Joscelin III or Joscelyn III (French: Jocelyn or Josselin;  –), also called Joscelin of Courtenay, was titular count of Edessa from 1150 or 1159 and a baron of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The county collapsed during Joscelin's adolescence, and after his father's capture in 1150, he was forced to rebuild his influence elsewhere. Joscelin rebuilt his influence over the next 14 years, receiving some offices and acquiring a martial reputation with the help of his sister Agnes, the wife of Amalric of Jerusalem until 1161. By 1164, he was one of the Christian leaders at the Battle of Harim, but was captured in the disastrous battle and held for the next 12 years.

Joscelin was one of the last high-ranking captives to be released in 1176, alongside Reynald of Châtillon. By then, he was landless, and the two travelled to Jerusalem, which was ruled by his nephew, Baldwin IV. Baldwin made his uncle seneschal by September, and Joscelin married Agnes of Milly. Her dowry was the basis for his lordship, which Joscelin would grow over the next decade into a great seigneury. By 1177, the nobility had split over the marriage of Baldwin's sister, Sibylla, to Guy of Lusignan. Joscelin and Agnes, Sibylla's mother, supported Guy and dominated the kingdom's politics. Guy fell out with the king in 1183 and was replaced as regent by his opponent Raymond of Tripoli in early 1185, with Baldwin dying in March. Sibylla's son Baldwin V became king, and Joscelin was assigned to care for the boy.

Upon Baldwin V's death, Joscelin brought Sibylla to the throne through a coup, angering Raymond of Tripoli and his supporters, but Sibylla unexpectedly raised Guy as her husband. The brewing crisis was cut short when Reynald of Châtillon attacked an Ayyubid merchant convoy in 1186 or early 1187, causing renewed war with Saladin. The subsequent campaign resulted in a crushing defeat at the Battle of Hattin, where Joscelin commanded the rearguard. It is unclear if he was captured here, but he was free shortly afterwards. The seneschal surrendered Acre and his holdings were overrun, but he participated in the sieges of Tyre and Acre. He could have died in the latter engagement, or alternatively lived until around 1200, losing influence. Joscelin has been criticised for his intense greed and support of Guy of Lusignan, often considered incompetent. However, he is considered a competent administrator, and has more recently been characterised as a sober statesman. Early life Joscelin III was the son of Joscelin II and Beatrice of Saone. Young Joscelin may have been born around the mid-1130s, most likely 1134, and was at least seven years old by 1141. Over the course of Joscelin's childhood and adolescence, the County of Edessa gradually degraded under Zengid pressure and internal mismanagement. The city of Edessa fell in December 1144 to Imad al-Din Zengi, but continued clashes took place between Joscelin II and Zengi until the latter's death in September 1146, with Joscelin defending the remainder of his county west of the Euphrates. The count attempted to recapture Edessa after hearing of Zengi's death and broke into the city, but Zengi's son, Nur ad-Din, attacked him and destroyed his army. In 1149, the Battle of Inab saw the deaths of Young Joscelin's brother-in-law, Reginald of Marash, and Prince Raymond of Antioch.

Titular count

Joscelin II was captured in Spring 1150 as he was travelling to the Principality of Antioch, allowing the remainder of his county to be rapidly invaded by rival Muslim powers. Beatrice, Joscelin II's wife, organized a resistance, and her supporters raised up Young Joscelin as Count Joscelin III in his father's place. Mesud I of Rum and Nur ad-Din invaded the county, and Mesud seized Kaysun, Raban, Behesni, and Marzban. According to Gregory the Priest, the Edessans "no longer had a leader on whom the remnants of their forces could lean for support." However, Joscelin III successfully defended Turbessel alongside the citizens and his father's men, causing them to retreat. The situation remained untenable; Beatrice sold most of the remnant county to the Byzantine emperor, Manuel I, with Baldwin III of Jerusalem assisting in the exchange. The deal was confirmed by Joscelin III. One castle, Ranculat, was instead sold to Gregory III Pahlavuni, on the condition that it would be returned to Joscelin if he ever returned to power. Despite the Greek garrisons, the towns fell to Mesud and Nur ad-Din.

There is scant evidence for Joscelin's life between 1151 and 1164. According to historian Robert Nicholson, he travelled to Jerusalem with his mother Beatrice and his sister Agnes, where Baldwin enfeoffed him with lands outside of Acre and revenue from its harbour. However, other recent historians suggest that the family first went to Beatrice's lands at Sâone, and that after Agnes' marriage in 1157, they travelled to Jerusalem, at which point Joscelin was enfeoffed. She married Baldwin's younger brother Amalric in 1157, having been widowed from her first husband, Reginald, when he died at Inab. She fought to improve Joscelin's fortunes, and the historian John La Monte characterised her view of Joscelin as "that ambitious affection which caused her to push his interests at every occasion and to secure for him his great position in Jerusalem".

