Barisan of Ibelin

Barisan of Ibelin (died 1150) was an important figure in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and was the ancestor of the Ibelin family. His name was also pronounced as Balián and is known as Balián el Viejo, to differentiate it from his son.

Barisan in history

Barisan was probably originally from northern Italy, however nothing is known of him until before 1115, when he was guardian of Jaffa County in the Holy Land. In 1134, when Hugh II of Le Puiset, Count of Jaffa, rebelled against King Fulk of Jerusalem, Barisan supported the king and soon became principal at his court.

In 1141 he was made lord of the new castle of Ibelin, located in Jaffa County, between the city of Jaffa and the fort of Ascalon. In 1148 Barisan inherited the lordship of Ramla (present-day Ramallah), through his wife Helvis, daughter of Baldwin of Ramla. That year, Barisán was present at the council of Acre after the arrival of the Second Crusade, in which the attack on Damascus was decided.

With Helvis, Barisán was the father of Hugo, Balduino, Barisán, Hermengarda and Estefanía. The young Barisán became known as Balián, or Balián the Younger. Barisan died in 1150 and Ibelin was inherited by Hugh. Helvis then married Manasses, guardian of Jerusalem.

Barisán in fiction

A fictional version of Barisán de Ibelín was the main character in the 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven (The Kingdom of Heaven in Spain, Crusade in Latin America), with Orlando Bloom. He was played by Liam Neeson; there he is called Godofredo. He returns to Europe to search for his natural son and calls on him to follow him to the Holy Land to claim his noble title and find forgiveness for his sins.