The Secular Knights on Holy Land in 1181

  By Rider, October 15 2006; Revised
  Category: Medieval Europe

Besides the monastic orders, there was the Kingdom of Jerusalem that had to protect it’s lands by all means capable. The King appointed certain numbers of knights to provinces by their importance. The Counties of Tripoli and Edessa had to protect themselves, by the help of the knightly orders and troops sent from the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Kingdom was composed of four territories directly belonging to the king (Tyre, Akko, Nablus and Jerusalem) and of twenty three other territories, controlled by various dukes and counts.

The number of knights around 1181 is known to some extent:
 
Province Capital Number of Secular Knights
Akko Acre 80
Jerusalem Jerusalem 41
Nablus Nablus 85
Tyre Tyre 28
     
Arsuf Arsuf  
Ascelon Ascelon 100
Beirut Beirut 21
Belinas Belinas  
Bethgibelin Bethgibelin  
Bethsan Bethsan (Baisan)  
Blanchegarde Blanchegarde  
Caesarea Caesarea 100
Caymont Caymont  
Galilee Tiberias 100
Gaza Gaza under Templar control
Haifa Haifa  
Hebron Hebron 60
Ibelin Ibelin  
Jafo Jafo 100
Mirabel Mirabel  
Nazareth Nazareth 6
Oultrejordain al-Karak 60
Ramla-Lydda Lydda and Ramla 10
Samaria Samaria (Sabastiyah)  
Scandelion Scandelion  
Sidon Sidon 100
Toron Toron 18


NOTE: The possible Templar or Hospitaller contignents presiding in each of these territories is not taken into account.