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{{Short description|Crusader and military leader (1125–1187)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name          = Raynald of Châtillon
| title         = Lord of Hebron and Montréal
| image         = ReynaldofChatillon&PatriarchofAntioch.jpg
| caption       = Raynald of Châtillon tortures [[Aimery of Limoges]], [[Latin Patriarch of Antioch]] (from a late-13th-century manuscript of [[William of Tyre]]'s {{lang|la|Historia}} and its ''Continuation'').
| succession    = Prince of Antioch<br /><small>together with [[Constance of Antioch|Constance]]</small>
| reign         = 1153 to 1160 or 1161
| coronation    = 
| cor-type      =
| predecessor   = [[Constance of Antioch|Constance]]
| successor     = [[Constance of Antioch|Constance]]
|succession2 = Lord of Oultrejordain<br /><small>together with [[Stephanie of Milly, Lady of Oultrejordain|Stephanie of Milly]]</small> 
|reign2 = 1176 to 1187
|predecessor2 = [[Miles of Plancy]] 
|successor2 = [[Humphrey IV of Toron]] 
| spouse        = [[Constance of Antioch]]<br /> [[Stephanie of Milly, Lady of Oultrejordain|Stephanie of Milly]]
| issue         = [[Agnes of Antioch]]<br />Alice
| house         = 
| house-type    =
| father        = Hervé II of Donzy
| mother        = A daughter of Hugh the White, Lord of La Ferté-Milon
| birth_date    = {{circa}} 1124
| birth_place   = 
| death_date    = 4 July {{Death year and age|1187|1125}}
| death_place   = [[Hattin]]
| burial_place  =
| religion      = [[Catholicism]]
| signature     =
}}

'''Raynald of Châtillon''' ({{circa}} 1124{{spnd}}4 July 1187), also known as '''Reynald''', '''Reginald''', or '''Renaud''', was [[Prince of Antioch]]—a [[crusader states|crusader state]] in the [[Middle East]]—from 1153 to 1160 or 1161, and [[Lord of Oultrejordain]]—a [[Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem|large fiefdom]] in the crusader [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]—from 1175 until his death, ruling both territories {{lang|la|[[iure uxoris]]}} ('by right of wife'). The second son of a [[French nobility|French noble]] family, he joined the [[Second Crusade]] in 1147, and settled in Jerusalem as a mercenary. Six years later, he married [[Constance of Antioch|Constance]], Princess of Antioch, although her subjects regarded the marriage as a [[mesalliance]].

Always in need of funds, Raynald tortured [[Aimery of Limoges]], [[Latin Patriarch of Antioch]], who had refused to pay a subsidy to him. He launched a plundering raid in [[Cyprus]] in 1156, causing great destruction in [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] territory. Four years later, [[Manuel I Komnenos]], the [[List of Byzantine emperors|Byzantine Emperor]], led an army towards Antioch, forcing Raynald to accept Byzantine [[suzerainty]]. Raynald was raiding the valley of the river [[Euphrates]] in 1160 or 1161 when the governor of [[Aleppo]] captured him at [[Marash]]. He was released for a large ransom in 1176 but did not return to Antioch, because his wife had died in the interim. He married [[Stephanie of Milly, Lady of Oultrejordain|Stephanie of Milly]], the wealthy heiress of Oultrejordain. Since King [[Baldwin IV of Jerusalem]] had also granted [[Hebron]] to him, Raynald became one of the wealthiest barons in the kingdom. After Baldwin, who suffered from [[leprosy]], made him [[regent]] in 1177, Raynald led the crusader army that defeated [[Saladin]], the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Sultan of Egypt and Syria]], at the [[Battle of Montgisard]]. In control of the [[Caravan (travellers)|caravan routes]] between Egypt and Syria, he was the only Christian leader to pursue an offensive policy against Saladin, by making plundering raids against the caravans travelling near his domains. After Raynald's newly constructed fleet plundered the coast of the [[Red Sea]] in early 1183, threatening the route of [[Hajj|Muslim pilgrims]] to [[Mecca]], Saladin pledged that he would never forgive him.

Raynald was a firm supporter of Baldwin IV's sister, [[Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem|Sybilla]], and her husband, [[Guy of Lusignan]], during conflicts regarding Baldwin IV's succession. Sibylla and Guy were able to seize the throne in 1186 due to Raynald's co-operation with her uncle, [[Joscelin III of Courtenay]]. In spite of a truce between Saladin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Raynald attacked a caravan travelling from Egypt to Syria in late 1186 or early 1187, claiming that the truce was not binding upon him. After Raynald refused to pay compensation, Saladin invaded the kingdom and annihilated the crusader army in the [[Battle of Hattin]]. Raynald was captured on the battlefield. Saladin personally beheaded him after he refused to [[conversion to Islam|convert to Islam]]. Many historians have regarded Raynald as an irresponsible adventurer whose lust for booty caused the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. On the other hand, the historian Bernard Hamilton says that he was the only crusader leader who tried to prevent Saladin from unifying the nearby Muslim states.

== Early years ==

Raynald was the younger son of Hervé II, [[Lord of Donzy]] in France.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=104}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=201}} In older historiography, Raynald was thought to have been the son of Geoffrey, Count of [[Gien]],{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=345}} but the historian [[Jean Richard (historian)|Jean Richard]] demonstrated Raynald's kinship with the lords of [[Donzy]].{{refn|group=note|The contemporaneous historian [[Ernoul]] mentions that Raynald was "the brother of the lord of Gien" in France. For chronological reasons, this lord of Gien can only be associated with Hervé—a brother of Geoffrey II of Donzy—who gave the castle of Gien to his daughter Alix in dowry in 1153. They were both sons of Hervé II of Donzy.{{sfn|Richard|1989|pp=410, 416}}}} They were influential noblemen in the [[Duchy of Burgundy]] (in present-day eastern France), who claimed descent from the Palladii, a prominent [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallo-Roman]] aristocratic family during the [[Later Roman Empire|Later Roman]] period.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=104}}{{sfn|Richard|1989|pp=412–413}} Raynald's mother, whose name is not known, was a daughter of Hugh the White, Lord of [[La Ferté-Milon]].{{sfn|Richard|1989|p=410}}

Born around 1124, Raynald inherited the lordship of [[Châtillon-sur-Loire]].{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=104}}{{sfn|Cotts|2021|p=43}} Years later, he would complain in a letter to [[Louis VII of France]] that a part of his patrimony was "violently and unjustly confiscated". The historian [[Malcolm Barber]] says that probably this event prompted Raynald to leave his homeland for the [[crusader states]].{{refn|group=note|The crusader states—the [[County of Edessa]], the [[Principality of Antioch]], the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]], and the [[County of Tripoli]]—were established by western aristocrats in the [[Middle East]] as a consequence of the [[First Crusade]] between 1098 and 1105. Occupying a narrow strip of land, the crusader states' survival depended on external support, and their leaders often appealed for help to the rulers of Catholic Europe.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=4–25}}}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=206}} According to modern historians, Raynald came to the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]] in Louis{{nbsp}}VII's army during the [[Second Crusade]] in 1147,{{refn|group=note|The Second Crusade was declared after the talented Turkic military leader [[Imad al-Din Zengi|Zengi]] captured the city of [[Edessa]] (now in Turkey) in late 1144.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=180–185}}}} and stayed behind when the French abandoned the military campaign two years later.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=98}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=206}} Early in 1153, he is known to have fought in the army of [[Baldwin III of Jerusalem]] during the [[siege of Ascalon]].{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=98 (note 8)}}

The 12th-century historian [[William of Tyre]], who was Raynald's political opponent, describes him as "a kind of mercenary knight", emphasising the distance between Raynald and Princess [[Constance of Antioch]], whom Raynald unexpectedly engaged to marry before the end of the siege.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=98 (note 8)}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=206}} Constance, the only daughter and successor of [[Bohemond II of Antioch]], had been widowed when her husband, [[Raymond of Poitiers]], fell in the [[Battle of Inab]] on 28{{nbsp}}June 1148.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=152–153}}{{sfn|Lock|2006|pp=40, 50}} To secure the defence of Antioch, Baldwin{{nbsp}}III (who was Constance's cousin) led his army to Antioch at least three times during the following years. He tried to persuade Constance to remarry, but she did not accept his candidates. She also refused [[John Rogerios Dalassenos|John Roger]], whom the Byzantine emperor, [[Manuel I Komnenos]], had proposed to be her husband.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|pp=330–332, 345}}{{sfn|Buck|2017|pp=77–78}} Raynald and Constance kept their betrothal a secret until Baldwin gave his permission for their marriage.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=345}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=206}} According to the historian Andrew D. Buck, they needed a royal permission because Raynald was in Baldwin's service.{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=78}} The early-13th-century chronicle known as the {{lang|fr|[[Estoire d'Eracles]]}} states that Baldwin happily consented to the marriage because it freed him from his obligation to "defend a land" (namely Antioch) "which was so far away" from his kingdom.{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=228}}

== Prince of Antioch ==

[[File:Map Crusader states 1165-en.svg|thumb|right|alt=Four crusaders states surrounded by Muslim states, and the Byzantine territories in Asia Minor |The crusader states around 1165 (the Principality of Antioch is marked by blue)]] 

After Baldwin granted his consent, Constance married Raynald.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=345}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=206}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=540}} He was installed as prince in or shortly before May 1153.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=345 (note 1)}} In that month, he confirmed the privileges of the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] merchants.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|pp=345–346 (note 1)}} William of Tyre records that his subjects were astonished that their "famous, powerful and well-born" princess married a man of low status.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=98 (note 8)}} No coins struck for Raynald have survived. According to Buck, this indicates that Raynald's position was relatively weak. Whereas Raymond of Poitiers had issued around half of his charters without a reference to Constance, Raynald always mentioned that he made the decision with his wife's consent.{{sfn|Buck|2017|pp=78–79, 116}} Raynald did control appointments to [[Officers of the Principality of Antioch|the highest offices]]: he made Geoffrey Jordanis the [[Constable of Antioch|constable]] and Geoffrey Falsard the duke of Antioch.{{refn|group=note|The duke (or {{lang|la|dux}}) of Antioch was one of the eleven highest-ranking officers in the principality but available sources do not contain detailed information on the dukes' role in state administration.{{sfn|Buck|2017|pp=88–89}}}}{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=90}}

The Norman chronicler [[Robert of Torigni]] writes that Raynald seized three fortresses from the Aleppans soon after his accession, but does not name them.{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=42}} [[Aimery of Limoges]], the wealthy [[Latin patriarch of Antioch]], did not hide his dismay at Constance's second marriage. He even refused to pay a subsidy to Raynald, although Raynald, as Barber underlines, "was in dire need of money". In retaliation for Aimery's refusal, Raynald arrested and tortured him in the summer of 1154, forcing him to sit naked and covered with honey in the sun, before imprisoning him. Aimery was only released on Baldwin{{nbsp}}III's demand, but he soon left Antioch for Jerusalem.{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=104}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=540}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=209}} Surprisingly, Raynald was not [[Excommunication in the Catholic Church|excommunicated]] for his abuse of a high-ranking cleric. Buck argues that Raynald could avoid the punishment because of Aimery's previous disputes with the papacy over the [[Archbishopric of Tyre]]. Instead, Aimery excommunicated Raynald on the demand of the papacy in 1154 as a consequence of a conflict between Antioch and [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]].{{sfn|Buck|2017|pp=104–105, 107}}

Emperor Manuel, who claimed suzerainty over Antioch, sent his envoys to Raynald,{{refn|group=note|Constance's paternal grandfather, the [[Italo-Norman]] aristocrat [[Bohemond I]] had established the Principality of Antioch on former Byzantine territory, but the Byzantines never abandoned their claim to the region. First, Bohemond{{nbsp}}I was forced to acknowledge Byzantine suzerainty over the principality in the [[Treaty of Devol]] in 1108, but the treaty was never implemented. In 1137, Raymond of Poitiers swore an oath of fealty to the Byzantine emperor [[John II Komnenos]].{{sfn|Morton|2020|p=43}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=83, 169–170}}}} proposing to recognize him as the new prince if he launched a campaign against the [[Armenians]] of [[Cilician Armenia|Cilicia]], who had risen up against Byzantine rule.{{refn|group=note|The Armenian warlords of the mountainous regions of [[Cilicia]] had taken advantage of the establishment of the crusader states to strengthen their position against the Byzantines and their Turkic neighbours. The Armenian [[Rubenids]] closely cooperated with the crusaders (or Franks) and often accepted the suzerainty of the princes of Antioch.{{sfn|Morton|2020|pp=85–86}}}} He also promised that he would compensate Raynald for the expenses of the campaign.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=540}} After Raynald defeated the Armenians at [[Alexandretta]] in 1155, the [[Knights Templar]] took control of the region of the [[Syrian Gates]] that the Armenians had recently invaded.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=346}} Although the sources are unclear, Runciman and Barber agree that it was Raynald who granted the territory to them.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=346}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=209}}

Always in need of funds, Raynald urged Manuel to send the promised subsidy to him, but Manuel failed to pay the money.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=209}} Raynald made an alliance with the Armenian lord [[Thoros II, Prince of Armenia|Thoros II of Cilicia]]. They attacked Cyprus, plundering the prosperous Byzantine island for three weeks in early 1156.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=347}}{{sfn|Morton|2020|p=130}} Hearing rumours of an imperial fleet approaching the island, they left Cyprus, but only after they had forced all Cypriots to ransom themselves, with the exception of the wealthiest individuals (including Manuel's nephew, [[John Doukas Komnenos]]), whom they carried off to Antioch as hostages.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=347}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=541}}

Taking advantage of the presence of Count [[Thierry of Flanders]] and his army in the Holy Land and an earthquake that had destroyed most towns in Northern Syria, Baldwin{{nbsp}}III of Jerusalem invaded the Muslim territories in the valley of the [[Orontes River]] in the autumn of 1157.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=348}} Raynald joined the royal army, and they laid siege to Shaizar.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=541}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=348}} At this point, Shaizar was held by the [[Shia Islam|Shi'ite]] [[Order of Assassins|Assassins]], but before the earthquake it had been the seat of the [[Sunni Islam|Sunnite]] [[Banu Munqidh|Munqidhites]] who paid an annual tribute to Raynald.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=348}} Baldwin was planning to grant the fortress to Thierry of Flanders, but Raynald demanded that the count should pay homage to him for the town. After Thierry sharply refused to swear fealty to an upstart, the crusaders abandoned the siege.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=542}} They marched on Harenc (present-day [[Harem, Syria]]), which had been an Antiochene fortress before Nur ad-Din captured it in 1150.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|pp=327, 349}} After the crusaders captured Harenc in February 1158, Raynald granted it to [[Raynald of Saint-Valery]] from [[County of Flanders|Flanders]].{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=542}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=349}}

Emperor Manuel unexpectedly invaded Cilicia, forcing Thoros{{nbsp}}II to seek refuge in the mountains in December 1158.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=543}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=213}} Unable to resist a full-scale Byzantine invasion, Raynald hurried to [[Mamistra]] to voluntarily make his submission to the emperor.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=543}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=349}} On Manuel's demand, Raynald and his retainers walked barefoot and bareheaded through the streets of the town to the imperial tent where he prostrated himself, begging for mercy.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=352}} William of Tyre stated that "the glory of the Latin world was put to shame" on this occasion, because envoys from the nearby Muslim and Christian rulers were also present at Raynald's humiliation.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=98}} Manuel demanded that a [[List of Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch|Greek patriarch]] be installed at Antioch. Although his demand was not accepted, documentary evidence indicates that Gerard, the Catholic bishop of [[Latakia]], was forced to move to Jerusalem.{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=105}} Raynald had to promise that he would allow a Byzantine garrison to stay in the citadel whenever it was required and would send a troop to fight in the Byzantine army.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=352}} Before long, Baldwin{{nbsp}}III of Jerusalem persuaded Manuel to consent to the return of the Latin patriarch, Aimery, to Antioch, instead of installing a Greek patriarch. When the emperor entered Antioch with much pomp and ceremony on 12{{nbsp}}April 1159, Raynald held the bridle of Manuel's horse.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=213}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=353}} Manuel left the town eight days later.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=354}}

Raynald made a plundering raid in the valley of the river [[Euphrates]] at [[Marash]] to seize cattle, horses and camels from the local peasants in November 1160 or 1161.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=546}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=357}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=214}} Majd ad-Din, Nur ad-Din's commander of Aleppo, gathered his troops (10,000 people, according to the contemporary historian [[Matthew of Edessa]]), and attacked Raynald and his retinue on the way back to Antioch.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=546}}{{sfn|Morton|2020|p=133}} Raynald tried to fight, but he was unhorsed and captured. He was sent to Aleppo where he was put in jail.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=357}}

== Captivity and release ==

[[File:Rnaud prissonier.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=A captive man is taken to the open gate of a fortress; a flock of sheep |Raynald imprisoned at [[Aleppo]] (from a mid-14th-century manuscript of [[William of Tyre]]'s {{lang|la|Historia}} and its ''Continuation'')]]

Almost nothing is known about Raynald's life while he was imprisoned for fifteen years.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=98}} He shared his prison with [[Joscelin III of Courtenay]], the titular [[count of Edessa]], who had been captured a couple of months before him.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=358}} In Raynald's absence, Constance wanted to rule alone, but Baldwin{{nbsp}}III of Jerusalem made Patriarch Aimery [[regent]] for her fifteen-year-old son (Raynald's stepson), [[Bohemond III of Antioch]].{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=358}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=546}} Constance died around 1163, shortly after her son reached the age of majority.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=365}} Her death deprived Raynald of his claim to Antioch.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=98}} However, he had become an important personality, with prominent family connections, as his stepdaughter, [[Maria of Antioch]], married Emperor Manuel in 1161, and his own daughter, [[Agnes of Antioch|Agnes]], became the wife of [[Béla III of Hungary]].{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=98}}

Nur ad-Din died unexpectedly in 1174. His underage son [[as-Salih Ismail al-Malik]] succeeded him, and Nur ad-Din's {{lang|ar|[[mamluk]]}} ('slave-soldier') [[Gümüshtekin]] assumed the regency for him in Aleppo. Being unable to resist attacks by [[Saladin]], Gümüshtekin sought the support of Raynald's stepson Bohemond III of Antioch, and on his request released Raynald along with Joscelin of Courtenay and all other Christian prisoners in 1176.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|pp=82, 98, 103}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=408}} Raynald's ransom, fixed at 120,000 [[gold dinar]]s, reflected his prestige.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=98}} It was most probably paid by Emperor Manuel, according to Barber and Hamilton.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=365}}{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=112}}

Raynald came to Jerusalem with Joscelin before 1{{nbsp}}September 1176,{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=105}} where he became a close ally of Joscelin's sister, [[Agnes of Courtenay]].{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=99}} She was the mother of the young [[Baldwin IV of Jerusalem]], who suffered from [[leprosy]].{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=99}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=264}} [[Hugo Etherianis]], who lived in Constantinople after about 1165, mentioned in the preface of his work ''About the Procession of the Holy Spirit,'' that he had asked "Prince Raynald" to deliver a copy of the work to Aimery of Limoges.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=111}} Hamilton writes that these words suggest that Raynald led the embassy that Baldwin{{nbsp}}IV sent to Constantinople to confirm an alliance between Jerusalem and the Byzantine Empire against Egypt towards the end of 1176.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=111}}{{sfn|Lock|2006|p=63}}

== Lord of Oultrejordain ==

=== First years ===

After his return from Constantinople early in 1177, Raynald married [[Stephanie of Milly, Lady of Oultrejordain|Stephanie of Milly]], the lady of [[Oultrejordain]], and Baldwin{{nbsp}}IV also granted him [[Hebron]].{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=117}} The first extant charter styling Raynald as "Lord of Hebron and Montréal" was issued in November 1177.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=100 (note 22)}} He owed service of 60 knights to the Crown, showing that he had become one of the wealthiest barons of the realm.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=117}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=593 (note 2)}} From his castles at [[Kerak Castle|Kerak]] and [[Montreal (Crusader castle)|Montréal]], he controlled the routes between the two main parts of Saladin's empire, Syria and Egypt.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=268}} Raynald and Baldwin{{nbsp}}IV's brother-in-law, [[William of Montferrat, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon|William of Montferrat]], jointly granted large estates to [[Rodrigo Álvarez]], the founder of the [[Order of Mountjoy]], to strengthen the defence of the southern and eastern frontier of the kingdom.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=117}} After William of Montferrat died in June 1177, the king made Raynald regent of the kingdom.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=118}}

[[File:Seal Reynald of Chatillon 2.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A seal depicting a bird of prey and a fortress |Raynald's seal]]

Baldwin IV's cousin Count [[Philip I of Flanders]] came to the Holy Land at the head of a crusader army in early August 1177.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=268}} The king offered him the regency, but Philip refused the offer, saying that he did not want to stay in the kingdom.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=268–269}} Philip declared that he was "willing to take orders" from anybody, but he protested when Baldwin confirmed Raynald's position as "regent of the kingdom and of the armies" as he thought that a military commander without special powers should lead the army.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=123}} Philip left the kingdom a month after his arrival.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=133}}

Saladin invaded the region of [[Ascalon]], but the royal army launched an attack on him in the [[Battle of Montgisard]] on 25{{nbsp}}November, leading to his defeat.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=270–271}} William of Tyre and [[Ernoul]] attributed the victory to the king, but [[Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad]] and other Muslim authors recorded that Raynald was the supreme commander.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=100 (note 24)}} Saladin himself referred to the battle as a "major defeat which God mended with the famous battle of Hattin",<ref>''The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin'', p. 54.</ref> according to Baha ad-Din.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=101 (note 25)}}

Raynald signed a majority of royal charters between 1177 and 1180, with his name always first among signatories, showing that he was the king's most influential official during this period.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=101 (note 26)}} Raynald became one of the principal supporters of [[Guy of Lusignan]], who married the king's elder sister, [[Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem|Sybilla]], in early 1180, although many barons of the realm had opposed the marriage.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=275}}{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=101}} The king's half sister, [[Isabella I of Jerusalem|Isabella]] (whose stepfather, [[Balian of Ibelin]], was Guy of Lusignan's opponent), was engaged to Raynald's stepson, [[Humphrey IV of Toron]], in autumn 1180.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=275}}

Baldwin{{nbsp}}IV dispatched Raynald, along with [[Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem|Heraclius]], the [[Latin patriarch of Jerusalem]], to mediate a reconciliation between Bohemond III of Antioch and Patriarch Aimery in early 1181.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=101 (note 27)}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=277}} The same year, [[Ruben III, Prince of Armenia|Roupen III, Lord of Cilician Armenia]], married Raynald's stepdaughter, [[Isabella of Toron]].{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=101 (note 29)}}

=== Fights against Saladin  ===

[[File:Karak Castle 2.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|alt=A castle built of stones on a cliff near a settlements|[[Kerak Castle]], a major fortress in the [[Lordship of Oultrejordain]] (present-day [[al-Karak]] in [[Jordan]])]]

Raynald was the only Christian leader who fought against Saladin in the 1180s.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=276}}{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=102}} The contemporary chronicler Ernoul mentions two raids that Raynald made against [[Caravan (travellers)|caravans]] travelling between Egypt and Syria, breaking the truce.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=103 (note 39)}} Modern historians debate whether Raynald's military actions sprang from a desire for booty,{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=431}} or were deliberate maneuvers to prevent Saladin from annexing new territories.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=102}} After as-Salih died on 18{{nbsp}}November 1181, Saladin tried to seize Aleppo, but Raynald stormed into Saladin's territory, reaching as far as [[Tabuk, Saudi Arabia|Tabuk]] on the route between [[Damascus]] and [[Mecca]].{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|pp=170–171}} Saladin's nephew, [[Farrukh Shah]], invaded Oultrejordain instead of attacking Aleppo to compel Raynald to return from the [[Arabian Desert]].{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=171}} Before long, Raynald seized a caravan and imprisoned its members.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=171}} On Saladin's protest, Baldwin{{nbsp}}IV ordered Raynald to free them, but Raynald refused.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|pp=171–172}} His defiance annoyed the king, enabling [[Raymond III of Tripoli]]'s partisans to reconcile him with the monarch.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=103 (note 42)}} A close relative of Baldwin, Raymond had assumed the regency in 1174 but was banned from the kingdom for allegedly plotting against the ailing king.{{sfn|Lock|2006|pp=61, 66}} Raymond's return to the royal court put an end to Raynald's paramount position. After accepting the new situation, Raynald cooperated with the king and Raymond during the fights against Saladin in the summer of 1182.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=103}}

Saladin revived the [[Fatimid navy|Egyptian naval force]] and tried to capture [[Beirut]], but his ships were forced to retreat.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=278}} Raynald ordered the building of at least five ships in Oultrejordain. They were carried across the [[Negev]] desert to the [[Gulf of Aqaba]] at the northern end of the [[Red Sea]] in January or February 1183.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=284}}{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=180}}{{sfn|Mallett|2008|p=142}} He captured the fort of Ayla (present-day [[Eilat]] in Israel), and attacked the Egyptian fortress on [[Pharaoh's Island]]. Part of his fleet made a plundering raid along the coasts against ships delivering [[Hajj|Muslim pilgrims]] and goods, threatening the security of the holy cities of Mecca and [[Medina]].{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=284}}{{sfn|Mallett|2008|pp=142–143}} Raynald left the island, but his fleet continued the siege.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=437}} Saladin's brother, [[Al-Adil I|al-Adil]], the governor of Egypt, dispatched a fleet to the Red Sea. The Egyptians relieved Pharaoh's Island and destroyed the Christian fleet. Some of the soldiers were captured near Medina because they landed either to escape or to attack the city. Raynald's men were executed, and Saladin took an oath that he would never forgive him.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=437}}{{sfn|Mallett|2008|p=143}} Though Raynald's naval expedition "showed a remarkable degree of initiative" according to Hamilton, most modern historians agree that it contributed to the unification of Syria and Egypt under Saladin's rule.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=181}} Saladin captured Aleppo in June 1183, completing the encirclement of the crusader states.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=599}}

Baldwin IV, who had become seriously ill, made Guy of Lusignan regent in October 1183.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=281}} Within a month, Baldwin had dismissed Guy, and had Guy's five-year-old stepson, [[Baldwin V of Jerusalem|Baldwin V]], crowned king in association with himself.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=282}} Raynald was not present at the child's coronation, because he was at the wedding of his stepson, Humphrey, and Baldwin{{nbsp}}IV's sister, Isabella, in Kerak.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=440}} Saladin unexpectedly invaded Oultrejordain, forcing the local inhabitants to seek refuge in Kerak.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=440}} After Saladin broke into the town, Raynald only managed to escape to the fortress because one of his retainers had hindered the attackers from seizing the bridge between the town and the castle.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|pp=440–441}} Saladin [[Siege of Kerak|laid siege to Kerak]].{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=441}} According to Ernoul, Raynald's wife sent dishes from the wedding to Saladin, persuading him to stop bombarding the tower where her son and his wife stayed.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=441}} After envoys from Kerak informed Baldwin{{nbsp}}IV of the siege, the royal army left Jerusalem for Kerak under the command of the king and Raymond{{nbsp}}III of Tripoli.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=441}} Saladin abandoned the siege before their arrival on 4{{nbsp}}December.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=441}} On Saladin's order, [[Izz al-Din Usama|Izz ad-Din Usama]] had a fortress built at [[Ajloun]], near the northern border of Raynald's domains.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=225}}

=== Kingmaker  ===

[[File:Français 2629, fol. 300, Couronnement de Gui de Lusignan.jpeg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|alt=A crowned woman who sits on a throne puts a crown on the head of a man who kneels before her; they are surrounded by two bishops, other clerics and secular lords and ladies|Coronation of [[Guy of Lusignan]], by his wife, [[Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem|Sybilla of Jerusalem]], who was proclaimed queen with Raynald's assistance (from a late-15th-century manuscript of William of Tyre's {{lang|la|Historia}} and its ''Continuation'').]]

Baldwin IV died in early 1185.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=284}} His successor, the child Baldwin{{nbsp}}V, died in late summer 1186.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=289}} The [[High Court of Jerusalem]] had ruled that neither Baldwin{{nbsp}}V's mother, Sybilla (who was Guy of Lusignan's wife), nor her sister, Isabella (who was the wife of Raynald's stepson), could be crowned without the decision of the pope, the [[Holy Roman Emperor]], and the kings of France and England on Baldwin{{nbsp}}V's lawful successor.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=289–290, 293}} However, Sybilla's uncle, Joscelin{{nbsp}}III of Courtenay, took control of Jerusalem with the support of Raynald and other influential prelates and royal officials.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=218}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=604}} Raynald urged the townspeople to accept Sybilla as the lawful monarch, according to the {{lang|fr|Estoire d'Eracles}}.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=220}} Raymond{{nbsp}}III of Tripoli, and his supporters tried to prevent her coronation and reminded her partisans of the decision of the High Court.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=294}} Ignoring their protest, Raynald and [[Gerard of Ridefort]], [[Grand Master of the Knights Templar]], accompanied Sybilla to the [[Holy Sepulchre]], where she was crowned.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=294}} She also arranged the coronation of her husband, although he was unpopular even among her supporters.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=294–295}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=605}} Her opponents tried to persuade Raynald's stepson, Humphrey, to claim the crown on his wife's behalf, but Humphrey deserted them and swore fealty to Sybilla and Guy.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=295}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=605}} Raynald headed the list of secular witnesses in four royal charters issued between 21{{nbsp}}October 1186 and 7{{nbsp}}March 1187, showing that he had become a principal figure in the new king's court.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|pp=107–108}}

[[Ali ibn al-Athir]] and other Muslim historians stated that Raynald made a separate truce with Saladin in 1186.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=225}} This "seems unlikely to be true", according to Hamilton, because the truce between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Saladin legally covered Raynald's domains as they formed a [[Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem|large fiefdom]] in the kingdom.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=225}} In late 1186 or early 1187, a rich caravan travelled through Oultrejordain from Egypt to Syria.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=225}} Ali ibn al-Athir mentioned that a group of armed men accompanied the caravan.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=107}} Raynald seized the caravan, possibly because he regarded the presence of soldiers as a breach of the truce, according to Hamilton.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|pp=106–107}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=297}} He took all the merchants and their families prisoner, seized a large amount of booty, and refused to receive envoys from Saladin demanding compensation.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=297}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=450}} Saladin sent his envoys to Guy of Lusignan, who accepted his demands.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=297}} However, Raynald refused to obey the king, stating in the words of the {{lang|fr|Estoire d'Eracles}} that "he was lord of his land, just as Guy was lord of his, and he had no truces with the [[Saracen]]s". For Barber, Raynald's disobedience indicates that the kingdom was "on the brink of breaking up into a collection of semi-autonomous fiefdoms" under Guy's rule.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=297}} Saladin proclaimed a {{lang|ar|[[jihad]]}} (or holy war) against the kingdom, taking an oath that he would personally kill Raynald for breaking the truce.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=606}} The historian [[Paul M. Cobb]] remarks that Saladin "badly needed a victory against the Franks to silence those who criticized him for spending so much time at war with his fellow Muslims".{{sfn|Cobb|2016|p=185}}

{{Quote box
| title = Ali ibn al-Athir on Raynald's attack against a caravan
| quote = Prince Reynald, lord of Kerak, was one of the greatest and wickedest of the Franks, the most hostile to the Muslims and the most dangerous to them. Aware of this, Saladin targeted him with blockades time after time and raided his territory occasion after occasion. As a result he was abashed and humbled and asked Saladin for a truce, which was granted. The truce was made and duly sworn to. Caravans then went back and forth between Syria and Egypt. [In the year 582 [[Hijri year|AH]]], a large caravan, rich in goods and with many men, accompanied by a good number of soldiers, passed by him. The accursed one treacheously seized every last man and made their goods, animals and weapons his booty. Those he made captive he consigned to his prisons. Saladin sent blaming him, deploring his treacherous action and threatening him if he did not release the captives and the goods, but he would not agree to do that and persisted in his refusal. Saladin vowed that, if ever had him in his power, he would kill him.
| author = [[Ali ibn al-Athir]]
| source = ''[[The Complete History]]''<ref>''The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period from'' Al-Kamil Fi'l-Ta'rikh, pp. 316–317 (s.a. 582).</ref>
| align = center
| width = 75%
| bgcolor = #F5FAFF
| title_bg = #CEE0F2
| qalign = left
| salign = right
}}

== Capture and execution ==

[[Image:BNF, Mss fr 68, folio 399.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|alt=A bearded man wearing a turban with a sword in his hand and a beheaded body before a tent|Execution of Raynald at [[Hattin]] (from a 15th-century manuscript of William of Tyre's {{lang|la|Historia}} and its ''Continuation'')]]

The {{lang|fr|Estoire d'Eracles}} incorrectly claims that Saladin's sister was also among the prisoners taken by Raynald when he seized the caravan.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=225}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=450}} She returned from Mecca to Damascus in a separate pilgrim caravan in March 1187.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=225}} To protect her against an attack by Raynald, Saladin escorted the pilgrims while they were travelling near Oultrejordain.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=454}} Saladin stormed into Oultrejordain on 26{{nbsp}}April and pillaged Raynald's domains for a month.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=227}} Thereafter, Saladin marched to [[Tell Ashtara|Ashtara]] on the road between Damascus and [[Tiberias]], where the troops coming from all parts of his realm assembled.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=229}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=299}}

The Christian forces assembled at [[Sepphoris]].{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=229}}{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=610}} Raynald and Gerard of Ridefort persuaded Guy of Lusignan to take the initiative and attack Saladin's army, although Raymond{{nbsp}}III of Tripoli had tried to persuade the king to avoid a direct fight with it.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=107}}{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=300}} During the debate, Raynald accused Raymond of Tripoli of co-operating with the enemy.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=301}} Raynald and Rideford had fatally misjudged the situation.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=107}} Saladin inflicted a crushing defeat on the crusaders in the [[Battle of Hattin]] on 4{{nbsp}}July, and most commanders of the Christian army were captured on the battlefield.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=304}}

Guy of Lusignan and Raynald were among the prisoners who were brought before Saladin.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=306}} Saladin handed a cup of iced [[rose water]] to Guy.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=459}} After drinking from the cup, the king handed it to Raynald.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=459}} [[Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani]] (who was present) recorded that Raynald drank from the cup.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=306}} Since customary law prescribed that a man who gave food or drink to a prisoner could not kill him, Saladin pointed out that it was Guy who had given the cup to Raynald.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=459}} After calling Raynald to his tent,{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=306}} Saladin accused him of many crimes (including [[brigandage]] and [[blasphemy]]), offering him to choose between [[conversion to Islam]] or death, according to Imad ad-Din and Ibn al-Athir.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=107}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=459}} After Raynald flatly refused to convert, Saladin took a sword and struck Raynald with it.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=107}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=459}} As Raynald fell to the ground, Saladin beheaded him.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=107}}{{sfn|Cotts|2021|p=42}} The reliability of the reports of Saladin's offer to Raynald is subject to scholarly debate, because the Muslim authors who recorded them may have only wanted to improve Saladin's image.{{sfn|Mallett|2014|p=72 (note 49)}} Ernoul's chronicle and the {{lang|fr|Estoire d'Eracles}} recount the events ending with Raynald's execution in almost the same language as the Muslim authors.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=459}} However, according to [[Ernoul|Ernoul's chronicle]], Raynald refused to drink from the cup that Guy of Lusignan handed to him.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=306}}{{sfn|Nicholson|1973|p=162}} According to Ernoul, Raynald's head was struck off by Saladin's soldiers and it was brought to Damascus to be "dragged along the ground to show the Saracens, whom the prince had wronged, that vengeance had been exacted".{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=306, 423}}{{sfn|Nicholson|1973|p=162}} Baha ad-Din also wrote that Raynald's fate shocked Guy of Lusignan, but Saladin soon comforted him, stating that "A king does not kill a king, but that man's perfidy and insolence went too far".{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=460}}

== Family ==

Raynald's first wife, [[Constance of Antioch]] (born in 1128), was the only daughter of [[Bohemond II of Antioch]] and [[Alice of Antioch|Alice of Jerusalem]].{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=183, Appendix III (Genealogical tree No. 2)}} Constance succeeded her father in Antioch in 1130.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=183}} Six years later, she was given in marriage to [[Raymond of Poitiers]] who died in 1149.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=199}} The widowed Constance's marriage to Raynald is described as "the misalliance of the century" by Hamilton,{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=98}} but Buck emphasises that "the marriage went unmentioned in Western chronicles".{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=78}} Buck adds that Raynald's relatively low birth "actually made him the ideal candidate" to marry the widowed princess who had a son with a strong claim to rule upon reaching the age of majority, and Raynald was possibly "expected to eventually step aside".{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=79}} 

The daughter of Raynald and Constance, [[Agnes of Antioch|Agnes]], moved to Constantinople in early 1170 to marry [[Béla III of Hungary|Alexios-Béla]], the younger brother of [[Stephen III of Hungary]], who lived in the Byzantine Empire.{{sfn|Makk|1994|pp=47, 91}} Agnes was renamed Anna in Constantinople.{{sfn|Makk|1994|p=47}} Her husband succeeded his brother as Béla{{nbsp}}III of Hungary in 1172.{{sfn|Makk|1994|p=91}} She followed her husband to Hungary, where she gave birth to seven children before she died around 1184.{{sfn|Makk|1994|p=47}} Raynald and Constance's second daughter, Alice, became the third wife of [[Azzo VI of Este]] in 1204.{{sfn|Chiappini|2001|p=31}} Raynald also had a son, [[Baldwin of Antioch|Baldwin]], from Constance, according to Hamilton and Buck, but Runciman says that Baldwin was Constance's son from her first husband.{{sfn|Buck|2017|p=83}}{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|pp=xviii, 40–41}}{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=365, Appendix III (Genealogical tree No. 2)}} Baldwin moved to Constantinople in the early 1160s.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=365}} He died fighting at the head of a Byzantine cavalry regiment in the [[Battle of Myriokephalon]] on 17{{nbsp}}September 1176.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=413}}

Raynald's second wife, [[Stephanie of Milly, Lady of Oultrejordain|Stephanie of Milly]], was the younger{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=90}} daughter of [[Philip of Milly]], Lord of Nablus, and Isabella of Oultrejordain.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=335 (note 1), Appendix III (Genealogical tree No. 4)}} She was born around 1145.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=441 (note 1)}} Her first husband, Humphrey{{nbsp}}III of Toron, died around 1173.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=92}} She inherited Oultrejordain from her niece, Beatrice Brisbarre, shortly before she married [[Miles of Plancy]] in early 1174.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=92}} Miles of Plancy was murdered in October 1174.{{sfn|Baldwin|1969|p=592 (note 592)}}{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=90}}

== Historiography and perceptions ==

[[File:BOHADINUS, Yusuf ibn Raffi ibn Shaddad, known as (1145-1234). Vita et res gestae Sultani, almalichi alnasiri, Saladini. Edited and translated by Albert Schultens. Leiden; Samuel Luchtmans, 1732.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|alt=Two pages from an old book with parallel Arabic and English text|[[Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad]]'s biography of Saladin with parallel Arabic and Latin text, published in 1732. Baha ad-Din's work contains several (mainly negative) references to Raynald.]]

Most information on Raynald's life was recorded by Muslim authors, who were hostile to him.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=97}} Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad described him as a "monstrous infidel and terrible oppressor"<ref>''The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin'', p. 37.</ref> in his biography of Saladin.{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=306, 423, 435}} Saladin compared Raynald with the [[King of Aksum|king of Ethiopia]] who [[Year of the Elephant|had tried to destroy Mecca in 570]] and was called the "Elephant" in the [[Al-Fil|Surah Fil]] of the [[Quran]].{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=97 (note 1)}} Ibn al-Athir described him as "one of the most devilish of the Franks, and one of the most demonic", adding that Raynald "had the strongest hostility to the Muslims".{{sfn|Mallett|2008|p=141}} [[Islamic extremism|Islamic extremists]] still regard Raynald as a symbol of their enemies: one of the two [[mail bomb]]s hidden in a [[cargo aircraft]] in 2010 was addressed to "Reynald Krak" in clear reference to him.{{sfn|Cotts|2021|p=43}} 

