Dynasties of Europe. Kingdom of Jerusalem. King Baudouin IV and Count Raymond Baudouin King of Belgium

Baudouin Leopold Albert Charles Axel Marie Gustave, Prince of Belgium, Count of Hainaut, was born in Brussels on September 7, 1930. At the time of the ascension to the throne of his father King Leopold III, the little prince received the title of Duke of Brabant, which was traditionally given to the eldest son of the king. Having become king, Leopold III moved with his children from the Stuyvenberg Palace to the royal palace in Laeken (now a district of Brussels), which for a long time would become the residential residence of Baudouin, first as a prince, and then as the king of the Belgians. Before reaching the age of 18, Baudouin joined the Boy Scouts, which admired him for their high sense of duty and loyalty.

On May 10, 1940, at the time of the German invasion of Belgium, Prince Baudouin, his older sister Princess Joséphy na Charlotte and brother Prince Albert fled to France, from where they later moved to Spain, while their father, King Leopold III, and their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, remained in Belgium. On August 2, 1940, the royal children returned to Brussels, where they continued their studies until 1944.

In June 1944, when the Allies opened a second front in Normandy, Leopold III, Princess Reti and his children from both marriages were deported by the Germans to Germany, in the city of Hirstein, and then transferred to the town of Strobl, near Lake St. Wolfgang, in Austria. As you know, they were released on May 7, 1945 by soldiers of the 7th American Army.

In October 1945, King Leopold and his family leave Austria. They settled in Switzerland, at the villa "Evening rest", in the town of Tregny. The royal family lived there until July 1950. During these five years, Prince Baudouey studied at the College of Geneva*. In 1948 he made a trip to the USA, during which he visited New York, Pittsburgh and Princeton.

On July 22, 1950, King Leopold III, accompanied by Prince Boduz, returned to Brussels. On August 1 of the same year, the king decides to ask the government and parliament to pass a law ensuring the transfer of power to Baudouin, who from August 11 began to be officially called the royal prince.

On July 16, 1951, King Leopold III signed a decree on his abdication and the proclamation of the Royal Prince Baudouin as King of the Belgians. On July 17, 1951, Baudouin I, in the presence of members of both houses of parliament, took the oath as king. He delivered his throne speech in two national languages of the country - French and Dutch.

*Martin M.-M. Op. cit. P. 25.

During the reign of Baudouin I, there was even a moment - April 1990 - when the king, in order not to complicate the political situation in the country, abdicated for a while. This happened at a time when Parliament was debating the question of lifting the ban on abortion, imposed by the authorities many years ago under the influence of the powerful Catholic Church. For 39 hours, Belgium was without a king, who decided not to stand in the way of legalizing abortion, but also not to be involved in it. Baudouin sent a letter to the Prime Minister urging Parliament and the government to find a legal solution "which would reconcile the king's right not to commit acts contrary to his conscience and the need for the normal functioning of parliamentary democracy." Parliament took advantage of the 82nd article of the constitution to solve the problem. The rest of the world looked at this action with surprise, but Belgium felt that it would never be the same again. Such a "Belgian compromise" saved the monarchy from conflict with the Vatican and with its own public.

The constitutional monarchy in Belgium is a rather complex institution of power. The fundamental law of the country established that all power comes from the people. This community of citizens has transferred the exercise of its power to various bodies, one of which is the political power of the king, which can only be a direct descendant of King Leopold I. The constitution assigned strictly certain prerogatives to the king of the Belgians: his person is inviolable, the ministers are responsible to the monarch.

The position of the monarch in Belgium by no means dooms him to passivity - he has a wide field of activity, everything depends solely on his personal initiative. In this sense, the king's prerogatives can be synthesized in three words: advise, encourage, warn. In his activities as constitutional head of state, King Baudouin sought to proceed precisely from these principles. Having ascended the throne at a time when the confidence in the monarch in the country was greatly shaken, he managed to turn the tide in his favor, and at the same time he acted decisively and firmly. As a result, relations between the king and all sections of Belgian society became stronger than they had ever been in the past. On the other hand, there is no doubt that, by his activities for the good of the country, King Baudouin managed to achieve a balance in the definition of the concepts of "rule" and "govern".

People who met King Baudouin were struck by his ease of handling. The Belgians remember that King Baudouin participated in difficult times in organizing rescue operations, providing assistance to victims of catastrophes and natural disasters *.

On December 15, 1960, King Baudouin married the daughter of the Spanish grandee Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon. From this marriage, the king had no children.

The king's working day began at 9 o'clock in the morning, when he left his palace in Laeken and went to the Brussels Palace, the working residence of the head of state. He devoted the whole morning to audiences. He spent the whole second half of the day in studying the cases submitted to him for consideration. Baudouin regularly visited various parts of Belgium, universities, factories, museums; like his grandfather, he showed great interest in science and technology.

According to the established tradition, the king can only once during his reign make a state visit to a particular country. However, this did not prevent him from making private trips to these same countries, and an unlimited number of times. In Belgium's cooperation with other states, he paid particular attention to joint action to combat pollution. environment, to improve people's lives, housing construction.

*"Nous, roi des belges..." P. 143-146.

Among the king's hobbies were astronomy and photography. He was constantly involved in sports, giving particular preference to swimming, skiing, playing tennis and golf. A great lover of fishing, Baudouin devoted much of his time to her when he spent his holidays in Spain, in his wife's homeland.

King Baudouin was an honorary chief marshal of the Belgian Royal Air Force, an honorary doctorate from the universities of Louvain, Ghent, Brussels, Liege, Thailand and Brazil.

As mentioned above, Queen Fabiola comes from a noble Spanish family. Among the ancestors of her parents are members of the royal families of Aragon and Navarre, who played a prominent role in the history of Spain. After her marriage, she received the title - Queen Fabiola Fernanda Maria de lae Victorias Antenna Adelaide.

Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragon was born on June 11, 1928 in Madrid. Her father, Don Gonzalo de Mora y Fernandez Riera del Olmo, Count de Mora, Marquis de Casa Riera, died in 1959. Her mother, Dona Blanca d Aragon y Carrillo de Albornoz Baroeta Aldamar and Elio.

The Queen was educated at home, has artistic and musical talents. She studied at a nursing school, worked for some time in one of the hospitals in Madrid as a nurse. Traveled extensively in Europe to improve knowledge foreign languages. In addition to her native Spanish, the Queen is fluent in French, Dutch, German and English.

Its main activity in Belgium concentrated mainly on the social sphere. As is Queen Elizabeth, the queen. Fabiola dedicated much of her time, energy and energy to helping the sick and the needy. She created a secretariat in the Lackey Palace, where many cases of citizens in dire need of assistance were studied daily. social assistance. The Queen also shows great interest in the problems of childhood and motherhood, and disabled children. The Queen often visited children's medical and educational institutions. One of these establishments bears her name. The Queen has written a children's book, "12 Wonderful Tales of Queen Fabiola." All royalties from the publication and reprinting of this book go to children's charities.

The queen's biographers note her modesty and simplicity. The queen has good taste and a sense of harmony, which helped her in the restoration of the Lackey Palace. She furnished a number of rooms of the palace with furniture that was presented to her on her wedding day.

King Baudway died unexpectedly on the night of July 31 to August 1, 1993 from heart attack that happened to him during his stay on vacation in Spain. IN last years the king was seriously ill. In March 1992, he underwent heart surgery.

The sudden death of King Baudouin plunged the whole country into deep mourning. The coffin with the body of the late monarch was brought to Brussels and installed first in the Lackey and then in the Brussels Royal Palace. More than 100 thousand people came to say goodbye to King Baudouin. On August 7, in the main cathedral of Brussels - Saint-Michel Cathedral, a solemn mass of farewell to the monarch was held, which was broadcast on four television channels. King Baudway is buried in the family vault at Laeken, where four of his predecessors are buried.

King Baudouin paid great attention to issues related to the federalization of Belgium. Elections in Belgium rarely produced a clear winner, and the king then determined which party leader should try to form coalition government. He always sought to ensure that his choice was balanced both from a linguistic and political point of view. This actually made his importance and influence in society much greater than he was assigned by the constitution.

Softness, calmness and tact, the ability to find a compromise allowed King Baudouin to play key role in the transformation of Belgium from a unitary to a federal state, in the formation of three semi-autonomous regions - Wallonia, Flanders and Greater Brussels, in the settlement of constant disputes between the French and Dutch-speaking communities of the country and between political parties split along ethnic lines. In 1993, Parliament approved the latest documents fixing the division of Belgium into three federal regions.

King Baudouin was distinguished by consistency in defending the idea of a "federal Europe". He was a supporter of all-round integration on the scale of the European continent.

In connection with the unexpected death of King Baudouin, the Belgian Parliament decided that the 59-year-old younger brother of the King, Prince Albert of Liege, would inherit the throne. At the same time, the Parliament proceeded from the fact that the constitutional amendments introduced in 1991 provide that direct, natural and legitimate male and female descendants of King Leopold I, starting with the children of the new king of the Belgians, Albert II, can ascend the Belgian throne. According to many Belgians and foreign observers, this was due to the fact that the adult children of the new head of state are not yet ready to lead the kingdom. Late in the evening of August 1, after a short meeting in full force, the government announced that Prince Albert would become the new king.

Belgian state and political figure, King of Belgium in 1951-1993, from the Saxe-Coburg dynasty. Ascended the throne after his father's abdication Leopold III (July 1951). In the first decade of his reign, Belgium rebuilt its war-torn economy, and in 1951 joined the European Coal and Steel Union. In domestic politics, one of the most serious was the problem of the relationship between private and public schools, which was resolved in 1959 by the signing of the "School Pact". During his reign, Belgium lost its African colonies. At the beginning of 1960, a "round table" was held in Brussels, which brought together representatives of the Belgian government and the political leaders of the Congo. An agreement was reached to grant independence to the Congo. On June 30, 1960, Baudouin attended the handover ceremony in Kinshasa. By 1960 the social and economic situation in Belgium was still difficult. Flanders was hit by chronic unemployment. Frequent accidents led to the closure of mines in Wallonia. To take into account the specifics of the regions, the government has developed its own economic policy for each part of the country. In November 1960, a general economic recovery program known as the "Single Law" was adopted. The end of 1960 was marked by massive strikes throughout the country. In 1962-1963 A number of laws were adopted establishing the principle of uniform language in the regions. In 1970, the idea of transforming Belgium from a unitary state into a federal one was first voiced in Parliament. At first, the Flemings and Walloons were granted cultural autonomy. There was a high probability of the division of Belgium into two states. Baudouin made every effort to preserve the integrity of the country, and finally, in 1980, changes were made to the Belgian constitution, fixing its division into Flemish and Walloon parts. Each region was given fairly broad powers in dealing with internal issues. In 1976, on the 25th anniversary of the reign, the "King Baudouin Foundation" was created, the purpose of which was to improve the living conditions of the Belgians. On April 4, 1990, the Belgian government declared him incapable of ruling. In this case, according to the Constitution, the functions of the head of state were performed by the government. The law was approved, and the very next day Baudouin was again recognized as capable. In the last years of his reign, administrative reform was continued. The province of Brabant was divided into two parts, Flemish and Walloon. Brussels was singled out as a separate region, equalized in rights with Flemish and Wallonia. Baudouin died of cardiac arrest while on a trip to Spain. Since the royal couple had no children, the king's younger brother inherited the throne.

Chapter XIX

King Baudouin II

1. Wars in the North. "Bloody Field"

King Baudouin I died without an heir. Was hastily collected Haute Сour (From Kur) - the High Court, aka the Crown Council. Opinions about a successor were divided. Some believed that the elder brother of Gottfried and Baudouin I, Count Eustache III of Boulogne, should become the heir, others - that a relative of the king Baudouin du Bourg, Count of Edessa. The first point of view won. An official mission was sent to Boulogne to offer the crown to Count Eustache. In addition to his county, Eustache had huge possessions in England, which his father Eustache II, who actively helped William the Conqueror to conquer the island, received from the English king. With difficulty, pointing out his duty to God, the envoys persuaded Eustache to change his calm life in a rich county for the dangers and anxieties of the East, and the count went to Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, in the absence of Eustache's main supporters who went to France, the view that Baudouin of Edessa should become king won out. He was a relative of the late king and the only surviving leader of the crusade, a man of experience, ability and courage. In addition, this would have avoided a long interim reign while Eustache would have reached Palestine. The decisive role in this situation was played by Joscelin de Courtnay, Prince of Galilee. In the newly assembled High Court, he stated that he had no reason to be disposed towards Baudouin, who falsely accused him of treason and expelled him from his lands in the county, but he did not see a better candidate for kings than Baudouin. He was supported by the sick Patriarch Arnulf. Just on the day of the royal funeral on April 7, Baudouin of Edessa appeared in Jerusalem. Perhaps, having heard last year about the illness of Baudouin I, he decided to go on an Easter pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He was joyfully greeted and unanimously elected king. On Easter, April 14, 1118, he was anointed king by the patriarch Arnulf, who died two weeks later, but was not crowned. His coronation took place a year and 8 months later on Christmas Day, December 25, 1119, in Bethlehem.

Baudouin II, like his predecessor, was an energetic, courageous and power-hungry man, although not such a hero as the deceased king. His face was decorated with a wonderful blond beard. He was more prudent and cunning, more self-possessed, less disposed to risk and to actions at random.

He could impress those around him with a grand gesture, although he was rather stingy and petty. Unlike his predecessor, his personal life was impeccable and full of family happiness with his Armenian wife Morphia.

He was truly pious, with calluses on his knees from many hours of prayer. Piety, however, did not prevent him from being treacherous and greedy.

In Apulia, the mission, returning to Jerusalem with Count Eustache, met with new messengers who announced that a new king had already been chosen. The members of the mission were so angry that they demanded that Eustache continue the journey and fight for the crown. However, Eustache, still not burning with enthusiasm, did not want to start a civil war and returned to Boulogne. Although some doubts about the legitimacy of the election of Baudouin II as king remained (says the historian Guillaume of Tire), after that the view was established in the kingdom that if a relative present in the East had a claim to the inheritance, it should be confirmed by his election by the barons in the High Court.

Joscelin was granted by the county of Edessa as a royal fief. Baudouin II, like his predecessor, was also recognized as supreme lord by his sister's husband, Roger of Antioch, and Pons of Tripoli.

The deceased Patriarch Arnulf, efficient, energetic and eloquent, was involved in many scandals, both corruption and morality, and was not respected as a clergyman. In his place was elected, with the approval of Baudouin, the priest of Flanders - Hormone from Piquini. He was efficient, like Arnulf, and, moreover, he was known for his virtue and enjoyed universal respect.

No sooner had Baudouin ascended the throne than the alliance of Egypt and Damascus opposed him. The mission sent by Baudouin to Damascus with the aim of wresting Togtekin from Egypt was not successful. At the beginning of the summer of 1118, a large united army of Egyptians and Damascus gathered at Ascalon under the general command of Togtekin. Baudouin called for help from troops from Antioch and Tripoli. The two armies faced each other for three months and then dispersed. “Everyone wanted to live more than die,” Fulk from Chartres will remark with a grin on this occasion.

Joscelin was in no hurry to go to Edessa. He was more needed in Galilee, constantly disturbed from Damascus. Edessa was under the leadership of Valeran du Puiset. After the Egyptian-Damascus threat ended in the autumn of 1118, Baudouin, together with Josselin, crossed the Jordan and attacked the Hauran granary of Damascus. The son of Togtekin Buri set out with the troops to meet them, but fell into a trap and was defeated. Togtekin made a truce with the king.

In the spring of 1119, Joscelin, with a detachment of 120 cavalry, again went on a predatory raid across the Jordan, to the Yarmak River. There, in the meadows of Khauran, the Bedouins pastured their herds. Josselin divided the detachment into two parts. The advance detachment, led by the brothers Burami, Geoffrey and Guillaume, was ambushed by the warned Bedouins. Geoffroy de Bur was killed, most of his people were taken prisoner, Joscelin was forced to flee. He called for the help of King Baudouin, who arrived with an army. The Franks devastated Hauran, freed the captives and took tribute from the Bedouins.

After the victory at Tel Danit, the predatory raids of Roger of Antioch reached the very gates of Aleppo. Early in 1119 he captured the fortress of Bizzu to the east of Aleppo, thus cutting off the city from the Euphrates and Jazira and surrounding it on three sides. He imposed a tax on Aleppo, took away the right to collect duties from caravans passing through the city. If desired, he could probably take the city, but he neglected the opportunity that opened up.

This was more than what Ilghazi, who had taken possession of Aleppo, could endure. Until now, he and his ally Togtekin did not risk starting a big war with the Franks, since from the east they were constantly threatened by the Seljuk Sultan Mohammed, whom they hated no less than the Franks. But in 1118 the sultan died. All his deputies and vassals immediately raised their heads and began to seek independence. The son and heir of Mohammed Mahmud could not keep the supreme power in his hands and was forced to transfer it in August 1119 to his uncle Sanjar, the ruler of Khorasan. Sultan Mahmud, indulging in the pleasures of hunting and harem, almost did not deal with Syrian affairs. Sultan Sanjar also never interfered in Syrian problems, since threats to his state came from the east, where a huge aggressive Khorezm state arose. The Syrian affairs of the Rum-Seljukids and the Danishmendids of Anatolia, engaged in war with each other and with Byzantium, were equally little occupied.

The hour of Artukid Ilghazi has come. In the spring of 1119, he sent messengers to the Turkmen and Kurdish tribes in order to gather an army from them, made an alliance with the Togtekin and the Munkidites of Shaizar. He even turned to Sultan Mahmud for help, but he did not answer him. At the end of May, the army of Ilghazi, numbering, apparently, according to a greatly exaggerated report, 40,000 (actually 8-10 thousand), mainly Turkmens and Kurds, as well as Bedouins, marched from Mardin to Antioch. Patriarch Bernard insisted on turning to the king and Pons of Tripoli for help. The king was in Tiberias, where he returned after a campaign on the Yarmak River in Transjordan, when in mid-June 1119 he received a request for help from Antioch. He said that he would arrive in Antioch as quickly as he could and bring troops from Tripoli with him, and offered to wait for him and limit himself to defense. The king summoned an army from Jerusalem, and Evremar, Archbishop of Caesarea, who accompanied the army, was entrusted with the Holy Cross.

The army of Ilghazi passed by Edessa, crossed the Euphrates at Balis and, waiting for Toghtekin, camped at Qinnasrin, 24 km south of Aleppo. At this time, the Munkidites of Shaizar attacked Apamea. Prince Roger on June 20, 1119, with an army of 700 cavalry and 4,000 infantry, moved against Ilghazi, rejecting advice to wait for help from the king and count of Tripoli. Roger crossed the Iron Bridge, wanted to move to Apamea, but changed his mind and camped on the eastern edge of the Darb Sarmeda plain, between Antioch and Aleppo, where a series of hills in the plain made it possible to organize a defense. Here Roger intended to wait for troops from Jerusalem and Tripoli.

Scouts, disguised as merchants, who visited Roger's camp, reported to Ilgazi accurate information about the number of francs in the camp. Although the army of Artuqid Ilghazi was much larger than the Frankish army, he did not want to risk it and thought to wait for Togtekin. However, the emirs of the Turkmens and Kurds did not want to share the booty with the Damascus and insisted on attacking. Taking an oath from them not to leave the battlefield alive, Ilgazi gave the order to attack. On the morning of June 28, Roger was informed that the camp was surrounded on all sides. There was little food and water, and there was nothing left to do but go into battle - break through the encirclement or die. Peter, archbishop of Apamea, previously the first Frankish bishop in the East, in Albar, read a short sermon, the soldiers confessed and received an absolute. Roger built his army into four detachments, the fifth detachment was a reserve, and threw it into battle. However, the superiority of the enemy forces was too great. The Christian infantry was pressed against the cavalry and interfered with it. The wind suddenly changed direction and threw a cloud of dust in the face of the Franks. The cavalry bombarded with arrows got bogged down in the mass of Turkmens and Kurds and was destroyed. Roger, surrounded by close knights, died at the foot of his cross, adorned with precious stones. Only two barons with a handful of knights were able to break through the enemy encirclement. Few were captured, but their fate was even more terrible than that of the dead. Some of them were beaten to death on the spot, Ilghazi stopped the beating of others so that the inhabitants of Aleppo could take part in the torture. The Franks called the battlefield the "Bloody Field".

Ilghazi spent his time in Aleppo in feasts and solemn divine services. He sent letters to all the rulers of the Muslim world announcing his great victory. In response, the caliph sent him the title "Star of Faith" and honorary robes. For the first time, the concept of "jihad" took on a clear outline. It was possible to easily capture Antioch, but the Turkmens and Kurds, loaded with booty, considered the war over and began to scatter home. Patriarch Bernard in Antioch took power into his own hands. Fearing treason, he disarmed the local Christians and forbade them to leave their homes, then armed the Latin clergy and merchants and placed them to guard the walls. Intelligence finally reaching the walls of Antioch told Ilghazi that the city was defended by a strong garrison.

At the beginning of August 1119 King Baudouin II arrived in Antioch together with Pons of Tripoli. He was solemnly welcomed by his sister, the widowed Princess Cecile, Patriarch Bernard and the people. A service of thanksgiving was held in St. Peter's Cathedral. It was decided that Baudouin would take over the administration of the city until the age of 10, Bohemond, who lived in Italy with his mother Constance of France, came of age. Upon arrival in Antioch, he will have to marry one of the king's daughters. After this, Baudouin redistributed the fiefs in Antioch, marrying the widows of the dead seigneurs to knights from his army or those who arrived from the West. Joscelin was proclaimed Count of Edessa. Then, after a solemn procession with bare feet around the cathedral, the king led an army of seven hundred cavalry and a thousand foot soldiers out of the city and led it to the enemy.

At this time, Togtekin joined Ilgazi. Muslims conquered fortresses to the east of Orontes - Atareb, Zerdana, Birejik and several small castles. The battle took place near Tel Danit, where in 1115 Roger defeated the Sultan's army. Ilghazi attacked at dawn on August 14, but the king was ready for battle. The Archbishop of Caesarea delivered a short parting word, gave the soldiers an absolution and blessed them with the Holy Cross. Pons Tripoli attacked Togtekin on the right Frankish flank, was repulsed, but retreated without losing formation. Robert the Leper with a detachment from Zerdana made his way through the ranks of the Turkmens, turned back and again rushed into battle, but was knocked off his horse and taken prisoner. King Baudouin repulsed enemy attacks in the center and on the left flank, went on the offensive and at the decisive moment threw the reserve into battle. The Turkmens fled, but the main forces of the Muslims retreated, maintaining order. Baudouin, due to significant losses, did not pursue the retreating. Ilghazi and Toghtekin returned to Aleppo, brought prisoners with them and declared victory. Again, the captives were torn to pieces by the crowd, and Robert the Leper was personally killed by the atabek Togtekin. The first to reach Antioch were the fleeing soldiers of Pons, they brought the news of the defeat. However, the king's messenger soon arrived, bringing the ring from Baudouin's hand as proof of victory.

The Turkmens of Ilghazi did not want to fight anymore, and his disciplinary measures did not help either: he ordered that several rebels and deserters be shaved and castrated. “It is necessary to know that Ilghazi ibn Artuk never led long campaigns against the Franks; Turkmen under his banners were attracted only by greed. They came with sacks containing flour and dried mutton cut into strips. All the while the campaign was going on, Ilghazi was forced to literally count the hours until it ended and returned as soon as possible. If the campaign dragged on and he had no money to pay, the Turkmens fled,” says chronicler Ibn al-Atir.

Baudouin marched south, recapturing several lost castles, and then returned in triumph to Antioch. The Holy Cross was sent south to be in Jerusalem by the day of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14). The king spent the autumn in Antioch and set off for Jerusalem in early December, taking his wife and young daughters with him. At Christmas, Morphia was crowned. Patriarch Bernard remained to rule in Antioch, and Joscelin in Edessa. The Principality of Galilee was transferred as a royal fief to Guillaume de Bure, who later became constable of the kingdom.

The defeat on the "Bloody Field" caused the Franks, already inferior to the Muslims in numbers, significant casualties. King Baudouin saved the situation with his timely intervention and was unconditionally recognized by the entire Frankish East as the supreme lord. It was clear to everyone that the Franks must always act together and unwaveringly maintain unity.

2. Cathedral in Nablus. The emergence of chivalric orders.

In January 1120, a council was held in Nablus, which at the same time was the Crown Council, where all the most significant spiritual and secular barons were present. The council adopted 25 decrees, some of which, apparently, the pope insisted on and which were a concession of the king to the church for its support. The first three ordinances gave the church the right to church tithes, which it had hitherto denied, and gave the patriarch the right to investiture (appointment to a church position), although now the investiture had to be made with the approval of the king. Other decrees were retroactively directed against the sins of the former king and patriarch. The decrees of Nablus established punishment for bigamy and homosexuality, which King Baudouin I was guilty of, as well as punishment for sexual contacts with Muslims, which his second wife was accused of, and punishment for violating the marriage laws of Christianity, which was accused of the former patriarch, who gave permission for marriage. marriage of a Christian to a Muslim woman. Other ordinances established penalties for adultery, theft, defined the rights of the High Court, and expanded the rights of self-defence. Latin merchants were given the right to trade everywhere in Jerusalem, and local Christians and even Muslims were allowed to import vegetables and grain into the city duty-free.

Apparently, at this cathedral in Nablus, Hugo de Payens, a knight from Champagne, with eight comrades brought to Patriarch Gormon, in addition to the three usual monastic vows - personal poverty, chastity and obedience, and the fourth vow - to protect and help pilgrims on still dangerous road from Jaffa to Jerusalem, thus laying the foundation for the Knights Templar.

Perhaps the creation of spiritual knightly orders followed the example of the Muslim ribet, military service that Muslims performed for a certain time as a religious duty in the border fortresses. However, unlike the ribet, in the Christian orders of chivalry the service was permanent.

The founding of spiritual knightly orders was a significant internal political event in the reign of Baudouin II and the entire history of the Holy Land. King Baudouin in 1118 allowed the Templars, or templars, to settle in one wing of the royal palace on the Temple Mount, in the so-called Temple of Solomon - Templum Solomonis (the former mosque of al-Aqsa), from which the community got its name. When, under Fulk, a royal palace was built in Jerusalem, adjoining the Tower of David, and the king moved into it, he gave the entire Temple (Temple) to the Templars.

The Templars at first followed the order of the Benedictines and dressed like laymen, until they succeeded in attracting the attention of Bernard, the powerful abbot of Clairvaux, the future saint, who, at the Council of Troyes in 1128, gave them the opportunity to adopt their own order, later remade several times . They received a white robe, modeled on the Cistercians, as their own clothing, to which Pope Eugene III added a red cross to distinguish it - “ White color as an emblem of chastity, red - martyrdom ”(Jacques of Vitry, Bishop of Acre). There were three different classes in the order: knights, all, without exception, from the nobility; servants of non-noble origin who carried weapons, and clergy - chaplains who performed non-military duties. The knights wore a red cross on a white cloak, the servants wore a black one. The name of their two-color (baussant - bossan, in old French) banner (white with a wide black stripe along the upper edge) first lost its meaning, and then under the pen of the famous novelist of the 19th century. turned into an incomprehensible and mysterious spell word - le Beausseant (le Beausseant).

In 1132, Bernard of Clairvaux sent out a recruiting letter “With praise to the new army”, in which he praised the knights of the order serving God as an ideal compared to worldly robber knights, which provided the Templars with a significant influx of people. Hugues de Payens spent most of his time in Europe, recruiting new members to the order. Pope Innocent II in 1139 in his bull once again defined the goals and objectives of the order. At the same time, the pope awarded the Templars a number of privileges, such as exemption (exemption from the jurisdiction of the local church with direct subordination to the pope). The first two masters, Hugues de Payen and Robert de Craon, did much to establish and strengthen the order. They successfully recruited knights and soldiers in Europe for service in the Holy Land, sought favors and privileges for the order from the popes, and attracted generous gifts from the princes and nobility of the West. They led the order one by one for more than 30 years.

The example of the Templars was followed by the Hospitallers, or Johnites. From a community that cared for the sick and assisted pilgrims, they turned into a hospital and at the same time military order. Around 1080, several citizens of the Italian city of Amalfi founded a hospital in Jerusalem in honor of St. generous distribution of alms. The hospital was located at the Benedictine monastery of St. Mary the Latin, located in the valley of Jehoshaphat near the walls of Jerusalem. The hospital was mainly staffed by the inhabitants of Amalfi, who gave the usual monastic vows under the guidance of a master who was subordinate to the abbot of the Benedictine monastery. At the time of the conquest of Jerusalem by the crusaders, the master was a certain Gerard the Blessed, probably from Amalfi. Before the beginning of the siege, he, along with his comrades, was expelled from Jerusalem by the Fatimid governor, and his knowledge of the situation inside the city served the crusaders well. After the capture of the city, the Frankish government provided premises for its hospital. Soon the hospital, where many of the pilgrims acted as assistants, came out of subordination to the Benedictines and became independent, which was recognized by the pope in 1113. After the death of Gerard in 1120, Raymond du Puy became the master, who led the order for about 40 years. He believed that the Hospitallers should not only take care of the sick and serve the pilgrims, but also fight, protecting peaceful pilgrims from attacks. The transformation of the hospital into an order was helped by the rise of the Knights Templar. The increased rank of the community required the replacement of the little-known John the Merciful as its patron saint by Saint John of Jerusalem (Many researchers diligently avoid the question of who exactly this very John is. And although most of those who remain believe that this is John the Baptist, some, including S. Runciman, believe that this is John the Evangelist (Theologian)). The hallmark of the Order of the Hospitallers was a white eight-pointed cross (the Eight-pointed (Maltese) cross of the order repeats the pattern of the cross on the coat of arms of the city of Amalfi) on a black cloak (since 1259 - on a red cloak).

Rice. Raymond du Puy.

In 1130, the first charter of the Order of the Hospitallers was adopted, changed in 1182. In Jerusalem, near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a large building of the Hospital of St. The hardest thing for the order was to free itself from the custody of the Jerusalem patriarch, since the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Hospital of St. John received common donations and gifts from Europe, the division of which, with the independence of the order, was unprofitable for the patriarch. Exemption, that is, direct subordination to the pope, the order received in 1143 under Innocent II.

King Baudouin provided all kinds of support to the spiritual and chivalric orders. The orders received rich land holdings, they were not required to do anything other than fight in the royal army. In secular fiefs, the sudden death of a master and the passing of his legacy to a woman or child interrupted the formation of troops and provided the king with a permanent headache. The dead fiefs had to be urgently replaced by bachelors who married widows, who were available or arrived from Europe. The main task of the knightly orders, with their brilliant military glory and prestige, was the formation of military units, the soldiers of which were not distracted by questions of personal ambition or profit. In the second half of the XII century. The orders of the Templars and Hospitallers could put on the battlefield about 300 knights and the same number of turcopoles (light cavalry). Another task of the knightly orders was the defense of fortified points. Due to the lack of people, the defense in Syria and Palestine was based on castles and fortresses. The rulers, and the nobility, who lacked people and funds, donated or sold fortresses to orders. The orders also built new fortresses, repaired and expanded the old ones, the garrisons of the castles were order servants led by knights.

Soon, not only in the Holy Land, but throughout Europe, order houses (branches) arose, headed by commanders, usually appointed from above. When the number of order brothers and houses increased, the houses of one region began to unite into provinces, or priors, headed by priors, also appointed from above. All over Europe they were generously bequeathed lands and gifts, especially by returning crusaders or those who could not personally take part in the crusade. The orders, and above all the Templars, gradually began to act as bankers and creditors. Now the baron, who went on a crusade, could not take all his money with him, but hand it over to the branch of the order in his homeland and receive it upon arrival in the Holy Land.

The main task of the order houses in Europe was to recruit new members and send them and the received valuables to the Holy Land. The construction and maintenance of castles devoured huge sums. Despite generous gifts and donations, the orders in Europe were not built into the local feudal system, as they were forbidden to take anything from anyone as a fief.

