Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index



Click to view high resolution image

  • Title: Coronation of Baldwin III of Jerusalem by his mother, Melisende of Jerusalem
  • Creator:
  • Description: This image depicts the coronation of Baldwin III, King of Jerusalem, by his mother, Queen Melisende. It is located in a thirteenth-century version of the History of Outremer by William of Tyre, the principle source for the history of twelfth-century Jerusalem. He was a client of the Christian kings of Jerusalem and attempted to record the history of the dynasty in legalistic terms while accurately reflecting its politics. For William, Queen Melisende was the lynchpin in the dynasty. She was the eldest daughter of Baldwin II, king of Jerusalem, and was chosen as his heiress. Upon her marriage to Fulk of Anjou, Melisende was consecrated and crowned as queen of Jerusalem alongside her husband. After the death of Fulk, she was appointed sole regent for their son, Baldwin III, and she proved herself to be a skilled, active, and influential ruler for many years. William records that after Baldwin III had been consecrated as king, he and his mother were crowned together. This illumination corresponds to the text with relative accuracy. This illumination employs the proper coronation assembly, however the artist selectivley placed Queen Melisende at Baldwin’s right hand side instead of the bishop. From her position on their shared throne, a crowned Melisende places Baldwin’s crown on his head with the assistance of the bishop. These actions reflect the priviledge and priority of her rank not only as queen but also as heiress to the kingdom of Jerusalem, as well as the importance of her specific role in the coronation. The architectural setting of the building is signifiant because of its referenes to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was strongly supported by Queen Melisende, and it is one of the only coronation images that attributes such a strong sense of place to Melisende.
  • Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France
  • Rights: Public Domain
  • Subject (See Also): Baldwin III, King of Jerusalem Coronations Crusader States Crusades Kings Melisinde, Queen of Jerusalem Queens Regents
  • Geographic Area: France
  • Century: 13
  • Date: 1201-1300
  • Related Work: Histoire de la guerre sainte [par GUILLAUME, de Tyr], traduction et continuation. See the digitized manuscript on Gallica: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b85295204.r=2824.langEN
  • Current Location: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS. Fr. 2824, f. 102v
  • Original Location:
  • Artistic Type (Category): Digital Images; Manuscript Illuminations
  • Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Vellum (Parchment); Paint
  • Donor:
  • Height/Width/Length(cm): //
  • Inscription:
  • Related Resources: Folda, Jaroslav. "Images of Queen Melisende in Manuscripts of William of Tyre's History of Outremer: 1250-1300." Gesta. Vol. 32. No 2. 1993. Pgs. 97-112.; Folda, Jaroslav. "Melisende of Jerusalem: Queen and Patron of Art and Architecture in the Crusader Kingdom." Reassessing the Roles of Women as 'Makers' of Medieval Art and Architecture (2 vol. set) edited by Therese Martin. Brill. 2012. Pgs. 429-478.; Lambert, Sarah. "Queen or Consort: Rulership and Politics in the Latin East, 1118-1228." Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe: Proceedings of a confrerence held at King's College London April 1995 edited by Anne Duggan. Boydell Press. 1997. Pgs. 153-159.