Most Christian authors who wrote of Raynald in the 12th and 13th centuries were influenced by Raynald's political opponent, William of Tyre.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=97}} The author of the {{lang|fr|Estoire d'Eracles}} stated that Raynald's attack against a caravan at the turn of 1186 and 1187 was the "reason of the loss of the Kingdom of Jerusalem".{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=225}} Modern historians have usually also treated Raynald as a "maverick who did more harm to the Christian than to the [Muslim] cause".{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=97}} Runciman describes him as a marauder who could not resist the temptation presented by the rich caravans passing through Oultrejordain.{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=431}} He argues that Raynald attacked a caravan during the 1180 truce because he "could not understand a policy that ran counter to his wishes".{{sfn|Runciman|1989|p=431}} Cobb introduces Raynald as the {{nobreak|"[r]elentless}} nemesis of Saladin", adding that Raynald's provocative actions inevitably led to Saladin's fatal invasion against the Kingdom of Jerusalem.{{sfn|Cobb|2016|pp=xx, 185}} Along with Guy of Lusignan and the Knights Templar, Raynald is one of the negative characters in the ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]'', an [[Epic film|epic]] action movie directed by [[Ridley Scott]] and released in 2005. Portrayed by [[Brendan Gleeson]],{{sfn|Gabriele|2018|p=613}} Raynald is presented in the film as an aggressive Christian fanatic who deliberately provokes a conflict with the Muslims to achieve their total destruction.{{sfn|Liu|2017|p=89}}

Some Christian authors regarded Raynald as a martyr for the faith.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=107}} After learning of Raynald's death from King Guy's brother [[Geoffrey of Lusignan]], [[Peter of Blois]] dedicated a book (entitled ''Passion of Prince Raynald of Antioch'') to him shortly after his death. The ''Passion'' underlines that Raynald defended the [[True Cross]] at Hattin.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|p=107}} Among modern historians, Hamilton portrays Raynald as "an experienced and responsible crusader leader" who made several attempts to prevent Saladin from uniting the Muslim realms along the borders of the crusader states.{{sfn|Hamilton|1978|pp=102, 104–106}} His comments are described by Cobb as "attempts to dispel" Raynald's "bad press".{{sfn|Cobb|2016|p=306 (note 31)}} The historian Alex Mallett refers to Raynald's naval expedition as "one of the most extraordinary episodes in the history of the Crusades, and yet one of the most overlooked".{{sfn|Mallett|2008|p=141}} In 2017, the journalist Jeffrey Lee published a biography about Raynald, entitled ''God's Wolf'',{{refn|group=note|{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Jeffrey|year=2016|title=God's Wolf: The Life of the Most Notorious of All Crusaders: Reynald de Chatillon|url=https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/gods-wolf/|publisher=[[Atlantic Books]]|isbn=978-1-7823-9927-8|ref=none}}}} presenting him, according to the historian John Cotts,{{sfn|Cotts|2021|p=52}} in a nearly hagiographic style as a loyal, valiant, and talented warrior. Lee's book was praised by [[James Delingpole]]—a blogger associated with [[Breitbart]]—who attributed Raynald's bad reputation in the [[Western world]] to "cultural self-hatred",{{sfn|Delingpole|2018}} but historians such as Matthew Gabriele sharply criticised Lee's approach. Gabriele concludes that Lee's book "does violence to the study of the past" due to his uncritical use of primary sources and his obvious attempt to make a connection between medieval history and 21st-century politics.{{sfn|Gabriele|2018|p=612}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|4}}

== Sources ==

=== Primary sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
*''The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period from'' Al-Kamil Fi'l-Ta'rikh ''(Part 2: The Years 541–582/1146–1193: The Age of Nur ad-Din and Saladin)'' (Translated by D. S. Richards) (2007). [[Ashgate Publishing|Ashgate]]. {{ISBN|978-0-7546-4078-3}}.
*''The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin or ''al-Nawādir al-Sultaniyya wa'l-Maḥāsin al-Yūsufiyya'' by Bahā' ad-Dīn Yusuf ibn Rafi ibn Shaddād'' (Translated by D. S. Richards) (2001). [[Ashgate Publishing|Ashgate]]. {{ISBN|978-0-7546-0143-2}}. 
{{Refend}}