Of the other smaller orders, which also arose later, the Order of St. Lazarus (Lazarites) and the German (Teutonic) Order should be noted.

The Order of Lazarites arose from the Brotherhood of the Leper colony in front of the gates of Jerusalem, first mentioned in 1140. The Brotherhood devoted itself from the very beginning not only to the care of lepers, but also to the fight against pagans, patients with leprosy occupied significant positions in the brotherhood, and then in the order. Gradually, like the hospitallers, the community of lazarites, which at first performed only hospital tasks, turned into a knightly order with the charter of the Templars. The head of the order was always supposed to be a patient with leprosy; Templars with leprosy had to join the Order of St. Lazarus in Jerusalem. When in the middle of the XIII century. there was not a single patient who could take over the management of the order, because all the sick brothers died in battle, the pope allowed the order to change the statute: from now on, the order could also be headed by a healthy master. Like other orders of chivalry, the Lazarites set up a large network of order houses in Europe, the construction of which was facilitated by returning crusaders and relatives of the sick. The Lazarite Order seems never to have succeeded in freeing itself from the jurisdiction of the patriarch and the bishops.

From the brotherhood that arose to care for the wounded and sick under the walls of the besieged Acre in 1189-1190, the German (Teutonic) Order was created by the decision of Pope Innocent III in 1198. First of all, brothers from the German-speaking regions entered this order. The uniform distinction of the order brothers was white cloaks with a black cross. Later, around 1230, the order moved to the eastern Baltic and in the 30s. 13th century merged with other German knightly orders that existed there, established to assist missionaries and to protect them - the Order of the Sword and the Prussian Order.

3. The king is in captivity. Conquest of Tyre.

In 1120, Ilghazi attacked Edessa, and his nephew and governor in Atareb, Balak, attacked the territory of Antioch. Patriarch Bernard sent messengers to Jerusalem asking for help. The king went north, taking Patriarch Gormon and the Holy Cross with him. Having learned about the approach of Baudouin, Ilghazi called for help the atabek Togtekin. Having settled down opposite each other, the armies began to move either north or south on parallel courses, and the king did not succumb to Turkish demonstrations of imaginary flight. The Muslims got tired of the first, Ilghazi concluded a truce with Baudouin, and Togtekin went to Damascus. From there he launched an attack on Galilee. When Baudouin appeared, Togtekin went home. In retaliation in the summer of 1121, Baudouin crossed the Jordan and devastated the Jaulan region, southeast of the Lake of Gennesaret. At the same time, Josselin made a robbery raid in Jazira.

In 1122, King David IV the Builder of the Bagration dynasty, who headed Georgia, defeated Seljuk Toghrul, the governor of Arran in East Azerbaijan, south of the Araks. Togrul called for help against the infidels the Star of Faith - Ilghazi. In August 1122, the united Turkish armies fell into a trap and were completely destroyed by the army of King David, which included a detachment of Frankish mercenaries. Ilghazi, having barely escaped death, reached Mardin, and the Georgian king liberated Tiflis.

Apparently there was no direct connection between the Orthodox Georgian kingdom and the crusader states in northern Syria, but Baudouin II managed to take advantage of the happy opportunity presented to him by the defeat of Ilghazi.

The eldest son of Ilghazi Suleiman, appointed governor of Aleppo by his father, after the defeat of his father in the war with David, declared himself independent. King Baudouin immediately took advantage of this by attacking him and devastating his lands. The peace concluded by Suleiman with the Franks cost him the transfer of the fortresses of Atareb and Zerdan to them. Ilghazi, who entered Aleppo to subdue his traitor son, did not start a war with the Franks because of their loss and confirmed the contract between his son and the king.

In 1122, Count Pons of Tripoli suddenly rebelled against the supreme authority of the king, declaring himself the head of an independent state. Having assembled an army at Acre, King Baudouin immediately moved north against the rebel. At the approach of the king, Pons submitted and was forgiven.

The rebellion ended on time, because just at that time, violating the peace treaty, Ilghazi, together with Togtekin, laid siege to Zerdana of Antioch. Baudouin immediately came to the rescue, Ilghazi retreated, and the movements of the armies began again on parallel courses. Again, the Turks were the first to get tired of this, at the end of August they retreated, and Baudouin arrived in Antioch. Here they received bad news: Joscelin of Edes was captured.

Deciding to intercept Artuqid Balak, who was returning from Zerdana through the Edessa lands, Josselin himself was ambushed on September 13. Matthew of Edessa tells: “Balak with eight hundred horsemen was waiting for him in a protected place where a river flowed, surrounded on all sides by swamps. As if possessed, the Franks rushed at the Turks, but could not overcome the swamps that protected them. The infidels wounded the horses with arrows, which fell to the ground. They defeated the Christians and took prisoner Josselin and Valeran [of Birejik]. Both counts, chained, were taken to the [fortress] Karpurt and thrown into prison. Together with Josselin and Valeran, 60 of their comrades were captured.

Rice. Joscelin of Edessa.

Balak offered to immediately set them all free if they surrendered Edessa in exchange. Joscelin's courageous answer followed: “We are like camels loaded with luggage, when one of them dies, its load is transferred to another, so with us, what we owned has already passed into other hands” (Kemal ad-Din).

King Baudouin immediately arrived in Edessa. He put the Monk of Marash at the head of the county of Geoffrey, and in October the Edessa Franks launched a raid on Muslim lands.

On November 3, 1122, Ilghazi died in Mayafarakin, and his possessions were divided between his children and nephews: the eldest son Suleiman received Mayafarakin, the younger Timurtash - Mardin, the nephew Badr ad-Daula Suleiman got Aleppo, and another nephew Balak - land from Karpurt in the north to Haran in the south.

In April 1123, King Baudouin, who arrived to the north, finally took away the recently lost Atareb from Badr al-Daula, then Birejik from Balak and arrived in Edessa. From there, with a small force, he moved north, perhaps in order to find out the whereabouts of Joscelin. On April 18, when the king set up his camp near the Euphrates, not far from Gargar, and was going to falconry, the camp was suddenly attacked by Balak, who killed most of the detachment, and captured the king. The king was treated respectfully and taken to Carpoort, where he met in captivity with his cousin Joscelin and his cousin Waleran. The prestige of Balak, who first captured Joscelin and then King Baudouin II, rose among the Muslims to an unprecedented height.

The Frankish states lost all their rulers at once: the prince of Antioch was killed, the king of Jerusalem (he is also the regent of Antioch) and the count of Edessa were captured, only the count of Tripoli Pons remained the current ruler. However, nothing terrible happened, which testifies to the administrative abilities of Baudouin, Geoffrey the Monk continued to rule in Edessa, and Patriarch Bernard in Antioch. In Acre, Patriarch Gormon assembled a Crown Council, which chose Eustache Garnier, lord of Caesarea and Sidon, as constable and ruler of the kingdom until the release of the king.

Balak considered that now it would be easy to do away with the states of the crusaders, but first he decided to unite the state of his uncle Ilghazi and started with Aleppo. It turned out to be harder than he expected: he was not loved in the city. Only in June did he manage to subdue the city. In August, he started a war with the Franks, conquered Albara and laid siege to Kafartab. And then the stunning news from Carpurth distracted him from the war.

Joscelin always had a good relationship with the Armenians, who did not interrupt even after the death of his first Armenian wife, the sister of Rubenid Toros. The fortress of Karpurt lay in the lands of the Armenians, and it was not difficult for Josselin to convey the message to his Armenian friends. Several of these friends, under the guise of monks and merchants, who wanted to complain to the governor, were let into the city, they took out hidden swords, killed the guards at the gate and let the rest in total number of 50 people. After a short battle, the garrison of the fortress was destroyed. At the convened council, it was decided that Josselin, with three Armenian soldiers, would leave the fortress in order to get help, and Baudouin would try to keep it for the time being. Hiding for days and walking at night, the fugitives managed to slip past the Turkish troops approaching the fortress and reach the Euphrates. From here, Joscelin sent one of the Armenians back to convey a reassuring message to Baudouin. Josselin did not know how to swim, but with the help of Armenian friends and two inflated wineskins, which previously contained water, he crossed the Euphrates at night. And again, moving at night, the fugitives overcame dangerous territory and entered the lands free from Turkish troops. With the help of Armenian peasants, Josselin reached Turbessel, where he was met by his wife and friends. Without stopping, he galloped on to Antioch. But Patriarch Bernard did not dare to come to the rescue with the forces that he had, and Josselin galloped on to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he first brought his chains to the church above Golgotha (however heavy they were, he carried them with him) and convened the Crown Council. Patriarch Gormon and constable Eustache Garnier gathered troops, which, taking the Holy Cross, Josselin led north. Arriving in Turbessel, they learned that they were late.

Having learned about the events in Karpurt, Emir Balak rushed to the fortress with unusual speed. He offered Baudouin a free exit and delivery to his homeland, subject to the surrender of the fortress. Perhaps the king did not want to abandon his comrades, perhaps he did not trust Artukid and rejected the offer. The defense did not last long, the miners (diggers) of Balak brought down the wall, and his army broke into the fortress. All 65 Franks and Armenians not killed in battle were executed, with the exception of the king, Waleran and his nephew, who were transferred to the citadel of Harran. The emir's harem was in the fortress and during the rebellion completely went over to the side of the Christians. All the wives and concubines of the emir in the amount of 80 people were thrown from the fortress wall in bags.

Joscelin did not dare to lead an army to Harran. In autumn, he devastated the neighborhood of Aleppo, sent the army home and returned to Turbessel. Balak arrived in Aleppo to organize a campaign against the Franks, and in retaliation, Josselin turned the churches of Aleppo into mosques. However, at the beginning of 1124, the Muslim governor of Menbij raised an uprising against him. Balak sent his cousin Timurtash to put down the uprising. He captured the city, but the brother of the governor held the citadel and called for help from Christians from Edessa. On May 5, Balak intercepted the Edessa army on the road and defeated it; Geoffrey Monk was killed in the battle. Balak spent the night in prayer, and in the morning he ordered the execution of the prisoners. He then approached Menbij to finish off the citadel. He received a message from the besieged Tire and was about to go to his aid. Balak did not put on his chain mail, and an accidental arrow from the citadel wounded him in the groin. Pulling out the arrow, he said: "This blow brings death to all Muslims." The Franks agreed with him and said: "The dragon, which so heavily frightened God's people, is now slain." He died on May 6, 1124, having handed over his state to Timurtash, the son of Ilghazi. Like him, Richard the Lionheart will die from a random arrow in 75 years.

