Key Facts
- Founded
- 1141 by King Fulk of Jerusalem
- Collapsed
- 1187, after Battle of Hattin
- Duration
- ~46 years (1141–1187)
- Captured by
- Saladin, 1187
- Modern location
- Tel Yavne, center of Yibna, Israel
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
King Fulk of Jerusalem constructed Ibelin castle in 1141 to guard the kingdom's vulnerable southern frontier against Egyptian-based threats. The fortification anchored a defensive line and was granted as a fief to the noble House of Ibelin, a family that would grow to become one of the most influential dynasties in crusader politics. The lordship's early purpose was purely military, serving as a buffer post on the southern border.
Phase II: Zenith
During its existence the Lordship of Ibelin served as the territorial base from which the House of Ibelin rose to regional prominence within the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Though the castle's strategic importance diminished as the kingdom's southern border shifted further away, the lordship remained the ancestral seat of the Ibelin family, whose members held high offices and shaped crusader governance and legal traditions.
Phase III: Decline
The lordship collapsed in 1187 following the catastrophic crusader defeat at the Battle of Hattin, which left the Latin Kingdom's defenses shattered. Saladin's forces swept through the region and captured Ibelin castle that same year, subsequently destroying it. The fall ended the lordship's existence as a functioning fief, though the House of Ibelin survived and continued to wield influence in the remnant crusader states further north.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory