Page "Conrad of Montferrat" Paragraph 18

When Queen Sibylla and their daughters died of disease later that year, Guy, who had only held the crown matrimonial, no longer had a legal claim to the throne — but refused to step aside.

The heiress of Jerusalem was Isabella of Jerusalem, Queen Sibylla's half-sister, who was married to Humphrey IV of Toron, of whom she was fond.

However, Conrad had the support of her mother Maria Comnena and stepfather Balian of Ibelin, as well as Reginald of Sidon and other major nobles of Outremer.

They obtained an annulment on the grounds that Isabella had been under-age at the time of the marriage and had not been able to give consent.

Conrad then married Isabella himself, despite rumours of bigamy because of his marriage to Theodora, who was still alive.

( However, Choniates, who usually expresses strong disapproval of marital / sexual irregularities, makes no mention of this.

This may imply that a divorce had been effected from the Byzantine side before 1190, by which time it was obvious that Conrad would not be returning.

) There were also objections on grounds of canonical ' incest ', since Conrad's brother had previously been married to Isabella's half-sister, and Church law regarded this kind of " affinity " as equal to a blood-relationship.

However, the Papal Legate, Ubaldo Lanfranchi, Archbishop of Pisa, gave his approval.

( Opponents claimed he had been bribed.

) The marriage, on 24 November 1190, was conducted by Philip of Dreux, Bishop of Beauvais — son of Conrad's cousin Robert I of Dreux.

Conrad was now de jure King of Jerusalem.

However, he had been wounded in battle only nine days previously, and returned with his bride to Tyre to recover.

He came back to the siege in spring, making an unsuccessful sea-attack against the Tower of Flies at the harbour entrance.