ABSTRACT
These years saw the rising power of individuals who would have a decisive impact on Sybil’s life: her uncle Joscelin III de Courtenay, her mother Agnes de Courtenay, Count Raymond III of Tripoli, Reynald de Châtillon, the brothers Baldwin and Balian of Ibelin, Aimery de Lusignan and Saladin – first in Egypt and then also in Damascus. Sybil’s father King Amaury died in 1174 and was succeeded by her younger brother as King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, but as Baldwin’s illness meant that he could never father an heir, it was essential that Sybil be found a suitable husband. It was probably Count Raymond III of Tripoli, regent of the kingdom during Baldwin IV’s minority, who arranged her marriage to William Longsword, eldest son of the Marquis William V of Montferrat. The marriage took place late in 1176, and William was created count of Jaffa and Ascalon, an indication that he and Sybil were the designated heirs to the throne of Jerusalem. But in June 1177 William died, leaving Sybil pregnant with their son.
