Samuel I

**Samuel de Beaumont**, King of Angelona, born 1156, died 1215 was an English nobleman and Crusader, who went on to be crowned the first King of Angelona.

Samuel was the second son of Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Petronilla de Grandmesnil, who was a granddaughter of Hugh de Grandmesnil. As a young man, he accompanied King Richard I on the Third Crusade along with his older brother Robert.

## Early life

Samuel was born in 1156 at Breteuil in Normandy, the second son of Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Petronilla de Grandmesnil. His father held vast estates in England and Normandy. He was the great grandson of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester and Count of Meulan, who was a powerful Norman nobleman and one of the Companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England, and was revered as one of the wisest men of his age. Chroniclers spoke highly of his eloquence, his learning, and three kings of England valued his counsel.

In 1173 he fought alongside his father and brother in the revolt against Henry II and was imprisoned with his family after the defeat at the Battle of Fornham.

His family was released in 1177 and there estates restored, but it was not until 1189 when King Richard I came to power that the family was fully restored to favour. Upon release he married Anna de Freinne, his first wife, who died in 1181.

In 1190, Samuel set off with his father and brothers Robert and William on the third Crusade under King Richard.

## Third Crusade

Whilst in Messina, Sicily, his brother Robert was invested with the Earldom of Leicester in early 1191 along with a large part of central Normandy. Samuel was invested with the Earldom of Surrey along with Castle Talmont, making the House of Beaumont one of the most powerful in England.

Samuel impressed King Richard whilst fighting in Cyprus and Angelona and in reward for his heroics, he made Samuel Lord of Angelona.

Samuel played an important part in the Third Crusade and was present at the Siege of Acre, the Battle of Arsuf, the Battle of Jaffa and the Battle of Jerusalem. He became a trusted commander of King Richard and his bravery in battle earned Samuel huge respect. He was also said to have saved King Richard's life at the Siege of Acre when cut down an advancing attacker who was about to strike the King.

At the Battle of Arsuf, Samuel was said to have led the English cavalries counterattack alongside the Hospitalier Knights which turned the tide of the battle.

In 1192 Samuel married Maria de Gibelletto, the Genoese daughter of Ugo III Embriaco, Lord of Gibelletto. Samuel is said to have fallen in love with the beauty of the Genoese woman.

When King Richard departed the holy land in 1192, Samuel remained in Angelona rule in the Kings name. A number of English Knights also stayed, including his brother William.

## Ruler of Angelona

Angelona had suffered huge devastation from the Seljuk invasion of 1181. Samuel divided the lands amongst the English nobles who had volunteered to stay and set about building numerous castles. Thousands of Christians moved to the new Crusader state, including many of the Angelonian Christians who had fled to Greece and Egypt after the Seljuk occupation. To fund the numerous castles that he built, Samuel sold off his lands in England and Normandy.

## Crusade of 1197

In 1197, Samuel signalled his intentions to join the German Crusade of 1197. The main German force set out from Sicily and stopped in Angelona, where Samuel joined with the German force with 2,000 Knights. The Crusader army landed in Acre. The crusaders proceeded to Tyre, initiating a campaign to expel the Muslims from Beirut and to subject the Levant coast up to Tripoli. They captured the wealthy and important city of Sidon and on October 24 entered Beirut. With the support of the Princes, Emperor Henry's vassal King Amalric of Cyprus married Queen Isabella and was crowned King of Jerusalem (as Amalric II) in 1198.

The crusaders continued their campaign and by reconquering the estates around Byblos Castle (Gibelet) restored the land link to the County of Tripoli. They even marched against Damascus and laid siege to Toron, when news of the emperor's death reached them. By July 1198 most of the nobles had returned home to get their fiefs confirmed by Henry's successor. The remaining crusaders concluded another armistice with the Ayyubid emir Al-Adil I, who acknowledged the rule of King Amalric II over the reconquered lands. In his capacity as King of Jerusalem, Amalric enfeoffed the Lordship of Beirut to John of Ibelin and the Lordship of Sidon to Reginald Grenier.

## Fourth Crusade

Samuel volunteered to join the Fourth Crusade and began preparing an army. However, when news reached Samuel that the Crusader army had sacked the Christian city of Zara and was preparing to march on Byzantine Constantinople, he sent a letter to Pope Innocent III, conveying his disgust at the Crusader army's brutal actions. When Constantinople was sacked, thousands of refugees fled the raping and pillaging, many of which sought refuge in Angelona.

## King of Angelona

In 1206 Samuel de Beaumont purchased Angelona from King John of England, who was looking to raise funds for his war effort. A year later, Angelona was recognised as a Kingdom by Pope Innocent III and Samuel was crowned King of Angelona.

Samuel ordered the construction of the Cathedral of Samria and chose Edward de Arleon to become the first Archbishop of Angelona. The new Catholic Church of Angelona was founded and came under the direct rule of the Papacy, with eighteen dioceses established.

## Later life

Samuel spent the remainder of his life in Angelona. He spent much of his treasury building new castles and strengthening old ones. In 1213 Samuel agreed to join the Fifth Crusade announced by the Pope. However, Samuel's health was in decline and was unlikely to be fit enough to complete another Crusade. In 1215 Samuel died and his eldest son, Edward I was crowned King of Angelona at the age of 15.

## Legacy

Samuel was a highly regarded Lord and King across Europe. He was strongly favoured by Pope Innocent III thanks to his service to Christendom. He was a highly skilled and decorated military tactician and was respected by Catholics, Orthodox Chistians, Jews and Muslims alike, due to his honour and tolerance, during and after battle.

Not only was he the founder of the Kingdom of Angelona, but also the Church of Angelona. New settlements and castles were built across the island during his reign and the treasury flourished.

## Family

### Siblings

* Robert, Earl of Leicester
* Roger, Bishop of St Andrews in 1189
* William,
* Amicia, married French baron Simon de Montfort, and whose son Simon subsequently became Earl of Leicester;
* Margaret, married Saer de Quincy, later 1st Earl of Winchester.

### Children

Samuel had no children with his first wife, Anna de Freinne. With his second wife, Maria de Gibelletto he had:

* Edward I
* Maria de Beaumont
* Elizabeth de Beaumont
* Clare de Beaumont
* Francis de Beaumont