarted. He moves his catapults into position and orders them to target the citadel.

Baldwin is determined that the Tower of David will fall. His mother, Melisende, will surrender to him. And he will seize total control over the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Act Three: Kingdom of Heaven

It’s April 20th, 1152, inside the Tower of David, three days after Baldwin III marched through the gates of Jerusalem.

Queen Melisende presses her palms against her ears as the bombardment resumes. In her windowless chamber, the torchlight flickers with every impact, and her jewel-studded garments are covered in dust. Though her men hold the ramparts with desperate courage, Melisende knows the truth—the crown of Jerusalem is slipping through her fingers. It’s only a matter of time before the citadel falls.

So Melisende summons her most senior advisor, who enters the chamber with a stiff and respectful bow. She tells him to yield to Baldwin and negotiate a truce. If Baldwin will let her leave the city and live out her days in peace elsewhere, she will give up her claim on the throne and recognize him as Jerusalem’s sole ruler.

Baldwin’s army rejoices at the news of the Queen’s surrender. But Baldwin himself is torn. Christians in the so-called “Kingdom of Heaven” are not meant to fight each other. It should never have come to this. Still, to bring an end to the destructive conflict, he accepts the terms.

Following her surrender, Melisende retires to the town of Nablus, 30 miles north of Jerusalem. And publicly, at least, the triumphant Baldwin downplays the rift with his mother. He shows respect to Melisende and makes a point of seeking her political advice. And this helps heal the wounds of the civil war and steadies Baldwin’s rule in Jerusalem.

So that over the next ten years, Baldwin will fortify his kingdom against outside threats and even expand its borders in the south. But his reign will be cut short when he is struck down by dysentery at the age of just 32. By then, his mother, Melisende, will be dead as well, so the crown of Jerusalem will pass to Baldwin’s younger brother, Amalric, the Count of Jaffa, making Melisende, mother of two kings, and a formidable ruler of her own, right up until her own son overthrew her on April 20th, 1152.

Outro

Next on History Daily. April 21st, 1918. The legendary German fighter pilot known as the Red Baron is finally shot down and killed over France.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Angus Gavan McHarg.

Edited by William Simpson.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.