Learning that the kingdom was left without a king, in May 1123 a large Egyptian army left Ascalon and moved towards Jaffa. Constable Eustache Garnier, taking with him the Holy Cross, the spear of Christ and the miraculous vessel with the milk of the Mother of God, led the army from Jerusalem to meet her. In Jerusalem itself, the barefoot people made a procession from church to church. On May 29, at Ibelen, both armies met in battle. Despite the huge numerical superiority, the Egyptians could not withstand the blow of the armored knightly cavalry and fled, leaving their camp to the Franks. This battle was the last for Eustache Garnier, he died on June 15th. By decision of the Crown Council, Guillaume de Bur became constable. Eustache's wealthy widow Emma, niece of Patriarch Arnulf, an aged woman, married the young Hugues du Puiset, Count of Jaffa, and her lands received a new lord.

As early as 1119, after the defeat at the Field of Blood, King Baudouin sent messages to the Italian merchant republics asking for help, promising them trade privileges. The king wanted to get rid of the domination of the sea by the Egyptian fleet, which interfered with trade, in addition, it was necessary to conquer the fortress ports of Ascalon and Tyre, which remained in the hands of the Muslims. The Pope approved the request. Pisa and Genoa, however, were not up to the Holy Land, they started a war among themselves. Venice agreed to help, and Doge Domenico Michele began to form a fleet. However, almost three years passed until on August 8, 1122, this fleet of more than a hundred large warships put to sea. He brought with him troops, horses and building materials for siege engines. However, the fleet did not go directly to Palestine.

For a long time, the Republic of Venice began to deteriorate relations with Byzantium. The empire concluded a trade treaty with Pisa in 1111, which eliminated the Venetian trade monopoly in relations with it, which the Venetians had had since 1082. Byzantium's treaty with Pisa was similar to the treaty with Venice, although it provided for less trade privileges. Relations escalated when Emperor John II, thinking that because of the strife that had begun in Norman Puglia, he no longer needed Venice as an ally, he decided to break his father's agreement with her. Therefore, the Venetian fleet stopped along the way to attack the Byzantine island of Corfu. The Venetians, having completely plundered the island, besieged the city of Corfu for half a year from November 1122, but could not take it. John had to start negotiations with Venice, which ended after four years of war in 1126 with the restoration of the treaty of 1082.

At the end of April 1123, on the island of Corfu, the doge received news from Palestine about the captivity of the king. Reluctantly, the Doge lifted the siege and went to Palestine, stopping along the way only to attack a Byzantine ship. At the end of May, the fleet arrived at Acre, and the Doge learned that the Egyptian fleet was in front of Ascalon. The Doge divided the fleet in two and sent a fast ship forward to trap the Egyptians. The Egyptian fleet chasing the bait found itself between two Venetian squadrons and was completely destroyed. On the way back to Acre, another ten heavily loaded Egyptian merchant ships fell into the hands of the Venetians. From this terrible defeat, which can be called the harbinger of Lepanto, the Egyptian fleet could not recover for a long time. The Egyptians lost their command of the sea. The Doge was solemnly received in Jerusalem.

The Venetians were ready to help in the conquest of any one of the two possible ports. With the participation of the Doge in Jerusalem, the Crown Council was assembled, where the question was decided which city was better to besiege, Ascalon or Tire. Opinions on the council were divided, the nobles of Judea defended the need to take Ascalon, and the nobles of Galilee - Tyre, and there was no king to resolve the dispute. It was decided to cast lots. On the altar in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were placed two identical sheets of parchment, on one was written Tire, on the other - Ascalon. The lot fell on Tyre. Negotiations on the terms of the aid continued throughout the autumn. At Christmas, the Venetians participated in worship services in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. After the New Year in Acre, the representatives of the Republic and Patriarch Gormon, Constable Guillaume de Bureau and Chancellor Pagan signed an agreement on behalf of the king. By agreement, the Venetians received in each city of the kingdom a street with a church, baths and a bakery, and, in addition, houses in Acre, a third of Tire and 300 besants from the king's income in Acre. They were allowed to use their own weights and measures and were exempt from all taxes and customs fees. However, they were not exempted from the tax on pilgrims (a third of the money taken for travel). The patriarch swore on the Bible that the king, upon his release, would confirm the agreement, which happened two years later. The siege of Tyre by land and sea began on February 15, 1124.

Since 1112, the city of Tire was subject to two authorities: the secular one - to Emir Masud, sent with a detachment of soldiers from Damascus by Togtekin, and the spiritual one - to the Cairo Caliph al-Amir. The city recognized the supremacy of Egypt, and prayers in mosques began with the proclamation of the name of the Shiite caliph Fatimid. For this, Egypt sent bread to the city by sea and helped in the wars with the fleet. The vizier al-Afdal put up with this situation, since he needed the help of Toghtekin against the Franks. But in December 1121, al-Afdal was killed by an assassin on the streets of Cairo, and Caliph al-Amir, who gained power, decided to put an end to the duality of power in Tire. In 1122 a fleet was sent to Tire. The admiral in command of the fleet invited Masoud to join his ship, and when the unsuspecting Turk arrived, he was detained and sent to Egypt. In Cairo, Masuda received the caliph with honors and sent him to Damascus to Toghtekin. Toghtekin, like al-Afdal before, resigned himself to the loss of secular power in the city.

However, now that the Egyptian fleet was destroyed and the Franks were ready to begin the siege of Tire, the caliph realized that he could not help the city in any way, and was forced to ask Togtekin to take over the management of the city and its defense. Togtekin sent 700 Turks and food supplies to the city.

The city of Tire was located on an island located close to the coast, and was connected to it by a narrow dam built by Alexander the Great in 322 BC, when he himself besieged the city. From the sea, Tire was almost impregnable, and the approach from the side of the dam was protected by mighty triple walls and towers. There was only one drawback in the defense of the city - the lack of water. It entered the city from the mountains through the aqueduct, there were no own sources in the city. On the first day of the siege, the Franks cut off the access to water. Winter rains filled the city cisterns, but this amount could not be enough for a long time. The Franks camped in the gardens where the dam joined the shore. The Venetian fleet anchored off the coast near the camp and blocked the sea routes to Tire. The Frankish army was commanded by Patriarch Gormon, whose authority was higher than that of the young constable. The troops of Pons of Tripoli soon joined the royal army.

The siege continued for more than four months. From the building material brought by the Venetians, siege engines were built, which bombarded the city walls on the dam for days on end. The besieged fought courageously, they responded by shooting from stone-throwing machines and using "Greek fire". However, their strength was fading, and there was an acute shortage of water and food. Messengers were secretly sent from the city to Egypt and Damascus. The Egyptians sent an army a couple of times to the vicinity of Jerusalem, but she did not dare to storm Jerusalem and only devastated its environs. Togtekin, at the beginning of the siege, approached Baniyas on the Jordan and waited there for news of the arrival of the Egyptian fleet in order to make a joint attack on the Frankish camp, but the Egyptians were never able to form a fleet. Part of the army was sent against Togtekin under the command of the constable Guillaume de Bura and Pons of Tripoli, and the atabek, not daring to join the battle, retreated to Damascus. last hope townspeople - Emir Artukid Balak was killed in May, not having time to come to the rescue.

By the end of June, the situation in the city was desperate, there was not enough water and food, there was no strength to defend themselves. Togtekin was informed of the impossibility of continuing the struggle and sent a truce to the Franks, offering to surrender the city on the usual terms: everyone can freely leave the city, taking movable property with them, those who wish to stay must retain their property and civil rights. The Frankish and Venetian leadership accepted the terms of surrender, but the soldiers and sailors, deprived of the opportunity to plunder, almost rebelled. On July 7, 1124, Tire surrendered, banners were raised above the main gate - the royal banner in the center and the banners of the Doge of Venice and Pons of Tripoli on the sides. The Franks entered the city, and a string of residents who did not want to stay, and the garrison came out of it, there were almost no robberies. Now, on the Palestine-Syrian coast, only Ascalon remained in the hands of the Muslims. As S. Runciman joked, "having cut out their pound of meat, the Venetians sailed home."

From the book Love for History (network version) part 5 author Akunin Boris

Is the king naked? And maybe no king? March 6, 11:49 The League of Voters reports that the official data of the Central Election Commission differ greatly from the data of the Consolidated Protocol. For those who are too lazy to follow the link, I will briefly explain: the “Consolidated Protocol” is a combination of

From the book The Rise and Fall of the Kingdom of Sicily. Normans in Sicily. 1130–1194 author Norwich John Julius

CHAPTER 5 ROGER THE KING But when lands are acquired in areas where there are differences in language, customs and laws, it takes luck and a lot of hard work to keep them. N. Machiavelli. Sovereign. Book. III Not only to the historian who evaluates the past from the height of his knowledge and

From the book Everyday Life in France in the era of Richelieu and Louis XIII author Glagoleva Ekaterina Vladimirovna

From the book Britain in Modern Times (XVI-XVII centuries) author Churchill Winston Spencer

Chapter XXV. THE CATHOLIC KING Since the reign of James I, one of the main factors in determining the history of England has been the struggle between the Crown and Parliament. With the accession to the throne of James II, this confrontation entered a new phase. The struggle seemed to start anew: in 1685

From book Crusades. Volume 1 author Granovsky Alexander Vladimirovich

From the book The August Master of Survival. Life of Charles II author Kut Stephen

From the book Long-Lived Monarchs author Rudycheva Irina Anatolievna

The king is dead! Long live the king! The first king of Portugal died on December 6, 1185 in Coimbra at the age of 76 and was buried in the monastery of Santa Cruz. His reign lasted 57 years - he ruled first as an earl, and then as a king. Moreover, these years passed in the military

From book Palace coups author Zgurskaya Maria Pavlovna

The king is dead - long live the king! The reign of the cruel King Pedro I caused such a storm of indignation in the state that it led to the overthrow of the legitimate dynasty and the accession of Enrique de Trastamara under the name Henry II (Enrique) (1333-1379) - the king of Castile, also called

From the book Steel Empire Krupp. History of the legendary weapons dynasty author Manchester William

Chapter 3 "The Cannon King" No one can say with certainty what prompted Alfred to release his first musket. The family had not dealt with weapons since his father sharpened bayonets, and since their last dispatch from Essen took place when Alfred was seven years old, any

From the book Guide to Shakespeare. English plays author Asimov Isaac

From the book History of France. Volume I Origins of the Franks by Stefan Lebeck

Dagobert. "King of the Austrasians" (623), then "King of the Franks" (629) The son of Clothar and Queen Bertrude by that time was not even 15 years old. He was brought to Metz and placed under the care of Bishop Arnoul, who retained his functions of "friend of the house," and Pepin I, the new mayor. Clothar,

From the book Richard III and the Battle of Bosworth author Hammond Peter

CHAPTER 1 The New King On the sixth of July, 1483, Richard of Gloucester was duly crowned with an English crown under the name of Richard III. His wife Anna was crowned with him - it was the first double coronation in the last 175 years, that is, since the coronation of Edward II and