According to John La Monte, Joscelin was made the marshal of Jerusalem in 1156, which made him second-in-command to the constable, in charge of arraying the squadrons for battle, and in charge of inspecting arms and equipment. He seized Burj ar-Risas in 1156 or 1157 (the muslim year 551) and built a lead roof, but Nur ad-Din soon recaptured it. There were other conflicts with Nur ad-Din at this time. Banias was held by the constable, Humphrey II of Toron, and Nur ad-Din besieged it in May until it was relieved by a Jerusalemite army led by King Baldwin. Baldwin disbanded his army before travelling back to Jerusalem but was ambushed at Jacob's Ford, though he escaped. Harim was captured in January 1158, as Nur ad-Din was then ill.

Joscelin's father died in 1159, still a Christian despite conversion attempts, and he may have been recognised as titular Count of Edessa. Joscelin's tenure as marshal ended in the same year, and he also began launching intensive raids towards Aleppo in retaliation, using Harim, in the Principality of Antioch, as a base. According to Andrew Buck, he only used it as a base, but other historians believe he was made bailli (regent) of Harim by Baldwin in 1160–1161. Joscelin was a leader in the northern Crusader States by the 1160s.

Joscelin's fortunes improved during this period, and he gradually acquired prestige and influence. Contemporary chronicler Ibn al-Athir described Joscelin as "one of the Franks' renowned champions". He was named godfather to his nephew, Agnes' son Baldwin, at his baptism in 1161, a sign of his influence. King Baldwin III died on 10 February 1162, and was succeeded by Amalric. The members of the high court felt threatened by the Courtenays–the house of Joscelin and Agnes–and forced Amalric to annull his marriage to Agnes on the grounds of consanguinity to take up rule. Agnes was thus never queen, but kept the rank of countess, and her children kept their royal status.

Captivity In 1163, Nur ad-Din was defeated by a united Christian army at the Battle of al-Buqaia. He retaliated in 1164, taking advantage of Amalric's absence in Egypt and besieged Harim. This provoked a northern coalition which included Joscelin, Bohemond III of Antioch, Raymond III of Tripoli, and Hugh VIII of Lusignan, which initially managed to drive off Nur ad-Din. The coalition overeagerly pursued and was crushed, with every leader captured except for Thoros II of Armenia. Harim fell to Nur ad-Din two days later. By the time that Joscelin had been released from captivity, he was probably around 42, but nothing is known about his life while he was captive. Although Agnes, now married to Reginald of Sidon, sought her brother's release, multiple of Joscelin's co-captives were released before him, with Bohemond III being the earliest, released after less than a year, and Raymond III by 1174 at the latest.

Shirkuh, Nur ad-Din's lieutenant, conquered Egypt in 1169, but died soon after, and was succeeded by his nephew, Saladin, with a joint Jerusalemite-Byzantine attempt to dislodge him being unsuccessful. Amalric's death in 1174 and Nur ad-Din's death in the same year allowed Saladin to advance into Syria without significant resistance. Negotiations between Bohemond III and Gumushtekin, atabeg of Aleppo, who had allied with Bohemond against Saladin, saw Gumushtekin release the last of his Christian prisoners in 1176, including Joscelin and Reynald of Châtillon, in exchange for significant sums. Agnes paid part of Joscelin's ransom of 50,000 dinars, and Joscelin also agreed to an alliance with Gumushtekin.

Count and seneschal First years

Without any lands, Joscelin returned to the Kingdom of Jerusalem and entered the court of the new king, his nephew Baldwin IV, complicating court politics. Raymond III of Tripoli had served as regent since his marriage to Eschiva of Bures in 1174. Joscelin and Reynald took up leadership of a rival, militarily aggressive party to that of Raymond, composed of newcomers and Templars. As the king reached the age of majority in 1176, Raymond was dismissed as regent. Joscelin was appointed as seneschal, a title he received by 23 September of that year. Seneschalship included charge over the royal castles, bureaucracy, finances, and ceremonies including the proceedings of the High Court. The seneschal was generally below the constable, but Joscelin was chief minister. La Monte remarked that Joscelin was one of the most powerful nobles to hold the office. The historian Bernard Hamilton views the decision as prudent; Joscelin proved a loyal and competent administrator. On another charter from 1176, he appears as count.

Joscelin was married to Agnes of Milly, which netted him as a dowry Chateau du Roi and Montfort Castle, northeast of Acre. He received a fief from Bohemond III which included the revenues of multiple towns and abbeys, which would be returned if he ever regained his Edessan lands. Saladin invaded in autumn of 1177, but his army became relaxed. Baldwin marched against the threat with as many men as he could find but the army, of which Joscelin was a part, was outnumbered. After initially indecisive fighting, the Muslims were routed at the Battle of Montgisard in November, where Joscelin would have been by the king's side.

The seneschal's new lands made up the nucleus for the so-called Seigneury of Count Joscelin, a scattered lordship. Over the course of 1179, he rounded out his estates in the Acre area. In April, he purchased the fief of John de Bellême for 7,500 bezants. His purchase of further lands from Petromilla, the viscountess of Acre, was for 4,500 bezants and was confirmed by 22 October. Joscelin also purchased the territory of St George de Labanea in November. Many Jerusalemite barons held mixed fiefs, and Joscelin was no exception, with rents in Acre, Tyre, and elsewhere. Otherwise, little is known of Joscelin's actions between 1176 and 1180. He appears on nine charters between 1176 and 1180, and his growing importance is reflected in his position as second on witness lists after Reynald of Châtillon.

Factional politics