Joscelin III of Edessa (1139-1190) was the titular Count of Edessa from 1159 to 1190, succeeding Joscelin II.
Biography[]
Joscelin was born in 1139, the son of Joscelin II of Edessa, the brother of Agnes of Courtenay (the first wife of King Amalric I of Jerusalem), and the half-brother of Isabella I of Jerusalem, and he inherited the titular County of Edessa from his father in 1159, although his lands had been conquered or sold years before he took the title. He went on to move to the Kingdom of Jerusalem and gather enough land around Acre to create his own seigneurie. In 1164, he was captured at the Battle of Harim, and he was held prisoner until 1176, when his sister paid his ransom of 50,000 dinars. His nephew Baldwin IV of Jerusalem made Joscelin the Seneschal of Jerusalem, and he became rivals with Raymond III of Tripoli. In 1180, he served as ambassador to the Byzantine Empire, and, in 1185, he became the guardian of his grand-nephew Baldwin V of Jerusalem while Raymond III was regent. Joscelin backed Sibylla of Jerusalem's claim to the title of Queen, opposing his own half-sister's claim due to her alliance with Raymond. In 1187, he and Balian of Ibelin commanded the Jerusalemite rearguard at the Battle of Hattin, and all of his estates were captured by Saladin as he fled to Tyre. Joscelin went on to take part in the Siege of Acre, and he died during the siege. In 1220, the Teutonic Knights acquired his seigneurie near Acre.