The History of the Holy War, Book 5 · Chapter 29
Chap. 29. Of the many Pretenders of titles to the Kingdome of Ierusalem.
NO Kingdome in the world is challenged at this day by such an armie of Kings as this of Jerusalem: It is sooner told what Princes of Europe do not, then what do lay claim to it; they be so many. Take their names as I find them in the Catalogue of Stephen a Cypriot.
1 The Emperour of the East.
2 The Patriarch of Ierusalem.
3 The Lusignans, Kings of Cyprus.
4 Emfred Prince of Thorone.
5 Conrade de la-Rame Marquesse of Montferrat.
6 The Kings of England.
7 His Holinesse.
8 The Kings of Naples.
9 The Princes of Antioch.
10 The Counts of Brienne.
11 The Kings of Armenia.
12 The Kings of Hungarie.
13 The Kings of Aragon.
14 The Dukes of Anjou.
15 The Dukes of Loraine.
16 Lewis the eleventh, King of France.
17 The Dukes of Bourbon.
18 The Dukes of Savoy.
19 Iames de Lusigna, base sonne to the King of Cyprus.
20 Charles de Lusigna, sonne to the Prince of Galilee.
21 The State of Genoa.
22 The Marquesse of Montferrat.
23 The Count of la-Vall.
24 The Arch-duke of Nize.
25 The Sultan of Egypt.
26 The Emperour of the Turks.
It seemeth by the naming of Lewis the eleventh and James the bastard of Cyprus, that this list was taken about the yeare 1466. And now how would a Herald sweat with scouring over these time-rustie titles, to shew whence these Princes derived their severall claims, and in whom the right resteth at this day? & when his work is done, who should pay him his wages?
My clew of thread is not strong enough, on the guidance thereof for me to venture into this labyrinth of Pedegrees; we will content our selves with these generall observations:
1. It seemeth this catalogue containeth as well those who had jus in Regno as those who had jus ad Regnum: as namely, the Prince of Thorone, and Patriarchs of Jerusalem, and State of Genoa; whose ambition surely soared not so high as to claim the Kingdome of Jerusalem, but rather perched it self upon some lands and Signories challenged therein.
2. A small matter will serve to intitle a Prince to a titular Kingdome: In this case, Kings can better digest corrivals where they be many, and all challenge what is worth nothing. In this catalogue it seemeth some onelyonly intitle themselves out of good fellowship and love of good companie: These like squirrels recover themselves, and climbe up to a claim on the least bough, twig, yea leaf of a Right. Thus the Counts of Brienne in France (if any still remain of that house) gave away their cake and kept it still; in that John Bren parted with his right to this Kingdome, in match with Iole his daughter, to Frederick the second Emperour, and yet the Earls of his familie pretend still to Jerusalem.
3. We may beleeve, that by matches and under-matches some of these titles may reside in private Gentlemen; especially in France: And what wonder? seeing within fourteen generations, the *Matth. 1.16.royall bloud of the Kings of Judah ran in the veins of plain Joseph a painfull carpenter.
4. At this day some of those titles are finally extinct: as that of the Emperours of the East, conquered by the Ottoman familie: Their Imperiall Eagle was so farre from beholding the sunne, that the half-moon dazzled, yea quite put out his eyes. Rank in the same form the Kings of Armenia, and Sultans of Egypt.
5. Some of these titles are translated: That of the Lusignans, Kings of Cyprus, probably passed with that Island to the State of Venice; The claim of the Hungarian Kings seemeth at this day to remain in the Germane Emperour.
6. Some united: The claim of the Arch-dukes of Nize (a style I meet not with elsewhere) twisted with that of the Duke of Savoy; The Kings of Naples and Aragon now joyned in the King of Spain.
7. Of those which are extant at this day, Englands appeareth first; our Richard receiving it in exchange of King Guy for the Island of Cyprus. Guy's resignation was voluntarie and publick; the world was witnesse to it: He truly received a valuable consideration, which his heirs long peaceably enjoyed; and our English Kings styled themselves *S…belli…s, Ennead. 9. lib. 5. pag. 378.Kings of Jerusalem, till afterwards they disused it for *In his Proe…e, fol. 5.reasons best known to themselves. Our Poet Harding, in a paper he presented to King Henry the sixth, cleareth another double title of our Kings thereunto: And because some palates love the mouldie best, and place the goodnesse of old verses in the badnesse of them, take them as they fell from his penne;
To Ierusalem, I say, ye have great right
From Erle Geffray that hight Plantogenet,
Of Aunge…y Erle, a Prince of passyng might,
The eldest sonne of Fouke, and first beget,
King of Ierusalem by his wife dewly set;
Whose sonne Geffray foresaid gat on his wife
Henry the second, that was known full rife.
