county · Anatolia and the Levant

County of Jaffa and Ascalon

1100 CE – 1268 CE (approx.) · capital Jaffa

A Crusader county on the southern coast of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, often held by royal princes and later by the jurist John of Ibelin.

Origins

Jaffa, the port of Jerusalem, was occupied by the crusaders in 1099. It became a county in the early 12th century under the Le Puiset family, until Hugh II revolted against King Fulk in 1134 and was exiled. Baldwin III captured Ascalon from the Fatimids in 1153, and the combined county was given to his brother Amalric.

Rule and society

The county was frequently held by members of the royal family, including Amalric and later Guy of Lusignan, and its revenues came from the port and coastal farmland. Richard I of England fought at Jaffa in 1192, and the Treaty of Jaffa ended the Third Crusade there. In the 13th century it passed to the Brienne family and then to John of Ibelin, author of the main legal treatise of the kingdom.

Decline and legacy

Ascalon was lost in 1187 and later dismantled. Baybars captured Jaffa in March 1268, ending the county.

Connections (2)

More states of Anatolia and the Levant →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Jaffa and Ascalon. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-jaffa-and-ascalon
MLA
“County of Jaffa and Ascalon.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-jaffa-and-ascalon. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “County of Jaffa and Ascalon.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-jaffa-and-ascalon.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Jaffa and Ascalon’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-jaffa-and-ascalon (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