Baldwin II

Baldwin II (Baldwin of Bourcq) was the successor, of Baldwin I for the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He ruled between 1118CE and 1131, having been Count of Edessa since 1100. He had accompanied Godfrey of Bouillon on the First Crusade, had been regent of the independent principality of Antioch during the absence of Bohemund of Taranto, and had spent 4 years (1104-1108) as a prisoner of the Muslims, after the battle of Harran.

He was elected to the throne of Jerusalem on account of his familial links with both Godfrey and Baldwin I, but his exact relationship to them remains a mystery -- "cousin" seems as close as anyone can get.

His reign in Jerusalem was punctuated by war with the Turkish Muslims in the north of modern-day Syria. During his reign he obtained dominion over the previously-independent territory of Tripoli, although it remained a principality within the Kingdom.

He married Morphia of Melitene in 1101, and had 3 (or 4) daughters by her. His eldest daughter, Melisende, succeeded him on the throne, with Fulk of Anjou (father of Geoffrey Plantagenet) as her consort. His other daughters married the princes of Antioch and Tripoli.

His Arab contemporaries wrote that after him there was no-one left capable of governing the kingdom.