Ralph of Saint-Omer
Ralph of Saint-Omer, also known as Raoul of Saint Omer, Raoul of Tiberias, or Ralph of Tiberias, died in 1220. He was briefly a claimant to the Principality of Galilee and served twice as seneschal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
He came from the Saint-Omer family. His parents were Eschiva of Bures and Walter of Saint-Omer; his mother later married Raymond III of Tripoli in 1174. His elder brother Hugh II of Saint-Omer tried to arrange a marriage between Ralph and Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem to help him gain the throne, but the High Court rejected the plan because Ralph lacked wealth. Isabella instead married Aimery of Cyprus after Henry II of Champagne died. Ralph was exiled after an assassination attempt on Aimery in 1198.
At his trial, Ralph argued a defense based on the Assise sur la ligece, a feudal law that required a judgment in court for lords and their vassals. He went further and tried to apply this law to the king himself. Aimery refused, and Ralph’s supporters withdrew their service, leading to his banishment. Some later accounts credit him with creating a precedent for using the law to check royal power, though the strategy largely failed against Aimery and Ralph left the kingdom.
Ralph traveled to Tripoli in 1198 and to Constantinople in 1204. He married Agnes de Grenier, daughter of Renaud, Lord of Sidon. They had a daughter, Eschive of Saint Omer (Eschive of Tiberias), who married Odo of Montbeliard.
He held the title of titular Prince of Galilee from 1204 to 1219/20, succeeding Hugh II and later being succeeded by Eschive and Odo.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 23:05 (CET).