c. 1140–1187 · Count of Tripoli and regent of Jerusalem
Raymond III
Other names · Raymond III of Tripoli
Count at the centre of the dynastic struggles of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and decisive in the strategy debate before Hattin.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Raymond was a son of Count Raymond II of Tripoli. Captured at Harim in 1164, he spent about nine years in detention at Aleppo. After his release he ruled the county of Tripoli and, through marriage, the principality of Galilee, making him one of the most experienced native barons of the kingdom of Jerusalem.
Role in the Crusades
Raymond served twice as regent during the reign of Baldwin IV. In the succession crisis of 1186 he supported an alternative to Guy of Lusignan, and his short truce with Saladin exposed him to accusations from rivals. Before Hattin he opposed leaving the water sources, and he was among the few senior leaders to escape the battle.
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.