From the book In the Land of Myths author Arsky Felix Naumovich

THE KING IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE KING! Pirate Dikearchus, who was in the service of the Macedonian king Philip V (who ruled at the end of the 3rd-beginning of the 2nd century BC), was famous for his audacity. Not only did he make robbery raids and turn captives into slaves, he had enough

From the book of Louis XIV author Bluche Francois

Chapter IX. THE SUN KING Is he a man? After all, he has no weaknesses. Is he God? After all, he is mortal. Calling him God would be too strong, Calling him a man would be too weak. Apotheosis of the New Hercules

In July 1991, King Baudouin I celebrated the 40th anniversary of his tenure on the Belgian throne. During this period, Belgium has repeatedly faced serious problems that caused the highest degree of tension in the country. This is also a five-year political struggle for the development of the state education system, which ended in May 1959 with the adoption by the parliament of the so-called "school pact". This is the painful process of decolonization of the Belgian possessions in Africa - the Congo (Zaire), Rwanda and Burundi. This is the powerful strike movement of the Belgian workers in the 60s and 70s, caused by the deterioration of their financial situation and the growth of unemployment in the country as a result of deep cyclical crises of the national economy. This and the continuous linguistic friction between the communities of the Ballons and the Flemings, which repeatedly led to the fall of coalition governments. This is also the most complex reform of the political and administrative structure of Belgium, which turned it into a federal state in which three autonomous regions coexist on a legal basis - Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels - and the executive authorities of three national communities - the Ballons, the Flemings and the German-speaking Belgians .
During the reign of Baudouin I, there was even a moment - April 1990 - when the king, in order not to complicate the political situation in the country, abdicated for a while. This happened at a time when Parliament was debating the question of lifting the ban on abortion, imposed by the authorities many years ago under the influence of the powerful Catholic Church. For 39 hours, Belgium was without a king, who decided not to stand in the way of legalizing abortion, but also not to be involved in it. Baudouin sent a letter to the Prime Minister urging Parliament and the government to find a legal solution "which would reconcile the king's right not to commit acts contrary to his conscience and the need for the normal functioning of parliamentary democracy." Parliament took advantage of the 82nd article of the constitution to solve the problem. The rest of the world looked at this action with surprise, but Belgium felt that it would never be the same again. Such a "Belgian compromise" saved the monarchy from conflict with the Vatican and with its own public.
The constitutional monarchy in Belgium is a rather complex institution of power. The fundamental law of the country established that all power comes from the people. This community of citizens has transferred the exercise of its power to various bodies, one of which is the political power of the king, which can only be a direct descendant of King Leopold I. The constitution assigned strictly certain prerogatives to the king of the Belgians: his person is inviolable, the ministers are responsible to the monarch.
The position of the monarch in Belgium by no means dooms him to passivity - he has a wide field of activity, everything depends solely on his personal initiative. In this sense, the king's prerogatives can be synthesized in three words: advise, encourage, warn. In his activities as constitutional head of state, King Baudouin sought to proceed precisely from these principles. Having ascended the throne at a time when the confidence in the monarch in the country was greatly shaken, he managed to turn the tide in his favor, and at the same time he acted decisively and firmly. As a result, relations between the king and all sections of Belgian society became stronger than they had ever been in the past. On the other hand, there is no doubt that, by his activities for the good of the country, King Baudouin managed to achieve a balance in the definition of the concepts of "rule" and "govern".
People who met King Baudouin were struck by his ease of handling. The Belgians remember that King Baudouin participated in difficult times in organizing rescue operations, providing assistance to victims of catastrophes and natural disasters *.
On December 15, 1960, King Baudouin married the daughter of the Spanish grandee Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon. From this marriage, the king had no children.
The king's working day began at 9 o'clock in the morning, when he left his palace in Laeken and went to the Brussels Palace, the working residence of the head of state. He devoted the whole morning to audiences. He spent the whole second half of the day in studying the cases submitted to him for consideration. Baudouin regularly visited various parts of Belgium, universities, factories, museums; like his grandfather, he showed great interest in science and technology.
According to the established tradition, the king can only once during his reign make a state visit to a particular country. However, this did not prevent him from making private trips to these same countries, and an unlimited number of times. In Belgium's cooperation with other states, he paid special attention to joint actions to combat environmental pollution, to improve people's lives, and to build housing.

*"Nous, roi des belges..." P. 143-146.

King Baudouin paid an official visit to the Soviet Union in the summer of 1975. This visit gave impetus to the development of bilateral relations of cooperation in various fields, primarily in science and technology, economics and trade.
Among the king's hobbies were astronomy and photography. He was constantly involved in sports, giving particular preference to swimming, skiing, playing tennis and golf. A great lover of fishing, Baudouin devoted much of his time to her when he spent his holidays in Spain, in his wife's homeland.
King Baudouin was an honorary chief marshal of the Belgian Royal Air Force, an honorary doctorate from the universities of Louvain, Ghent, Brussels, Liege, Thailand and Brazil.
As mentioned above, Queen Fabiola comes from a noble Spanish family. Among the ancestors of her parents are members of the royal families of Aragon and Navarre, who played a prominent role in the history of Spain. After her marriage, she received the title - Queen Fabiola Fernanda Maria de lae Victorias Antenna Adelaide.
Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragon was born on June 11, 1928 in Madrid. Her father, Don Gonzalo de Mora y Fernandez Riera del Olmo, Count de Mora, Marquis de Casa Riera, died in 1959. Her mother, Dona Blanca d Aragon y Carrillo de Albornoz Baroeta Aldamar and Elio.
The Queen was educated at home, has artistic and musical talents. She studied at a nursing school, worked for some time in one of the hospitals in Madrid as a nurse. She traveled a lot around Europe in order to improve her knowledge of foreign languages. In addition to her native Spanish, the Queen is fluent in French, Dutch, German and English.
Its main activity in Belgium concentrated mainly on the social sphere. As is Queen Elizabeth, the queen. Fabiola dedicated much of her time, energy and energy to helping the sick and the needy. She created a secretariat in the Lackey Palace, where many cases of citizens in dire need of social assistance were studied daily. The Queen also shows great interest in the problems of childhood and motherhood, and disabled children. The Queen often visited children's medical and educational establishments. One of these establishments bears her name. The Queen has written a children's book, "12 Wonderful Tales of Queen Fabiola." All royalties from the publication and reprinting of this book go to children's charities.
The queen's biographers note her modesty and simplicity. The queen has good taste and a sense of harmony, which helped her in the restoration of the Lackey Palace. She furnished a number of rooms of the palace with furniture that was presented to her on her wedding day.
King Baudway died unexpectedly on the night of July 31 to August 1, 1993 from a heart attack that happened to him while on vacation in Spain. In recent years, the king was seriously ill. In March 1992, he underwent heart surgery.
The sudden death of King Baudouin plunged the whole country into deep mourning. The coffin with the body of the late monarch was brought to Brussels and installed first in the Lackey and then in the Brussels Royal Palace. More than 100 thousand people came to say goodbye to King Baudouin. On August 7, in the main cathedral of Brussels - Saint-Michel Cathedral, a solemn mass of farewell to the monarch was held, which was broadcast on four television channels. King Baudway is buried in the family vault at Laeken, where four of his predecessors are buried.
King Baudouin paid great attention to issues related to the federalization of Belgium. Elections in Belgium rarely produced a clear winner, and the king then determined which party leader should try to form a coalition government. He always sought to ensure that his choice was balanced both from a linguistic and political point of view. This actually made his importance and influence in society much greater than he was assigned by the constitution.
Softness, calmness and tact, the ability to find a compromise allowed King Baudouin to play a key role in the transformation of Belgium from a unitary to a federal state, in the formation of three semi-autonomous regions - Wallonia, Flanders and Greater Brussels, in settling constant disputes between the French and Dutch-speaking communities of the country and between political parties split along ethnic lines. In 1993, Parliament approved the latest documents fixing the division of Belgium into three federal regions.
King Baudouin was distinguished by consistency in defending the idea of a "federal Europe". He was a supporter of all-round integration on the scale of the European continent.
In connection with the unexpected death of King Baudouin, the Belgian Parliament decided that the 59-year-old younger brother of the King, Prince Albert of Liege, would inherit the throne. At the same time, the Parliament proceeded from the fact that the constitutional amendments introduced in 1991 provide that direct, natural and legitimate male and female descendants of King Leopold I, starting with the children of the new king of the Belgians, Albert II, can ascend the Belgian throne. According to many Belgians and foreign observers, this was due to the fact that the adult children of the new head of state are not yet ready to lead the kingdom. Late in the evening of August 1, after a short meeting in full force, the government announced that Prince Albert would become the new king.

