Amalric I

views updated

Amalric I (əmăl´rĬk, ă´məlrĬk) or Amaury I (əmô´rē, Fr. ämōrē´), c.1137–1174, Latin king of Jerusalem (1162–74); brother and successor of Baldwin III. He spent his reign in attempts to gain and hold the suzerainty of Egypt, but was balked by the Turkish sultan Nur ad-Din, one of whose lieutenants finally obtained control of the country and left it at his death to Saladin. During Amalric's frequent absences in Egypt, Nur ad-Din repeatedly raided the increasingly weak Latin states of the East. Amalric was succeeded by his son, Baldwin IV.

More From encyclopedia.com