c. 1090–1143 · Count of Anjou and king of Jerusalem (1131–1143)
Fulk of Anjou
Count Fulk V of Anjou; by marrying Melisende in 1129 he became king of Jerusalem in 1131, and during his reign dealt with the rise of Zengi and the question of sharing power with the queen.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
As count of Anjou, Fulk was one of the powerful nobles of France and had visited the Holy Land as a pilgrim in 1120. King Baldwin II chose him as a husband for his daughter and heiress Melisende; leaving Anjou to his son Geoffrey, Fulk came East in 1129.
Role in the Crusades
In 1131 he was crowned together with Melisende. His attempt early in his reign to exclude the queen from government led to the revolt of Count Hugh of Jaffa, and he finally accepted Melisende as co-ruler. In 1137 he was besieged by Zengi at Montferrand and released after surrendering the castle. He allied with Damascus against Zengi and built castles against Ascalon in the south of the kingdom.
Historical significance and source problems
Fulk died in a hunting accident near Acre in November 1143; the throne passed to his young son Baldwin III under Melisende's regency. The main source for his reign is William of Tyre, who also discusses Melisende's role in detail.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.