known as Baldwin of Bourg
died August 1131, Jerusalem
King of Jerusalem (1118–31).
A French nobleman, he joined the First Crusade and was made count of Edessa by his cousin Baldwin I in 1100. Captured by Seljuq Turks in 1104, he was ransomed four years later and reclaimed Edessa from the regent by force. He became king of Jerusalem in 1118 on the death of Baldwin I. He was held hostage by the Turks 1123–24. He later expanded his kingdom and attacked Damascus with the aid of the Knights of Malta and the Templars . He arranged the marriage of his daughter Melisend to Fulk V of Anjou and made them his successors.