General Notes

Alias:<ALIA> /Le Jueune/
REFN: 4132AN
REFN: P4133
Fulk V of Anjou (1089/1092 – November 13, 1143), also known as Fulk the Yo
ung, and after 1131 as Fulk of Jerusalem, was Count of Anjou from 11
09 to 1129, and king of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death.
Count of Anjou
Fulk was born between 1089 and 1092, the son of Count Fulk IV of Anjou a
nd BertraDe De Montfort. In 1092, BertraDe deserted her husband and beca
me the mistress of King Philip I of France.
He became count of Anjou upon his father's death in 1109, at the age of ap
proximately 20. He was originally an opponent of King Henry I of England a
nd a supporter of King Louis VI of France, but in 1127 he allied with Hen
ry when Henry arranged for his daughter Matilda to marry Fulk's son Geoffr
ey of Anjou. Fulk went on crusaDe in 1120, and become a close friend of t
he Knights Templar. After his return he began to subsidize the Templars, a
nd maintained two knights in the Holy Land for a year.
Crusader and King
By 1127 Fulk was preparing to return to Anjou when he received an embas
sy from King Baldwin II of Jerusalem. Baldwin II had no male heirs but h
ad already designated his daughter MelisenDe to succeed him. Baldwin II wa
nted to safeguard his daughter's inheritance by marrying her to a powerf
ul lord. Fulk was a wealthy crusader and experienced military commander, a
nd a widower. His experience in the field would prove invaluable in a fron
tier state always in the grip of war.
However, Fulk held out for better terms then mere consort of the Quee
n; he wanted to be king alongsiDe Melisende. Baldwin II, reflecting on Ful
k's fortune and military exploits, acquiesced. Fulk abdicated his county s
eat of Anjou to his son Geoffery and left for Jerusalem, where he marri
ed MelisenDe on June 2, 1129. Later Balwin II bolstered Melisende's positi
on in the kingdom by making her sole guardian of her son by Fulk, Baldw
in III, born in 1130.
Fulk and MelisenDe became joint rulers of Jerusalem in 1131 with Baldwin I
I's death. From the start Fulk assumed sole control of the government, exc
luding MelisenDe altogether. He favored fellow countrymen from Anjou to t
he native nobility. The other crusader states to the north feared that Fu
lk would attempt to impose the suzerainty of Jerusalem over them, as Baldw
in II had done; but as Fulk was far less powerful than his deceased father
-in-law, the northern states rejected his authority. Melisende's sister Al
ice of Antioch, exiled from the Principality by Baldwin II, took contr
ol of Antioch once more after the death of her father. She allied with Po
ns of Tripoli and Joscelin II of Edessa to prevent Fulk from marching nor
th in 1132; Fulk and Pons fought a brief battle before peace was made a
nd Alice was exiled again.
In Jerusalem as well, Fulk was resented by the second generation of Jerusa
lem Christians who had grown up there since the First Crusade. These "nati
ves" focused on Melisende's cousin, the popular Hugh II of Le Puiset, cou
nt of Jaffa, who was devotedly loyal to the Queen. Fulk saw Hugh as a riva
l, and it did not help matters when Hugh's own step-son accused him of dis
loyalty. In 1134, in order to expose Hugh, Fulk accused him of infideli
ty with Melisende. Hugh rebelled in protest. Hugh secured himself to Jaff
a, and allied himself with the Muslims of Ascalon. He was able to defeat t
he army set against him by Fulk, but this situation could not hold. The Pa
triarch interceded in the conflict, perhaps at the behest of Melisende. Fu
lk agreed to peace and Hugh was exiled from the kingdom for three year
s, a lenient sentence.
However, an assassination attempt was made against Hugh. Fulk, or his supp
orters, were commonly believed responsible, though direct proof never surf
aced. The scandal was all that was needed for the queen's party to take ov
er the government in what amounted to a palace coup. Author and histori
an Bernard Hamilton wrote that the Fulk's