c. 1125–1187 · Prince of Antioch and lord of Kerak
Renaud de Châtillon
Renaud de Châtillon (c. 1125–1187) — Prince of Antioch and lord of Kerak. This dossier combines the biographical record with dated events and the listed primary and secondary sources.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Reynald came from a comparatively minor noble family in France. Through marriage to Princess Constance he became prince of Antioch in 1153. Captured during a raid in 1160, he spent about sixteen years in captivity at Aleppo; after his release he gained lordship of Kerak and Montreal through a second marriage.
Career during the Crusading era
From his Transjordan lordships Reynald sent ships into the Red Sea in 1182–1183, threatened routes to the Hijaz and attacked caravans during periods of truce. These actions stand behind the reports that Saladin made a personal vow against him. Reynald was captured after Hattin in 1187 and killed in Saladin's presence.
Documented activity: a chronological record
On 1158–1159, Renaud de Châtillon appears in the atlas record “Byzantine–Frankish rapprochement” at Antioch. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 1160 – 1176, Renaud de Châtillon appears in the atlas record “Long captivity of Raynald of Châtillon” at Aleppo. The event is documented through Willermus Tyrensis, İbnü’l-Esîr.
On 1182 – 1183, Renaud de Châtillon appears in the atlas record “Raynald's Red Sea expedition” at Aqaba – Yanbu. The event is documented through İbnü’l-Esîr, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, TDV İA, ‘Haçlılar’. On 1186 (late), Renaud de Châtillon appears in the atlas record “Raid on the Kerak caravan” at Moab / Kerak. The event is documented through Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, İbnü’l-Esîr, TDV İA, ‘Haçlılar’.
On 3–4 July 1187, Renaud de Châtillon appears in the atlas record “Battle of Hattin” at Hattin. The event is documented through İmâdüddin el-İsfahânî, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, Ernoul.
Allies, opponents and geographical range
Renaud de Châtillon appears in the same records as I. Manuel Komnenos, Nur al-Din Zengi, Hüsâmeddin Lü'lü', Saladin, Guy de Lusignan. 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 Antioch; Aleppo; Aqaba – Yanbu; Moab / Kerak; Hattin. 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 “Byzantine–Frankish rapprochement” 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.
The “Long captivity of Raynald of Châtillon” 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.
The “Raynald's Red Sea expedition” 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.
The “Raid on the Kerak caravan” 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; variant spellings and titles 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.
Biographical statements are tied to the sources listed on this page and to the connected event dossiers. Approximate or disputed dates remain marked; missing information is not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual representations are not treated as contemporary portraits.