Elinand
| Elinand | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Galilee | |
| Reign | 1143/44–1148/49 |
| Predecessor | William I of Bures |
| Successor | William II of Bures or Simon of Bures |
| Died | 1148/49 |
| Spouse | Ermengarde of Ibelin (?) |
| Issue |
William II of Bures (?) Eschiva of Bures (?) |
| Father | Godfrey of Bures or Hosto of Fauquembergues (both uncertain) |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Elinand, also known as Elinard, was Prince of Galilee from 1143 or 1144 to around 1149. His parentage is unknown. He succeeded William I of Bures who either had died, or been forced into exile. Elinand was one of the main supporters of Melisende of Jerusalem. Mu'in ad-Din Unur, the ruler of Damascus, bribed him during the siege of Damascus in 1148, according to gossips spreading in the crusaders' camp.
According to a widespread scholarly theory, Elinand was related to William I of Bures, who received the Principality of Galilee from Baldwin II of Jerusalem in 1119 or 1120. Historian Martin Rheinheimer associates Elinand with Elias, who was William I's nephew. William I referred to Elias and his brother, William, as his heirs in 1126. Rheinheimer also says, the brothers were the sons of William I's brother, Godfrey. Godfrey was killed during a plundering raid in the spring of 1119.Hans Eberhard Mayer refutes the association of Elinand with William I's nephew, emphasizing that the Biblical name, Elias, cannot be identical with the Germanic Elinand. Historian Malcolm Barber identifies Elinand as William I's second son.
Mayer underlines that nothing proves that Elinand was William I's kinsman. Mayer also notes, Elinand's otherwise rare name is well-documented in the region of Saint-Omer and Fauquembergues in the 12th century. He concludes that Elinand was most probably a member of the Saint-Omer family, and thus he was related to the second Prince of Galilee, Hugh of Fauquembergues. He tentatively identifies Elinand's father with Hosto of Fauquembergues, who was castellan of Saint-Omer in the late 1120s, although no document evidences that Hosto fathered children.
The circumstances of Elinand's emergence to power are unknown. Rheinheimer says, Elinand inherited the Principality of Galilee (also known as the Lordship of Tiberias) from William I in 1144. Mayer argues, Elinand seized Galilee with the support of Melisende of Jerusalem, who had forced William I into exile after the death of her husband, Fulk, King of Jerusalem. Elinand became one of Melisende's main supporters.
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