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Humphrey I of Toron

Humphrey II of Toron (1117-1179) was the lord of Toron and Constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Biography[]

Humphrey was born in 1117, the son of Humphrey I of Toron. He became the lord of Toron before 1140, and his father became Count of Safed while he was the Duke of Oultrejourdain. In 1153, King Baldwin III of Jerusalem made him the constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and Humphrey fought at Ascalon that same year. In 1157, he was defeated at Baniyas by Nur ad-Din, and he was besieged there until Baldwin III lifted Nur ad-Din's siege of the castle. In 1173, Humphrey defeated Nur ad-Din's siege of Kerak, but Agnes of Courtenay's influence in court increased by 1176, leaving Humphrey with substantially less power. In 1177, he was passed over when Hebron was granted to Raynald of Chatillon instead of Humphrey, and Humphrey and Raymond III of Tripoli were members of a large faction of old families opposed to the rise of new families in the Levant such as Raynald's dynasty. Humphrey took part in several wars against the nearby Musim states, and he was said to have given a belt of knighthood to the Saracen leader Saladin to commemorate his chivalry. In 1179, Humphrey negotiated peace between the Templar Order and Knights Hospitaller, and he was mortally wounded during a Muslim ambush near Baniyas after saving King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem from the Saracens.

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