There were six major
officers of the kingdom of Jerusalem: the
constable, the
marshal, the
seneschal, the
chamberlain (which were known as the "Grand Offices"), the
butler and the
chancellor. At certain times there were also
bailiffs,
viscounts and
castellans.
Essentially these offices developed from the typical officials that existed in northern France in the 11th century, the homeland of the first
kings of Jerusalem. The offices continued to develop in France and England, but in Jerusalem they tended to develop more slowly or not at all, taking on different roles than their European counterparts.
The lists given below are incomplete, as the specific names and dates of the officers are sometimes unknown. After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the offices were sometimes awarded as honors by the
kings of Cyprus and Jerusalem.
Constables
The
constable commanded the army, paid
mercenaries and judged legal cases pertaining to the military. He was the most important officer in the kingdom, due to the almost constant state of warfare that existed between the Christian and
Muslim states. The constable was officially the second-in-command of the army, in which he exercised police authority and commanded a division twice as large as all others. In addition, constables also determined the boundaries and borders of the kingdom. During the coronation the constable would hold the king's horse.<ref name="the...
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