William, Lord of Tiberias

William of Saint Omer (died before 1204) was a Crusader noble of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and a son of Walter of Saint Omer, Prince of Galilee, and Eschiva of Bures.

Family and inheritance

William was the second son of Walter of Saint Omer and Eschiva of Bures, after his elder brother Hugh II of Saint Omer. His younger brothers were Raoul of Saint Omer and Odo of Saint Omer. Walter died in 1174, after which Eschiva married Raymond III of Tripoli, who thereby became Prince of Galilee through his marriage to its heiress. Raymond had no children with Eschiva and acted as stepfather to her sons.

Following the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and Saladin's subsequent conquest of much of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Saint-Omer family's territorial possession of Galilee was lost. Raymond III died later that year. William's elder brother Hugh succeeded to the title of Prince of Galilee, although only as a titular prince because the territory itself had been lost.

The siege began in August 1189 and became the principal military operation of the early Third Crusade. William's participation placed him among the barons who continued to support Guy's claim during the prolonged struggle between Guy's faction and the supporters of Conrad. They had one known daughter, Eschiva, who married Hugues Sans-Avoir, lord of Le Puy.