Raymond III

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.

Career during the Crusading era

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.

Documented activity: a chronological record

On 10 August 1164, Raymond III appears in the atlas record “Battle of Harim” at Harim. The event is documented through Willermus Tyrensis, Süryani Mihail, İbnü’l-Esîr.

Allies, opponents and geographical range

Raymond III appears in the same records as Nur al-Din Zengi, Bohemond III, Konstantinos Kalamanos. Co-occurrence does not always indicate alliance: the connection may involve command, dynastic rivalry, captivity, negotiation or direct conflict.

The principal geographical range represented in the atlas is Harim. These places record not only presence but also the supply lines, diplomatic contacts and limits of authority relevant to the biography.

Results of recorded decisions

The “Battle of Harim” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.

Sources and historiography

Latin chronicles and dynastic narratives make the person's role visible, while charters, treaties, letters and Arabic, Greek, Armenian or Syriac accounts provide independent controls. Later heroic portraits are evidence for memory and reception, not contemporary biography.

Names and titles vary between languages; Raymond III of Tripoli should be searched together in catalogues and texts. Approximate dates remain marked as such, and later literary or visual fame is separated from contemporary testimony.