Stephanie of Milly

Stephanie of Milly (died c. 1197 ) was lady of Oultrejordain and an influential figure in the Kingdom of Jerusalem .¹ She was the daughter of Philip of Milly , lord of Nablus , and Isabella of Oultrejordain, who herself was the daughter and heiress of Maurice, lord of Oultrejordain . Through her various marriages several husbands became lords of Oultrejordain. Her first marriage, in 1163 , was to Humphrey III of Toron , who died in 1173 . Her son with Humphrey was the future Humphrey IV of Toron , and their daughter Isabella married Ruben III of Armenia . Her second husband was Miles of Plancy , lord of Oultrejordain, who was assassinated in 1174 . In 1176 she married Raynald of Chatillon , the former prince-consort of Antioch , who had recently been released from captivity in Aleppo . In 1183 Stephanie's son Humphrey married Isabella of Jerusalem in the castle of Kerak . Stephanie is said to have hated Isabella's mother Maria Comnena . The ceremonies were interrupted by the arrival of Saladin , who besieged the place. Stephanie sent messengers to Saladin, reminding him of the friendship they shared when he had been a prisoner in Kerak many years before. Saladin did not lift the siege but agreed not to target Humphrey and Isabella's wedding chamber. (The siege was soon raised by king Baldwin IV of Jerusalem , Isabella's half-brother.) Through Stephanie, Raynald succeeded as lord jure uxoris of the lordship of Oultrejordain, and used his new position to harass Muslim caravan and pilgrimage routes; at one point he threatened to attack Mecca itself. This led to the invasion of the kingdom by Saladin in 1187 . Raynald was killed at the ensuing Battle of Hattin , and Humphrey IV was later captured. Saladin agreed to return Humphrey to Stephanie in exchange for Kerak and Montreal ; the castles refused to surrender, however, and Stephanie dutifully sent her son back to captivity under Saladin. (Saladin took pity on her and released him.) Her own principality of Oultrejordain and its castles were lost to Saladin within a few years of Hattin, and never recaptured by crusaders since they were located so far from the coast. Since her son Humphrey had apparently died before her, her heiress (as well as heiress of Toron) was her daughter Isabella. Another Stephanie of Milly was the first cousin of this Stephanie. She was the daughter of Henry of Nablus (vassal lord of Arabia Petra), and first married William Dorel, Lord of Botron , bearing to him a daughter, Lucie. After his death, she married Hugh III Embriaco, lord of Jebail (Gibelet) around 1179 . Hugh died in 1196 . In 1197 the latter Stephanie accompanied an army to besiege Jebail, which had been captured by the Muslims, and bribed a guard to open up the city to them. She seems to have died soon after this. Stephanie and Hugh had a son, Guy I Embriaco, lord of Jebail.²