The War of the Lombards was a complex civil struggle for control of Jerusalem
Between 1228 and 1243, the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Cyprus were torn apart by a civil war. Imperial forces loyal to Emperor Frederick II clashed with local Eastern aristocrats, led by the Ibelin family, in a fight over regency, authority, and the future of the crusader states.
The conflict, known as the War of the Lombards, stemmed from Emperor Frederick II’s attempt to assert control over the regency for his son, Conrad II. Frederick, of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, had previously been king of Jerusalem through his wife, Isabella II, until her death in 1228. Upon his arrival in the Levant, his heavy-handed approach antagonized local nobles. By 1231, he had dispatched Richard Filangieri to act as his marshal and enforce his authority, triggering a fierce reaction from the Eastern aristocracy, primarily the Ibelins, who had long held power in the region.
The war was characterized by shifting loyalties and complex political maneuvering. While the Teutonic Knights and Knights Hospitaller supported Filangieri, the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the Knights Templar backed the nobility. Italian city-states were similarly divided, with Pisa supporting the imperialists and Genoa siding with the Ibelins. Despite Filangieri holding the holy city of Jerusalem and the support of figures like Bohemond V, the prince of Antioch, his practical power was consistently challenged by the High Court and the Assizes. The Ibelins maintained control over key strongholds, including Beirut, Arsuf, Caesarea, and the old capital of Acre.
Military fortunes fluctuated throughout the conflict. Filangieri initially defeated the Ibelins at Casal Imbert in May 1232, but suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Agridi in Cyprus just one month later. The war effectively concluded in 1243 after Conrad declared his own majority. The High Court granted the regency to Queen Alice of Cyprus, who promptly ordered Filangieri’s arrest. Following a protracted siege, the fall of Tyre in June 1242 and the subsequent seizure of its citadel in July cemented the Ibelins as the clear victors of the struggle.
Much of our understanding of this period comes from Philip of Novara, an eyewitness whose partisan account, The Wars of Frederick II Against the Ibelins, provides the name 'Lombards' for the imperialists. While his work is highly regarded, it remains a subjective narrative, often supplemented by other contemporary reports like those of the Venetian baili Marsilio Zorzi and the historian Richard of San Germano.
Source: War of the Lombards
