Ioveta
Ioveta | |
---|---|
Abbess of Bethany | |
Born | c. 1120 |
Died | 6 September 1178 |
Roman Catholicism |
Ioveta (c. 1120 – 6 September 1178) was a Latin princess from the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Her name appears in various other forms, including Joveta, Yveta, Yvette, Ivetta, and Juditta. She headed the Convent of Saint Lazarus in Bethany, the richest abbey in the kingdom, from the late 1130s or early 1140s until her death.
Ioveta was the youngest of the four daughters of
Family and captivity
Ioveta was the fourth and youngest daughter of
Both the
Queen Morphia's decision to include Ioveta among the hostages sent to Timurtash suggests that the young princess was expected to be well treated, which was "an established tradition within Islam".
Youth at St Anne's
In the late 1120s, Baldwin started arranging the marriages of his daughters and settling the succession to the throne.
Ioveta's mother, Morphia, died shortly after 1126 or 1127.[15] It is probably at this point that Ioveta was entrusted to the care of the nuns at the Convent of Saint Anne in Jerusalem.[8] The girl may have been sent to Saint Anne's as a child oblate.[16] After reaching an appropriate age in c. 1134, she took vows and became a nun herself.[15]
Historians offer different explanations for Ioveta's religious profession. Yvonne Friedman, relying on Ernoul's account, believes that the rumors of sexual impropriety during her captivity rendered Ioveta unmarriageable in the eyes of her family.[15] Historian Malcolm Barber proposes that Melisende, who had succeeded Baldwin II upon his death in 1131, may have encouraged Ioveta to become a nun out of concern that Ioveta's status as purple-born might jeopardize Melisende's claim to the throne, but concedes that there is no way to know whether the decision was Ioveta's or Melisende's.[8] In any case, this was a common path for the younger children of royal and noble parents; it demonstrated the family's piety and connected them to religious leaders, who exhibited significant influence.[17]
Abbess of Bethany
Construction at Bethany
Ioveta's sister Queen Melisende was not content with Ioveta being a mere nun;
Melisende lavishly endowed Bethany with estates, gold, silver, precious stones, and silk, making it wealthier than any other monastery or church in the kingdom.[19] Ioveta quickly joined the new community.[20] Because Ioveta was only about 18 in 1138, Melisende appointed an elderly abbess,[21] Matilda,[19] intending that Ioveta should succeed her.[21] By 1144, Matilda had died and Ioveta had become abbess of one of the most significant abbeys in the kingdom.[20]
Abbacy
As abbess, Ioveta enjoyed more independence than her married sisters; although a queen, princess, and countess respectively, Melisende, Alice, and Hodierna were constrained by their father, husbands, and sons.[18] Ioveta conducted transactions with other religious communities, such as Saint Anne's, Saint Mary Major's, and Saint Mary of the Valley of Jehosaphat's, as well as with the Knights Hospitaller.[20] She maintained contact with foreign religious communities too, sending a piece of the True Cross to the Fontevraud Abbey in France.[22] The authority she exercised was both spiritual and secular in nature, and Ioveta was one of the rare 12th-century women (especially in the East) to use her own seal; her only contemporary to do so was her sister the queen. Even more rarely did women have themselves depicted with books on their seals as Ioveta did, presumably to emphasize her piety and erudition.[23]
Melisende reigned jointly with her son,
Relations with family
In late 1160 or early 1161, Queen Melisende fell ill, likely having had a
On 10 February 1163, King Baldwin III died too, and a younger nephew of Ioveta's,
Death and legacy
Abbess Ioveta died on 6 September 1178[34] and was succeeded by Abbess Eva.[35] Ioveta may have been buried in Bethany, but the abbey was destroyed shortly after Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem and offers few archaeological clues about burials; the other potential resting place is Josaphat, where Queens Morphia and Melisende and other women of the royal family were buried.[35]
Despite their significance, all four daughters of Baldwin II remain understudied in crusader scholarship, most of all Ioveta.[1] Ernoul's account of sexual abuse during her time as hostage is given much prominence. She is normally mentioned only in passing and traditionally described as a reluctant nun without power or much contact with her family.[15] Historian Erin Jordan argues against such a portrayal, emphasizing Ioveta's agency and influence.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Jordan 2017, p. 67.
- ^ Runciman 1952, p. 449.
- ^ a b Runciman 1952, p. 172.
- ^ a b Jordan 2017, p. 69.
- ^ a b c Jordan 2017, p. 70.
- ^ Runciman 1952, p. 171.
- ^ Jordan 2017, p. 74.
- ^ a b c d Barber 2012, p. 157.
- ^ Jordan 2017, p. 72.
- ^ Jordan 2017, p. 73.
- ^ Runciman 1952, p. 173.
- ^ a b Runciman 1952, p. 177.
- ^ a b c d Jordan 2017, p. 76.
- ^ Runciman 1952, p. 179.
- ^ a b c d Jordan 2017, p. 68.
- ^ a b Hamilton & Jotischky 2020, p. 228.
- ^ Jordan 2017, p. 77.
- ^ a b Jordan 2017, p. 78.
- ^ a b c d Barber 2012, p. 158.
- ^ a b c Jordan 2017, p. 80.
- ^ a b Hamilton 1978, p. 151.
- ^ Jordan 2017, p. 80-81.
- ^ a b Jordan 2017, p. 81.
- ^ Hamilton 1978, p. 153.
- ^ a b Jordan 2017, p. 83.
- ^ Jordan 2017, p. 83-84.
- ^ a b c d e Jordan 2017, p. 84.
- ^ a b Hamilton 1978, p. 155.
- ^ Hamilton 1978, p. 156.
- ^ a b c Hamilton & Jotischky 2020, p. 233.
- ^ Hamilton 1978, p. 159.
- ^ Hamilton 1978, p. 159-160.
- ^ Hamilton 1978, p. 164.
- ^ Hamilton & Jotischky 2020, p. 235-236.
- ^ a b Jordan 2017, p. 85.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0300189315.
- Hamilton, Bernard (1978). "Women in the Crusader States: The Queens of Jerusalem". In Derek Baker (ed.). Medieval Women. Ecclesiastical History Society.
- Hamilton, Bernard; Jotischky, Andrew (2020). Derek Baker (ed.). Latin and Greek Monasticism in the Crusader States. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521836388.
- Jordan, Erin L. (2017). "Hostage, Sister, Abbess: The Life of Iveta of Jerusalem". Medieval Prosopography. 32 (1): 66–86. JSTOR 26629994.
- ISBN 0241298768.