
Balian of Ibelin (1143-1193) was a vassal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Born in France, Balian of Ibelin was of noble descent, and he became one of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem's finest generals during the Crusades. He was a veteran of the wars with the Ayyubids, and he allied with Raymond III of Tripoli against Guy de Lusignan, as he was friendly with Muslims, not harboring any hatred towards their religion.
Biography[]

Balian of Ibelin at the battle of Ascalon in 1180
Son of Barisan of Ibelin, Balian of Ibelin was a vassal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1177 he was present at the Battle of Montgisard, leading the vanguard against the strongest point of the Muslim line. However, he lost Ascalon to Ayyubid Sultan Saladin and later captured in 1179 when Saladin captured the Crusader fortress of Jacob’s Ford; his ransom was paid the next year by Byzantine Emperor Manuel I. Balian commanded a Jerusalemite invasion of Egypt in 1182 and conquered the city of Dumyat from the Ayyubids, taking over the Ayyubid ports and preventing them from accessing their vital maritime trade routes. In 1187 he took part in the Battle of Hattin along with Joscelin III of Edessa, and he narrowly avoided capture in the defeat of the Crusader army. He fled to Tyre, the last Crusader stronghold, and he then took charge of the defense of Jerusalem, which was next in the chain of the Ayyubid Caliphate Sultan Saladin's conquests. After a short siege that he could not withstand, Balian of Ibelin surrendered the city to Saladin’s army. He was released soon after and continued fighting, taking charge of Richard the Lionheart’s rearguard at the Battle of Jaffa in 1192. He defeated Saladin for the last time, dying soon after.