* March 31 – King Baldwin III of Jerusalem exiles his mother Melisende, with whom he has been jointly reigning, to Nablus.

Church mediation between mother and son resulted with the grant of the city of Nablus and adjacent lands to Melisende to rule for life, and a solemn oath by Baldwin III not to disturb her peace.

Baldwin would retain Galilee in the north, including the cities of Acre and Tyre, while Melisende held the richer Judea and Samaria, including Nablus and Jerusalem itself.

The peace that was settled allowed for Melisende to hold Nablus for life, with a solemn oath by Baldwin not to disturb her peace.

Queen Melisende of Jerusalem resided in Nablus from 1150 to 1161, after she was granted control over the city in order to resolve a dispute with her son Baldwin III.

Melisende suffered a stroke in 1161 and died in Nablus.

In the division of the kingdom in 1151, Melisende gained control of the southern part of the kingdom, including Nablus.

In July 1161, as Melisende lay dying, Philip exchanged the lordship of Nablus with Baldwin III in order to become lord of Oultrejordain.

Melisende ended up on the losing side by 1152, but she was given a small fief to rule in Nablus, where she and Hodierna were able to influence the election of the Latin Patriarch.

Baldwin had himself crowned separately and the kingdom was divided between him and Melisende, with Melisende keeping Jerusalem and Nablus in the south and Baldwin ruling from Acre and Tyre in the north.

Amalric was the second son of Melisende of Jerusalem and Fulk of Jerusalem, and succeeded his older brother Baldwin III.

Amalric was born in 1136 to King Fulk, the former count of Anjou who had married the heiress of the kingdom, Melisende, daughter of King Baldwin II.

After the death of Fulk in a hunting accident in 1143, the throne passed jointly to Melisende and Amalric's older brother Baldwin III, who was still only 13 years old.

Melisende did not step down when Baldwin came of age two years later, and by 1150 the two were becoming increasingly hostile towards each other.

In 1152 Baldwin had himself crowned sole king, and civil war broke out, with Melisende retaining Jerusalem while Baldwin held territory further north.

Amalric, who had been given the County of Jaffa as an apanage when he reached the age of majority in 1151, remained loyal to Melisende in Jerusalem, and when Baldwin invaded the south, Amalric was besieged in the Tower of David with his mother.

Melisende was defeated in this struggle and Baldwin ruled alone thereafter.

He was poisoned at Caesarea, either by Eleanor of Aquitaine, the wife of Louis, or Melisende, the mother of Baldwin III, king of Jerusalem suggesting the draught.

Baldwin was married to the Armenian noblewoman Morphia of Melitene, and had four daughters: Hodierna and Alice, who married into the families of the Count of Tripoli and Prince of Antioch ; Ioveta, who became an influential abbess ; and the eldest, Melisende, who was his heir and succeeded him upon his death in 1131, with her husband Fulk V of Anjou as king-consort.

Queen Melisende, now regent for her elder son Baldwin III, appointed a new constable, Manasses of Hierges, to head the army after Fulk's death, but Edessa could not be recaptured, despite Zengi's own assassination in 1146.

After meeting in Acre in June, the crusading kings Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany agreed with Melisende, Baldwin III and the major nobles of the kingdom to attack Damascus.

In Jerusalem, the crusaders were distracted by a conflict between Melisende and Baldwin III.

Melisende continued to rule as regent long after Baldwin came of age.

In 1153 Baldwin had himself crowned as sole ruler, and a compromise was reached by which the kingdom was divided in two, with Baldwin taking Acre and Tyre in the north and Melisende remaining in control of Jerusalem and the cities of the south.

Baldwin and Melisende knew that this situation was untenable.

When Baldwin died childless in 1162, a year after his mother Melisende, the kingdom passed to his brother Amalric, who renewed the alliance negotiated by Baldwin.

* August 19 – Baldwin III of Jerusalem takes control of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from his mother Melisende, and also captures Ascalon.

Melisende grew up in Edessa until she was 13, when her father was elected as the King of Jerusalem as successor of his cousin Baldwin I.

Baldwin raised his daughter as a capable successor to himself and Melisende enjoyed the support of the Haute Cour, a kind of royal council composed of the nobility and clergy of the realm.

However, Baldwin II also thought that he would have to marry Melisende to a powerful ally, one who would protect and safeguard Melisende's inheritance as Queen and her future heirs.

Also in 1157, on the death of patriarch Fulcher, Melisende, her half-sister Sibylla of Flanders, and Ioveta the Abbess of Bethany, had Amalric of Nesle appointed as patriarch of Jerusalem.

However, Melisende also appointed Manasses of Hierges, constable of Jerusalem, as an advisor, and the two essentially excluded Baldwin from power.

He arrived in Jerusalem around 1140 and was appointed constable of Jerusalem, the highest office of the kingdom, by his cousin Queen Melisende, after the death of Melisende's husband King Fulk in 1143.

This scandal allowed Melisende and her supporters to gain control of the government, just as her father had intended.

This was disputed by another branch of the Lusignan family: Maria of Antioch, daughter of Bohemond IV of Antioch and Melisende of Lusignan ( herself a daughter of Isabella I and Amalric II ), claimed the throne as the oldest living relative of Isabella I, but for the moment her claim was ignored.

Melisende ( 1105 – 11 September 1161 ) was Queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1153, and regent for her son between 1153 and 1161 while he was on campaign.

She was named after her paternal grandmother, Melisende of Montlhéry, wife of Hugh I, Count of Rethel.

Both of her parents stood as role models for the young Princess Melisende, half Frankish and half Armenian, growing up in the Frankish East in a state of constant warfare.

As the eldest child, Melisende was raised as the Crown Princess, her father's successor.

During her father's reign Melisende was styled as daughter of the king and heir of the kingdom of Jerusalem, and took precedence above other nobles and Christian clergy in ceremonial occasions.

Baldwin II suspected that once he had died, Fulk would repudiate Melisende, set her and her children aside in favor of Elias, Fulk's younger but full grown son from his first marriage as an heir to Jerusalem.

When Melisende bore a son and heir in 1130, the future Baldwin III, her father took steps to ensure Melisende would rule after him as reigning Queen of Jerusalem.

Strengthening her position, Baldwin II designated Melisende as sole guardian for the young Baldwin, excluding Fulk.

Later, William of Tyre wrote of Melisende's right to rule following the death of her father that the rule of the kingdom remained in the power of the lady queen Melisende, a queen beloved by God, to whom it passed by hereditary right.

Had Melisende been guilty the Church and nobility likely would not have later rallied to her cause.

" Melisende was no mere regent-queen for her son Baldwin III, but a Queen Regnant, reigning by right of hereditary and civil law.

Melisende enjoyed the support of the Church throughout her lifetime ; from her appointment as Baldwin II's successor, throughout the conflict with Fulk, and later when Baldwin III would come of age.

Eleanor had herself been designated by her father, William X, to succeed him in her own right, just as Melisende had been designated to succeed her father.