King Albert II

On August 9, 1993, at the exact time allotted by the constitution, Albert Felix Humbert Theodor Christian Eugene Marie, Prince of Liege, at a joint meeting of the bicameral parliament, took the oath as the new head of state, King Albert II of the Belgians.
The new king of the Belgians was born in Brussels on June 6, 1934. Since childhood, he was interested in everything related to the sea. He received a secular and military education in Belgium and abroad, graduated from the naval school in Bruges. He holds the rank of Lieutenant General and Vice Admiral of the Belgian Navy. He has specialized training in port and transport issues. The choice of this specialization was not accidental. It is caused by the fact that Belgium, deprived natural resources, depends on its ability to process and sell the products it produces and exports to create jobs.
Prince Albert owes his education and training to the fact that in 1962 he becomes honorary president of the Belgian Bureau foreign trade. Over the years that have passed since then, he has led Belgian economic delegations about 90 times, traveling to various countries in search of a market and in order to attract foreign investment to Belgium.
In his work as "patron" of the country's foreign trade, Prince Albert paid special attention to small and medium-sized enterprises, which he considered as the main engine of economic progress. To this end, in 1980, he established the Export Oscar Award, which he personally presents every year to firms that win this honorary trophy.
In 1984, in commemoration of 25 years of activity of the King's brother in the development of national exports, the Prince Albert Foundation was established to promote the training of specialists in the field of foreign trade. The activities of the Prince of Liege in the economic field were complemented by his leadership from 1954 to 1992 by the General Council of the Main Savings and Pension Bank of the country.
As a member of the royal family, Prince Albert, in accordance with the constitution, was a member of the Senate of the Belgian Parliament by right. At the request of the government, he repeatedly led Belgian delegations to participate in major official events abroad.
Since 1958, Prince Albert has been the permanent president of the Belgian Red Cross Society. He is known as the initiator of numerous humanitarian actions undertaken by society both in Belgium itself and abroad.
Since 1967, Prince Albert has been actively working in the field of urbanization of the country, construction and improvement of the housing stock, environmental protection, protection of cultural and ancient monuments. That is why Prince Albert was invited in 1969 by the Council of Europe to preside over the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. The Prince of Liege also took part in international forums devoted to the problems of environmental protection, in particular, in the International Ecological Conference organized by the UN in 1972 in Stockholm. In 1982 he chaired the Belgian Committee for the European Year of Urban Regeneration.
For a long time, Prince Albert was the honorary president of the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee. For many years he personally presented the best athletes of the country with the National Prize for achievements in sports. The prince himself was known as a passionate motorcycle racer and, according to rumor, was repeatedly detained by the police for speeding.
On July 2, 1959, Prince Albert married Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria, a member of an old Italian princely family. The current Belgian Queen Paola was born on September 11, 1937. She was educated at home. She met Prince Albert in 1958 in Rome at the celebrations on the occasion of the accession to the papal throne of John XXIII. When she was Princess of Belgium, Paola's activities focused mainly on her family, children and grandchildren. The princess showed great interest in handicrafts, especially traditional ones. She often visited the workshops of artisans, encouraged the development of their creativity in every possible way. The princess devoted a lot of time to decorating her house and caring for the garden. She is well versed in flowers and other garden ornamental plants. Queen Paola's sports hobbies are tennis and swimming.
King Albert II and Queen Paola have three children: Prince Philip (b. 15 April 1960), Princess Astrid (b. 5 June 1962) and Prince Laurent (b. 19 October 1963). Princess Astrid on 22 September 1984 married Archduke Este Lorenz of Austria*. They have four children: Prince Amedeo, Princess Maria Laura, Prince Joachim and Princess Louise Maria, born in October 1995.
In connection with the accession to the Belgian throne of King Albert II, the Parliament of Belgium, based on the fact that Princes Philip and Laurent do not yet have natural and legitimate heirs, established the following order in the throne: Prince Philip, Princess Astrid, Prince Amedeo (1986), Princess Mary Laura (1988), Prince Joamm (1991), Prince Laurent.
Crown Prince Philip, having completed the course secondary school, having mastered French and Dutch, in 1978 he entered the Royal Military School, from which he graduated in 1981. Then he received the military specialties of a pilot, paratrooper and paratrooper. On board the aircraft of the Belgian Air Force "Mirage" he made solo flights. He commanded a platoon of the 3rd battalion of the landing troops of the armed forces of Belgium. In 1983, Crown Prince Philip was awarded military rank captain. On December 1, 1989, he became a colonel.

*Archduke of Austria-Este Lorenz is the son of Archduke Robert (brother of Otto von Habsburg) and Princess Margaret of Savoy-Aosta. November 10, 1995 Archduke Lorenz received the title of Prince of Belgium. Note. comp.

The crown prince received his civil education at Trinity College, Oxford University (UK). In 1985, Crown Prince Philip studied a program specially prepared for him on the constitution, politics, economics and social policy of his country. He showed a particular interest in the problems of the younger generation, in particular unemployment, vocational training, crime, studying them on the basis of the King Baudouin Foundation.
Later, he attended special courses on geopolitical, strategic and defense issues at the Royal Higher Defense Institute. Crown Prince Philip shows great interest in the problems of European construction and international relations. In April 1992 he visited Russia. Crown Prince Philip, Duke of Brabant, single.

The British monarchy is the oldest surviving one in the world. In the midst of the English bourgeois revolution on January 30, 1649, King Charles I Stuart was executed. This act was not followed by a long Republican rule. In 1660, Parliament restored the monarchy in the person of Charles II, a man whose thoughts were limited to endless pleasures associated with the same spending.
The last years of his reign, Charles II rules without a parliament. Its support is the army and French subsidies. Hopes for a change for the better did not come true even after the death of Charles and the accession to the throne of his brother James II. The new monarch turns even more noticeably towards the Bourbons and Catholics, mercilessly cracking down on attempts at uprisings.
The result is a temporary rallying of the rival parties of the Whigs and Tories, which had finally formed by that time. In 1688, a bloodless coup took place in England, the "Glorious Revolution". The Dutch Stadtholder William of Orange is invited to the English throne. Jacob flees to his patron in Paris, where he and then his son are still hatching plans for the return of the crown, including through internal conspiracies of their supporters in England.
Formally, the Stuart dynasty continued: William III was the son-in-law of James I. It was under him - in fact a foreigner - that England acquires rights, freedoms that formed the legal foundation of what the United Kingdom is today. ending the main task bourgeois revolution. The famous "Bill of Rights" fixed for centuries to come the prerogatives of parliament and the limitations of the monarchy. It is forbidden to suspend the operation of laws, to impose taxes without the sanction of Parliament, as well as to keep a standing army in peacetime. Freedom of speech was proclaimed (at first, however, only in parliament). Petitions of the population to deputies are allowed. Even earlier, in 1679, the so-called "Habea with corpus act" was adopted on the inviolability of the individual from involuntary arrest and detention under investigation.
The constitutional monarchy does not develop painlessly. In the following decades, battles for the right to rule take place between parliament and the crown, between it and the government. In the course of this struggle, the position of power, based on respect for law, is increasingly among the supporters of the unwritten constitutional order.

BRUNSWICK LINE

Throne as dowry

For further destinies monarchy was of decisive importance adopted by Parliament in 1701 "Act of Succession". His backstory is this. William III had no children, and Anna, the youngest daughter of James II, lost the last of her children before the death of the healthy monarch. Who was to take the throne? Across the English Channel loomed the figure of Jacob. Part of the Tories stood for him, but the Vita, with their predominance in the lower house, were almost unanimous against it. The act required that the heir to the throne be a Protestant and provided for the transfer of the crown after the death of Anna to Sophia of Hanover. Here is what William Thackeray later wrote in his essay about the English Hanoverian kings: “We, the British, owe the dynasty of Hanoverian monarchs on our throne to a successful marriage concluded by the first Hanoverian Elector Ernst August. Nine years after Charles Stuart lost his head, his niece Sophia, from the numerous offspring of another deposed monarch - the ill-fated Elector of the Palatinate, became the wife of Ernst August and brought him, through poverty, in dowry, hereditary right to all three British crowns "*.
However, neither he nor his wife became the owners of St. James's Palace (after the fire of 1698, which destroyed the residence on Whitehall, the royal family moved into it) did not become. Ernst August died in 1698, Sophia did not live two months before the death of Queen Anne (1714). The throne was taken by their 54-year-old son Georg Ludwig (1660-1727), who became George I. He did not burden himself with mental studies, but led a life typical of the Hanoverian family.
Young George participated in the wars of William III against France, which stretched from the end of the 17th century. Politics, as such, and even in a country where he had never been before 1713, never interested him. He was more concerned about mistresses. This side of his nature was not affected by his marriage to Sophia Dorothea. However, after marriage, she became close to the handsome adventurer Count Philipp von Könitsmark. George's connections were not considered scandalous. It was all right. But his wife tried to escape from Hanover with her lover. In 1694, the count was killed by mercenaries, and Sophia Dorothea was imprisoned in a fortress, where she died alone in 1726. Her two children were more fortunate. The son was destined to continue the dynasty, and the daughter gave birth to the future King Frederick the Great.

* Thackeray W. M. Sobr. cit.: V 12 t. M., 1979. T. 11. S. 517.

George's most famous mistresses were Ehrengard Schulenberg and Baroness von Kielmansegg. Together with George, both found themselves on English soil. The agile, money-hungry Ehrengard pushed aside her rival, who became the Countess of Darlington, and as the Duchess of Kendal, she began selling government posts.
The monarch was not only not interested in politics, but also did not know English. W. Thackeray considered these traits even positive for England: "The German Protestant on the throne turned out to be cheaper, kinder and better than the Catholic Stuart, whose place he took, and was devoted to England at least enough to leave it to itself"*.
George preferred Hanover to London, where he could indulge in pleasures away from the anxieties that abounded in life in England. Soon after his accession to the north of the country, Jacob's supporters revolted. Such performances took place in the future, but there was little chance of success. The Viti were firmly in the saddle, and Prime Minister Robert Walpole actually ruled England for more than twenty years. The aging George did not need to be distracted by military exploits. The period up to the beginning of the 1940s was mostly peaceful.
Personal life would be quite prosperous if it were not for the trouble with his son. The younger George could not have sympathy for his father - the culprit of the indefinite exile of his mother. In 1717 there was an open break: the thirty-year-old offspring of the king and his wife Caroline of Ansbach were expelled from St. James's Palace.
The Hanoverian remained faithful to his land to the end. Death overtook him in the carriage on the night of June 11, 1727, when he was on his way to his native Hanover.

* Teterey U. M. Sobr. op. T. 11. S. 519.

Son to father

George II (1683-1760) came to the throne at the age of 44. He had several advantages over his father. Next to him for ten years of reign until her death was his wife, who loved him passionately - a reliable adviser in state affairs. He did not face a language barrier: he knew both German and English. The rest of the son was in the father. The fate of the Hanoverian elector worried him more than the English kingdom.
Of mediocre intelligence, petty, which made him count cash with his own hands, he inherited the sensuality of his parent and did not see anything shameful in telling his wife in detail about his intimate relationships "on the side." Carolina tolerated these amorous affairs. She withstood the other bad traits of her husband just as stoically. He not only did not pick up a book, but could not bear it when anyone read in his presence. Carolina - a lover of reading - had to retire so that she would not be caught doing this.
W. Thackeray is not the only chronicler of the Hanoverian dynasty who expressed surprise at the behavior of Queen Caroline of Ansbach. She, Thackeray wrote, loved her husband and sacrificed everything for him, "was famous for her beauty, intelligence, learning and good disposition." "What charms did this short man possess? What kind of magic was in those amazing thirty-page letters that he wrote to his wife when he was away, and to his mistresses in Hanover, when he was in London with his wife?" *.
George II also had some positive aspects, primarily fearlessness. Easily rushed into battle, not thinking about the risk. In addition, being aware of the limitations of his mental abilities, he listened to the advice of those who were above him in this respect.
Under George II, the zenith of Whig power was reached and their decline began, directed by the erudite Tory politician and publicist Bolingbroke. The king watched the weakening of his favorites with dismay. From the Tories, he expected only trouble.
Not everything was fine with him and Crown Prince Frederick Lewis. Hatred grew between them. The gap occurred in 1737. The fact is that the king carefully took care of the king, who was in Hampton Court, the wife of Frederick Lewis Augusta of Saxe-Gotha in connection with the appearance of her first child. Instead of gratitude to spite his father, Frederick Lewis ordered the immediate return of his wife to St. James's Palace. Enraged, George II ordered the removal of the prince from his court. Then Frederick Lewis, with the help of Tory figures, began to intrigue against the king.
With the death of Carolina in 1737, George II lost his true support, while a relatively peaceful period for England was coming to an end and it was necessary to resolve difficult issues of external and domestic policy. The commercial bourgeoisie was less and less inclined to be content with a lull in the arena of colonial expansion. In the ranks of the Whig deputies, opposition was emerging with calls to action dressed in patriotic rhetoric against the Spanish ships that interfered with the mother country's trade with the American colonies.