=== Secondary sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Baldwin|first=Marshall W.|editor-last=Baldwin|editor-first=Marshall W.|title=The First Hundred Years|series=[[Wisconsin Collaborative History of the Crusades|A History of the Crusades]]|volume=I|publisher=[[The University of Wisconsin Press]]|orig-year=1955|year=1969|pages=528–561, 590–621|chapter=The Latin States under Baldwin III and Amalric I, 1143–1174; The Decline and Fall of Jerusalem, 1174–1189|isbn=978-0-2990-4834-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Barber|first=Malcolm|author-link=Malcolm Barber|year=2012|title=The Crusader States|publisher=[[Yale University Press]]|url=https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300208887/the-crusader-states/|isbn=978-0-3001-1312-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Buck|first=Andrew D.|year=2017|title=The Principality of Antioch and Its Frontiers in the Twelfth Century|publisher=[[The Boydell Press]]|url=https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781783271733/the-principality-of-antioch-and-its-frontiers-in-the-twelfth-century/|isbn=978-1-7832-7173-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Chiappini |first=Luciano |year=2001|title=Gli Estensi: Mille anni di storia|trans-title=The Este: A Thousand Years of History|publisher=Corbo Editore|isbn=978-8-8826-9029-8|language=it}}
* {{cite book |last=Cobb |first=Paul M.|author-link=Paul M. Cobb|orig-year=2014|year=2016|title=The Race for Paradise: An Islamic History of the Crusades|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-race-for-paradise-9780190614461?q=The%20Race%20for%20Paradise:%20An%20Islamic%20History%20of%20the%20Crusades&cc=us&lang=en|isbn=978-0-1987-8799-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Cotts|first=John D.|editor1-last=Horswell|editor1-first=Mike|editor2-last=Skottki|editor2-first=Kristin|title=The Making of Crusading Heroes and Villains|series=Engaging the Crusades: The Memory and Legacy of the Crusades|volume=4|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2021|pages=42–59|chapter=Oppressor, Martyr, and Hollywood Villain: Reynald of Châtillon and the Representation of Crusading Violence|url=https://www.routledge.com/The-Making-of-Crusading-Heroes-and-Villains-Engaging-the-Crusades-Volume/Horswell-Skottki/p/book/9780367535308|isbn=978-0-3672-6444-4}}
* {{cite journal |last=Delingpole |first=James |author-link=James Delingpole |title=Why Have We Forgotten the Greatest of All Crusaders? |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-have-we-forgotten-the-greatest-of-all-crusaders/ |journal=[[The Spectator]] |date=28 July 2018 |publisher=The Spectator (1828) Ltd |issn=2059-6499}}
* {{cite journal |last=Gabriele |first=Matthew |title=Book Review. ''God's Wolf: The Life of the Most Notorious of All Crusaders, Scourge of Saladin.'' By Jeffrey Lee. |editor-last=Spall |editor-first=Richard |journal=[[The Historian (journal)|The Historian]] |date=Fall 2018 |volume=80 |issue=3 |page=332 |publisher=[[Taylor and Francis]] |doi=10.1111/hisn.12980 |issn=0018-2370}}
* {{cite journal |last=Hamilton |first=Bernard |title=The Elephant of Christ: Reynald of Châtillon |editor-last=Baker |editor-first=Derek |journal=[[Studies in Church History]] |number=15: Religious Motivation: Biographical and Sociological Problems for the Church Historian |year=1978|volume=15 |pages=97–108|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |doi=10.1017/S0424208400008950|s2cid=163740720 |issn=0424-2084}}
* {{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=Bernard |year=2000 |title=The Leper King and His Heirs: Baldwin IV and the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/leper-king-and-his-heirs/0F31E1FB132285680B59FE284BD5B6CE|isbn=978-0-5216-4187-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Lock|first=Peter|title=The Routledge Companion to the Crusades|url=https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-the-Crusades/Lock/p/book/9780415393126|series=Routledge Companions to History|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2006|isbn=978-0-4153-9312-6}}
* {{cite journal |last=Liu |first=Yiou |title=Kingdom of Heaven and Its Ideological Message |journal=Cinej Cinema Journal |number=1 |year=2017 |volume=6 |pages=85–93|publisher=University Library System of the [[University of Pittsburgh]] |doi=10.5195/cinej.2017.158 |issn=2159-2411}}
* {{cite book |last=Makk |first=Ferenc |editor1-last=Kristó |editor1-first=Gyula |editor1-link=Gyula Kristó |editor2-last=Engel |editor2-first=Pál |editor2-link=Pál Engel|editor3-last=Makk|editor3-first=Ferenc|title=Korai magyar történeti lexikon (9–14. század)|trans-title=Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History (9th–14th centuries)|publisher=[[Akadémiai Kiadó]]|year=1994|pages=47, 91–92|chapter=Anna (1.); Béla III|isbn=978-9-6305-6722-0|language=hu}}
* {{cite journal |last=Mallett |first=Alex |title=A Trip down the Red Sea with Reynald of Châtillon|journal=[[Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society]] |number=2 |year=2008 |volume=18|pages=141–153|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |doi=10.1017/S1356186307008024|s2cid=162979332 |issn=1356-1863}}
* {{cite book |last=Mallett |first=Alex|year=2014|title=Popular Muslim Reactions to the Franks in the Levant, 1097–1291|publisher=[[Routledge]] |url=https://www.routledge.com/Popular-Muslim-Reactions-to-the-Franks-in-the-Levant-/Mallett/p/book/9780367601034|isbn=978-1-3170-7798-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Morton |first=Nicholas |title=The Crusader States and their Neighbours: A Military History, 1099–1187|year=2020|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-crusader-states-and-their-neighbours-9780198824541?prevNumResPerPage=100&prevSortField=8&resultsPerPage=100&sortField=8&start=100&lang=en&cc=us|isbn=978-0-1988-2454-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Nicholson|first=Robert Lawrence|year=1973|title=Joscelyn III and the Fall of the Crusader States, 1154–1199|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |isbn=978-9-0040-3676-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Richard |first=Jean |author-link=Jean Richard (historian) |year=1989|title=Media in Francia: Recueil de mélanges offert à Karl Ferdinand Werner à l'occasion de son 65e anniversaire par ses amis et collègues français|trans-title=Media in France: A Collection of Various Studies Offered to Karl Ferdinand Werner on the Occasion of his 65th birthday by his French Friends and Colleagues|chapter=Aux origines d'un grand lignage: Des Palladii à Renaud de Châtillon|trans-chapter=On the Origins of a Great Lineage: From the Palladii to Raynald of Châtillon|pages=409–418 |publisher=Hérault-Éditions|isbn=978-2-9038-5157-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Runciman |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Runciman|orig-year=1951 |year=1989|title=The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187|series=[[A History of the Crusades]] |volume=II |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=978-0-5210-6163-6}}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=Bernard|editor-last=Murray|editor-first=Alan V.|title=Q–Z|series=The Crusades: An Encyclopedia|volume=IV|url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/crusades-9781576078631/|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|year=2006|pages=1027|chapter=Reynald of Châtillon|isbn=978-1-5760-7862-4|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Hillenbrand|first=Carole |author-link=Carole Hillenbrand|editor-last=Robinson|editor-first=Chase F.|editor-link=Chase F. Robinson|title=Texts, Documents and Artefacts: Islamic Studies in Honour of D.S. Richards |url=https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/8218|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |year=2003|pages=79–102|chapter=Some reflections on the imprisonment of Reynald of Châtillon|isbn=978-9-0041-2864-4|ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Lee |first=Jeffrey|year=2016|title=God's Wolf: The Life of the Most Notorious of All Crusaders, Scourge of Saladin|publisher=W. W. Norton|isbn=978-0-393-60969-1|ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Maalouf |first=Amin |author-link=Amin Maalouf |year=1984 |title=The Crusades Through Arab Eyes |publisher=Al Saqi Books|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/crusadesthrougha00maal_0|isbn=978-0-8052-0898-6|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Man|first=John|author-link=John Man (author) |year=2015 |title=Saladin: The Life, the Legend and the Islamic Empire|publisher=[[Random House]]|isbn=978-1-4735-0854-5|ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Schlumberger |first=Gustave|author-link=Gustave Schlumberger|year=1898|title=Renaud de Chatillon, Prince d'Antioche, seigneur de la terre d'Outre-Jourdain|trans-title=Raynald of Châtillon, Prince of Antioch, Lord of the Land of Outrejourdain |url=https://archive.org/stream/renauddechatillo00schl/renauddechatillo00schl_djvu.txt|publisher=Librairie Plon|ref=none}}
{{Refend}}

{{Commons category|Reynald of Chatillon|Raynald of Châtillon}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|House of Châtillon| |{{circa}} 1125|4 July|1187}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Constance of Antioch|Constance]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prince of Antioch]]|years=1153–1160/1161|with=[[Constance of Antioch|Constance]]}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Constance of Antioch|Constance]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Antioch Monarchs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raynald Of Chatillon}}
[[Category:1120s births]]
[[Category:1187 deaths]]
[[Category:12th-century princes of Antioch]]
[[Category:12th-century French nobility]]
[[Category:Lords of Oultrejordain]]
[[Category:Christians of the Second Crusade]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of the Ayyubid Sultanate]]
[[Category:Medieval French knights]]
[[Category:French Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:People from Loiret]]
[[Category:House of Châtillon]]
[[Category:Deaths by decapitation]]
[[Category:Remarried jure uxoris officeholders]]
[[Category:Jure uxoris lords]]
[[Category:Jure uxoris princes]]