John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut

John of Ibelin (c. 1179 – 1236), called the Old Lord of Beirut, was a powerful crusader noble in the 13th century, one of the best known representatives of the influential Ibelin family. The son of Balian of Ibelin and the dowager queen Maria Comnena, he had close ties with the nobility of both Cyprus and Jerusalem, since he was the half-brother of Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem. Before he was 20, he was appointed constable of Jerusalem, and a few years later became Lord of Beirut. John rebuilt Beirut after Saladin's conquest, and established the grand Ibelin family palace. He served as regent of Jerusalem on behalf of his niece Maria of Montferrat from 1205 to 1210 after her mother, Queen Isabella, died. He was also regent for his great-nephew (Isabella's grandson) Henry I of Cyprus from 1228 until Henry came of age in 1232. John was known as a principled man, and was seen as the natural leader of the Christian barons in the Holy Land. He resisted the power-seeking of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, in Cyprus, and opposed the imperial forces until King Henry came of age.

Early years John was the son of Balian, Lord of Nablus and Ibelin, and Maria Komnene, Queen of Jerusalem, widow of Amalric of Jerusalem. By 1198 he had become constable of Jerusalem; the fact that he was the half-brother of Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem gave him considerable influence. At the time he was a vassal of Ralph of Saint-Omer, who was exiled from the kingdom after being accused of attempting to assassinate King Aimery of Cyprus. John attempted to mediate, but Aimery would not back down.

Lord of Beirut Sometime before 1205, John relinquished the office of constable in exchange for the lordship of Beirut, which became the home of the Ibelin family for the rest of the century. He rebuilt the city, which had been completely destroyed during Saladin's conquest of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He also constructed an opulent palace with art of both Muslim and Byzantine influences. A German ambassador in 1212, Wilbrand of Oldenburg, wrote an impressive account of the castle, describing fresco paintings, mosaics on the floors, and a marble fountain in the courtyard. Historian Peter Edbury described the ambassador's account as "A feature of the public rooms were the Trompe-l'œil effects achieved with marble inlays, with a floor resembling the sea and a ceiling 'painted with such life-like colours that clouds pass across, the west wind blows, and there the sun seems to mark out the year and the months, the days and the weeks, the hours and the moments by its movement in the zodiac. A marble fountain with a dragon as the centre-piece stood in the central hall, its jets cooling the air and the murmur of the water giving an altogether soothing effect." Beirut Castle was so well fortified that in 1231 and 1232 it withstood a siege lasting several months.

Beirut was effectively an independent state under John's rule; in 1207 John added Arsuf to his territory through his marriage to Melisende of Arsuf, making him one of the wealthiest nobles in the kingdom.

Family John was married twice. His first wife, in 1201/1202, was Helvis of Nephin. Little is known of the marriage except that the couple had five sons, all of whom died before Helvis died.

In 1207, John married Melisende, Lady of Arsuf, with whom he had five sons and a daughter: Balian of Beirut (d. 1247), who succeeded him as Lord of Beirut, and fathered John II of Beirut John of Arsuf (c. 1211–1258), lord of Arsuf and constable of Jerusalem, father of Balian of Arsuf (1239–1277) Hugh of Ibelin (died 1238) Baldwin of Ibelin, Seneschal of Cyprus Guy of Ibelin, Constable of Cyprus Isabella, who became a nun