Fulk V of Anjou: the King Who Beat His Queen

When Fulk arrived in Jerusalem, he wasted no time in asserting himself. Rather than rule alongside Queen Melisende as Baldwin had intended, he began sidelining her in every act of government. Charters that once bore her name alone now appeared only with Fulk’s. The Angevin knights who followed him filled the court, and Melisende’s supporters were dismissed.

Chroniclers tell us that Fulk acted as if Jerusalem were his by right, ignoring the fact that he was only there through his wife’s inheritance. To medieval men, this seemed natural. To Melisende’s followers, it was an outrage.