In the present volume, the third selection of his articles to be published, Professor Mayer deals with questions of royal authority and power in the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. He first examines the relationship between the monarchy and the Church, questions of royal succession, and aspects of the royal chancery, but is also concerned to trace the king’s efforts to create a new clientele of loyal vassals. The second group of studies reverses the perspective, and looks at the origins and development of the lordships of the kingdom, notably at the important county of Jaffa and at the role of the Ibelin, the most significant family in the land.
