Fulk and Melisende : King and Queen of Jerusalem by Danielle Park

Synopsis: Melisende and Fulk governed the Kingdom of Jerusalem during a period of significant change which coincided with the rise of Zengi and the subsequent union of Mosul and Aleppo under one ruler, the atabeg's attempts to control Damascus, and the consolidation of a more coherent and cohesive anti-Frankish campaign from the Muslim forces. This book will provide an extensive survey of Fulk and Melisende's reign, place their rule within the broader framework of kingship in the Crusader States, and consider the developments that took place under their governance. 

This volume will begin by addressing the couple's 'back-history' - Melisende's role as heiress, Fulk's political and military background in Anjou, and his experiences in the Holy Land before his second marriage - which must have shaped their approach to the government of the Latin East. Later chapters will investigate the dynamics of their political partnership, assess the decisions made in the kingdom of Jerusalem, determine their roles and impact in the internal and external politics and diplomacy, and detail the couple's working relationship through evaluation of their charters - which dealt with diverse matters such as law, donations and the endorsing of transactions. 

A final section of the book will focus on the memory of their reign and discuss the perceptions of both the king and queen as expressed during their lifetimes in contemporary letters and narrative accounts, and afterwards in later chronicles, charters, and manuscript illustrations down to the end of the thirteenth century. This will explore the gendered depictions of the pair and how well they fitted into the established patterns of gender and power, particularly in the light of Fulk acquiring his title through marriage rather than his own bloodline, and the impact of her husband's death on expectations of Melisende.

Papal Protection and the Crusader: Flanders, Champagne, and the Kingdom of France. 1095-1222 by Danielle Park

Synopsis:

On taking the cross, crusaders received a diverse set of privileges designed to appeal to both spiritual and more temporal concerns. Among these was the papal protection granted to them and extended over their families and possessions at home.

This book is the first full length investigation of this protection. It begins by examining the privilege from its inception in around 1095, and its development and consolidation through to 1222. It then moves on to illustrate how this privilege operated in practice through the appointments of regency governments and close communication with both the papacy and local ecclesiastical officials, centring on the rich crusading evidence from Flanders, Champagne and the Kingdom of France. While the protection privilege has been seen as unwieldy and over ambitious, close analysis of particular cases and individuals reveals that not only were regents well aware of their privileged status, but that the papacy could directly intervene when its protection was contravened. 

Review by Brian Ditcham for De Re Militari:

On the whole, though, Park argues that the crusade regents did an effective job in upholding the rights of the absentee rulers and that this was recognised when the boss returned- for instance very few of their deeds required re-authentification. The job was eased by what look like conscious attempts to clear the books of outstanding issues before the would-be crusader departed. Park also hints that the constraints of crusade regencies may have been a stimulus for developments in bureaucratic governance.

She has undoubtedly identified an important part of what one might define as the backstage mechanics underlying heroic or ghastly deeds in the Holy Land. Hopefully she may in future widen her focus to consider the fate of those unable to call on the services of Ivanhoe to protect their rights.