Balian of Ibelin French : Balian d'Ibelin ; c. He was Lord of Ibelin from to As the leader of the defense of the city during the siege of Jerusalem in , he surrendered Jerusalem to Saladin on 2 October Balian was the youngest son of Barisan of Ibelin , and brother of Hugh and Baldwin. Barisan married Helvis of Ramla , heiress of the wealthy lordship of Ramla. Balian's name was also Barisan, but he seems to have adapted the name to the Old French "Balian" c. He is also called Balian of Ramla or Balian of Nablus.
Arabic sources call him Balian ibn Barzan which translates "Balian, son of Barzan. After the death of Balian's eldest brother Hugh c. Baldwin, preferring to remain lord of Ramla, gave it to Balian. Balian held Ibelin as a vassal of his brother, and indirectly as a rear-vassal of the king, from whom Baldwin held Ramla. He received the lordship of Nablus , which had been a dower gift to Maria following her marriage to Amalric.
Thus Balian along with his brother became the greatest feudatory in the kingdom except for Raymond of Tripoli [ 3 ] In Balian and Baldwin supported Raymond against Guy of Lusignan , husband of Amalric's elder daughter Sibylla and by now regent for Baldwin IV, who was dying of leprosy.
The king had his 5-year-old nephew Baldwin of Montferrat crowned as co-king in his own lifetime, in an attempt to prevent Guy from ascending. Shortly before his death in spring , Baldwin IV ordered a formal crown-wearing by his nephew at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was Balian himselfβa notably tall manβwho carried the child Baldwin V on his shoulder at the ceremony, signifying the support of Isabella's family for her nephew.
When he, too, died in , Balian and Maria, with Raymond's support, put forward Maria's daughter Isabella, then about 14, as a candidate for the throne. Balian reluctantly also paid homage to Guy, while his brother refused to do so and exiled himself to Antioch. Balian remained in the kingdom, as an advisor to Guy. Saladin was allied with the garrison of Tiberias in the north of the kingdom, a territory held by Raymond III.