Yet have ye more, from Bawldwyne Paralytious
King afterward, to the same King Henry
The Crown sent and his Banner pretious,
As very heire of whole Auncestrie
Descent of bloud by title lineally
From Godfray Boleyn, and Robert Curthose,
That Kings were thereof and chose.
8. Then cometh forth the Popes title; who claimeth it many wayes: Either because he was the first and chiefest mover and advancer of this warre, Lord Paramont of this action, and all the Pilgrimes no better then his servants; and then according to the rule in Civil law,*Institut. lib. 1. tit. 8. §. 1. Quod…unque per servum acquiritur, id Domino acquirit…r suo: Or else he challengeth it from John Bren, who *Knolls, Hist. Turk. pag. 123.subjected that Kingdome to the See of Rome; and yet the said John used the style of Jerusalem all the dayes of his life, and also gave it away in match with his daughter: Or else he deriveth it as forfeited to him by the Emperour Frederick the second and his sonnes, for taking arms against the Church. But what need these farre-abouts? They go the shortest cut, who accounting the Pope Gods Lieutenant on earth (though by a Commission of his own penning) give him a temporall power (especially in ordine ad spiritualia) over all the Kingdomes of the world.
The originall right of Jerusalem he still keepeth in himself, yet hath successively gratified many Princes with a title derived from him: Nor shineth his candle the dimmer by lighting of others. First he bestowed his title on Charles of Anjou, King of Sicilie (from which root spring the many-branched French competitours) and since hath conferred the same on the house of Aragon, or King of Spain. Which King alone weareth it in his style at this day, and maketh continuall warre with the Turk, who detaineth Jerusalem from him: Yea, all West-Christendome oweth her quiet sleep to his constant waking, who with his galleys muzzleth the mouth of Tunis and Algier. Yea, God in his providence hath so ordered it, that the Dominions of Catholick Princes (as they term them) are the case and cover on the East and South to keep and fense the Protestant countreys.
The quit-rent which the King of Spain payeth yearly to the Pope for the Kingdomes of Jerusalem, Naples, and Sicilie, is foure thousand crowns, sent to his Holinesse upon a *Sr Edwin Sandys, View of the West world, pag. 137.hackney: Who grudgeth his tenant so great a penie-worth; yet cannot help himself, except he would follow the Friars advice, To send home the Spanish Hackney with a great Horse after him. What credit there is to be given to that through-old (if not doting) prophecie, That a *Centuriatores, Cent. 13. cap. 16. col. 692.Spaniard shall one day recover Jerusalem, we leave to the censure of others; and mean time we will conclude more serious matters with this pleasant passage:
When the late warres in the dayes of Queen *Heylin, Microcos. in Palestine.Elisabeth were hot between England and Spain, there were Commissioners on both sides appointed to treat of peace. They met at a town of the French Kings: and first it was debated, what tongue the negotiation should be handled in. A Spaniard, thinking to give the English Commissioners a shrewd gird, proposed the French tongue as most fit, it being a language which the Spaniards were well skilled in; and for these Gentlemen of England, I suppose (said he) that they cannot be ignorant of the language of their fellow-subjects; their Queen is Queen of France as well as England. Nay in faith, Masters, (replyed Doctor Dale, the Master of Requests) the French tongue is too vulgar for a businesse of this secrecie and importance, especially in a French town: we will rather treat in Hebrew the language of Jerusalem, whereof your Master is King; I suppose you are herein as well skilled as we in French.
At this day the Turk hath eleven points of the law in Jerusalem, I mean possession: and which is more, prescription of a hundred and twentie yeares, if you date it from the time it came into the Ottoman familie; but farre more, if you compute it from such time as the Mammaluke Turks have enjoyed it. Yea, likely they are to keep it, being good at hold-fast, and who will as soon lose their teeth as let go their prey. With the description of the greatnesse of which Empire will we (God willing) now close this Historie.