crusader state · Anatolia and the Levant

Lordship of Ramla

1120 CE – 1187 CE (approx.) · capital Ramla

A lordship on the coastal plain of the Kingdom of Jerusalem that became a power base of the Ibelin family.

Origins

Ramla, the former capital of Fatimid Palestine, was occupied by the First Crusade in 1099. It was under royal control at first and became a lordship around 1120, held by a family whose heiress Helvis married Barisan of Ibelin, bringing it to the Ibelins.

Rule and society

Ramla and the nearby castle of Mirabel controlled the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem and rich farmland. The Ibelin lords Hugh and then Baldwin of Ibelin held it in the later 12th century; Baldwin was among the barons who fought at Montgisard nearby in 1177. In 1186 he refused to accept Guy of Lusignan as king and left for Antioch.

Decline and legacy

Ramla fell to Saladin in 1187. The title was revived but the lordship was never again held by the Franks in any lasting way.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Ramla. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-ramla
MLA
“Lordship of Ramla.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-ramla. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Ramla.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-ramla.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Ramla’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-ramla (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