The Fief of Tibnin (Toron) and its Castle in the Age of the Crusades AD (1105-1266 AH 498- 664)

Master's Thesis from the year 2014 in the subject History - World History - Early and Ancient History, University of Göttingen (History Department), course: History of the Crusades and the relation between the East and West, language: English, comment: I would like to thank a lot Prof. Aly al- Sayed, Damnhour University, Egypt. and Prof. Dr. Frank Rexroth, Göttingen University, Germany, for their help, patience, encouragement throughout all the stage of researching and writing this work. I could not have been written this work without their advices, instructions, comments and extensive help., abstract: The Crusade movement is one of the most important occurrences of medieval history. It took place throughout two centuries in the Levant and affected both Muslims and Crusaders and in turn changed the way in which West and East related to one another. To understand the history of the Crusades, it is important to study not only the military aspects but also the socio-economic and political relationships. When the Crusaders took control of the Holy Land and many Islamic cities in the Levant, they transferred their feudal European system there. They established four main fiefdoms or lordships, Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch and Tripoli. In addition, there were another twelve secondary fiefdoms, of which Tibnin was one.This work is divided into five chapters. An introduction to outline the importance and objectives of the study, and also discusses its primary and second sources as well as the previous studies in this field. The second chapter is a study of the society of Tibnin, the architecture of the castle of Tibnin and its importance for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It illustrates the nature of the relations between the Crusader and Muslim inhabitants in Tibnin and the economic and agricultural importance of lands of Tibnin in the age of the Crusades.The third chapter deals with the issues of Crusader rule in Tibnin, from its origins and evolution to the political role of Tibnin and its rulers throughout the twelfth century, until its downfall at the hands of the Muslims in 1187 / 583. The possessions of Humphrey I's dynasty, rulers of Tibnin, in the Levant and their relations with the kings of Jerusalem and the Crusader nobles in the Kingdom of Jerusalem has been discussed as well.The fourth chapter traces the military role of Tibnin and its rulers in the Latin East against the Muslims until 1187/ 583. Tibnin played a key role in overcoming the Muslims in Tyre and controlled it in 1124. It also played a vital role in the conflict between Damascus and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Tibnin participated in defending Antioch, Banyas, Hebron and Transjordan several times. Furthermore, its soldiers and Knights joined the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem to capture Ascalon in 1153, and joined the campaigns of Amaury I, King of Jerusalem, against Egypt from 1164 to 1169. The fifth chapter is a study of the political and military situation of Tibnin under Muslim rule from 1187/583 to 1229/625 and under Latin rule from 1229/625 to 1266/664.