* Thackeray W. M. Sobr. op. T. 11. S. 542, 545.

A new Whig luminary was rising - orator and master of behind-the-scenes combinations William Pitt the Elder. His fiery and militant speeches, which excited the public, preceded the declaration of war on Spain by England in 1737, followed by the resumption of the offensive policy against France, which led England to participate in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748).
George II - unwaveringly on the side of Empress Maria Theresa, arranges for her subsidies of 300 million pounds. Art. - a step as unpopular as the conduct of hostilities on German soil, and not for British interests, but for the defense of Hanover. All this entails high costs and an increase in the national debt. If George is ahead on the battlefield, then in financial matters he is hopelessly the last.
More or less obedient ministers are in power. True, not for long. In the person of the Pitts - first the eldest, and then the youngest - is formed (a hall capable of withstanding the pressure of the royal court. W. Pitt the Elder, still a fledgling politician, was among George's loud critics for his preference for the interests of Hanover. The king did not forget this, but was powerless Pitt became secretary of state in 1756. Far from being anti-monarchist, Pitt was in favor of a strong popular monarchy, as promoted by Bolingbroke with his idea of a “patriot king.” He saw himself as an intermediary between the monarchy and the nation.
George II did not fit well into such a framework, and when he dies in 1760, the nation is not very sorry. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, George II contributed to the further decline of the role of the throne *. True, as the same encyclopedia notes, the union of Hanover and England during the reign of this king had its pluses. Born in Hannover, Handel wrote his musical masterpieces in England - such as "Judas of Maccabees" In the mid-40s. they served the patriotic cause, contributing to the rise of the struggle against the intrigues of the Stuarts. Thanks to the same monarch, the University of Göttingen was founded.
The main thing, of course, for the ruling class was that George II in every possible way contributed to the growth of the imperial possessions of England. In the last years of his reign, the country participated in the Seven Years' War, which ended with the Peace of Paris in 1763: Canada and other territories in North America. The halo of these triumphs shone not over George II, but over William Pitt.

Sad end

An absurd case - a fatal injury in 1751 on the tennis court of the son of George II Frederick Lewis made the king's grandson George William Frederick the heir. Then he was 13 years old. He managed to drink a full cup of the bitterness of frequent disagreements between his father and grandfather, and this did not help to improve his naturally gloomy, vindictive character. He admitted that he "remembers what he does not want to forgive" **.
Bute, a Scot politician who has gained confidence in George II, is betting on his grandson, turning him against the king - and not just out of love for intrigue. From the second half of the XVIII century. commercial and financial circles are increasingly in conflict with the landowning oligarchy, which was not enthusiastic about wars for the sake of expanding colonial territories. This burdened the treasury, although it brought solid profits to certain layers.

Because of his minority, Baudouin was only able to take over the board in 1951. The coronation, which took place on July 16, 1951, a few weeks before he turned 21, was overshadowed by the many blows of fate that have befallen the Belgian royal house over the past quarter century. The traces of these blows were clearly imprinted on the serious, pale face of the young king. At the age of five, he had to endure the sudden death of his mother in a car accident. As a teenager, he was painfully worried about his father, who, due to his stupid and, moreover, unsuccessful policy, turned out to be either a collaborator or a traitor. During World War II, Baudouin was still too young to disassociate himself from all this, join the army and create his own reputation as a patriotic crown prince.

However, what at first seemed to be Baudouin's weakness soon turned into his strength. His father, Leopold III, in 1934, while still crown prince, was the idol of his people: a dazzling vision of an energetic young man in love next to his charming beautiful wife. Thus crowned in advance with laurels, a radiant conqueror, he almost inevitably had to end his journey as a disgraceful and all-losing loser. Lonely, melancholy Baudouin was still a blank, unwritten sheet of paper for everyone - but it was precisely such a new beginning that concealed the highest potential for the future of Belgium.

Early years

Hardly anyone could have imagined that such a young-looking, so often helplessly acting, newly crowned King of Belgium would soon become the leading figure of the next four decades. The face of the "sad king" was motionless and impenetrable, which was even more emphasized by the then fashionable horn-rimmed glasses. Even the official portraits of that time hardly try to disguise the melancholy of his appearance.
The young king in post-war Belgium, repeatedly torn apart, managed to become a symbol of a new beginning in the life of the country. Of course, his first undertakings were weighed down by constant guardianship from his father, who, despite all his failures, could not move away from politics. Instead of returning to his Swiss exile after his abdication, he remained in Belgium, where, in the opinion of the public, he exerted too much big influence on the son.

Belgian Congo becomes independent

The interest and sympathy of Baudouin I was attracted primarily by people suffering from want in his kingdom. More and more he walked out of his father's shadow, showing his own character. The combination of seriousness with Christian postulates learned from childhood, as well as naturalness, simplicity and modesty, soon won the hearts of his Belgian subjects.

In the mid-1950s, the king was overtaken by the legacy of his great-uncle Leopold II: in May 1955, Bodun I flew to the Congo for the first time, where people greeted the king dressed in white military uniform with the exclamation “bwano kitoko”, which means “ handsome man". Five years later, he did not want to miss a significant day: a celebration in honor of the independence of the former colony - and again personally went to Leopoldville. With this visit, the king wanted to demonstrate his monarchical sense of responsibility. However, the result of this intervention was highly controversial. The King's speech, undoubtedly full of good intentions, perhaps somewhat awkwardly expressed, increased the already growing tension between Belgium and the newly created daughter state and contributed to plunging the Congo into a disastrous civil war.

Verbal duel of statesmen

“Dear gentlemen, the independence of the Congo is the success of the life work of the brilliant King Leopold II” - this is how Baudouin I presented the dubious merits of Belgium in the development Central Africa. An attempt to raise his great-great-grandfather to the shield was perceived by the audience as blatant faux pas. Indeed, further in Europe during the period of prosperous colonialism, this man was perceived as a terrible ghost of a cruel and unscrupulous exploiter.
Future Congo Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was quick to respond. Although his speech was not scheduled, along with that of Congolese President Joseph Kasavubu, he asked for the floor and impromptu delivered a speech in which, with shocking frankness, he brought to light all the crimes of the colonial regime: insulted, hit—morning, afternoon, evening, always, all because we were black. Who will forget the executions and dungeons where those who did not want to submit to the unjust regime of oppression and exploitation languished!”

Congo Civil War

Some observers feared even then that Lumumba might have signed his own death warrant with his impassioned and undiplomatic speech. Indeed, the rebellion that took place a few months later and the secession of the province of Katanga under the leadership of his political rival Tshombe cut the ground from under Lumumba's feet. Lumumba was removed from power and then killed by an army of Katangese rebels in January 1961. The behind-the-scenes leaders of this rebellion were secret services Western powers, primarily the Belgians, who sought to secure access to the richest minerals in the easternmost province of the Congo. Numerous Belgian officers even served in the detached rebel army. One of them, who later openly admitted his involvement in the murder of Lumumba, after almost forty years, gave vent to his monarchical feelings: “Why should I feel compassion for him? After all, it was the one who insulted my king!”

Christian royal couple

What kept King Baudouin in his high office, in spite of excessive demands and often excessive workload, was not least his deep Catholic faith. She will become his reliable support already in early years his life full of change and adversity. The kingdom, as he himself admitted, looking back, he accepted as a service, "as if he had joined a monastic order."

Religious beliefs undoubtedly influenced the "sad king" also in his choice of life mate. On September 16, 1960, Belgian Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens announced the engagement of Baudouin I with a little-known Spanish noblewoman in Belgium. Her name was Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon, and she was a representative of a noble Spanish family: among the ancestors of her parents were members of the royal families of Aragon and Navarre, states that played a prominent role in the history of Spain.
Where exactly did Baudouin meet his future wife so no one knew for sure. It can be assumed that they met at one of the "youth receptions" in the house of Fabiola's grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenie. The widow of the Spanish king Alphonse XIII, who lived in exile in Lausanne (Switzerland) since 1931, she could very likely play the role of a matchmaker.
Born in 1928 and two years older than Baudouin, Fabiola was the perfect match for the solitary, lonely king. Being a Catholic by vocation, she first graduated from the school for the sisters of mercy. After that, Fabiola organized a private social assistance center at the Madrid city palace of her parents. She personally cared for the sick and the poor in the poor suburbs. IN brilliant life high society, she did not take any part. Even after becoming the Queen of the Belgians, she remained true to her mission: to help her compatriots in need, for which she later received the title of “first social worker” of Belgium.

Wedding of King Baudouin and Princess Fabiola

exemplary family life

Very rarely has King Baudouin been seen so relaxed and so joyful before, as during his wedding on December 15, 1960 in the Saint-Michel Cathedral in Brussels, which was hung with purple and gold wall carpets for the occasion. Within a few hours, Queen Fabiola completely won the hearts of the Belgians.
This beginning turned out to be a happy omen for this truly exemplary marriage. In an era when many other European monarchies provided abundant material for scandalous chronicles, the Belgian royal couple lived in rare harmony and unparalleled harmony, which did not prevent them from being quite active and showing it in the form of countless charitable and other useful deeds. Even in later photographs, the aged faces of Baudouin and Fabiola radiate such a caring and tender disposition towards each other and towards the people around them, which can only come from the inaccessible depths of human souls.

History is not what we experience, it is what we create. A costume photo shoot in Brussels can be your attempt to make your personal history a little brighter.
Your visit to Belgium can become a journey not only in space but also in time.

Good people must be adequately represented.

The report of your meeting, conference or corporate event must be made professionally, correspond to the level of the event itself and your company. We offer professional photography of any events in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg.

Recent fights

The enmity between the Walloons and the Flemings, this destructive fire, constantly smoldering in the Belgian state structure, naturally, demanded constant attention from the king. In accordance with his representative position, Baudouin I could only promote internal reconciliation in a covert way, while showing diplomatic dexterity, external restraint and great patience. In the meantime, while the royal speeches sounded in French and Flemish, in the border region between Eupen and Malmedy, the German language also took the stage and asserted its rights. In short, just before his death, on July 31, 1993, the king still had time to experience the triumph of his subtle diplomatic efforts in the struggle for internal reconciliation and the preservation of the country's unity. Belgium was transformed into a federation of regional communities of Wallonia, Flanders, as well as an area of mixed language use - the metropolitan area of Brussels.

At the coffin of Baudouin, the Belgian Cardinal Danneels concluded his speech with these words: "We have lost the king, but God will give us in return for the heavenly intercessor and defender of Belgium." Fabiola, who had expressed her insistent desire that the hope of the joy of the resurrection should sound in the funeral mass, dressed in all white as a sign of this hope.