William of Malines

William of Malines
William of Malines
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
Archdiocese	Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Appointed	Pope Innocent II
In office	1130–1145/6
Predecessor	Stephen of La Ferté
Successor	Fulk of Angoulême
Other post(s)	Prior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (1127-1130)
Orders
Ordination	Augustinian Canons
Personal details
Died	1145/6

William of Malines (or William of Messines) (died 1145/6) was a Flemish priest who was the Prior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre from 1127 to 1130 and was then Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1130 until his death. He is sometimes called William I to distinguish him from William of Agen, second patriarch of that name, but he was the second William to serve as prior of the Holy Sepulchre after William the Englishman.^[1]

^ The first William who was prior of the Holy Sepulchre was William the Englishman who went on to become Archbishop of Tyre. In his history, William II of Tyre, the historian, wrote, “in the fourth year after Tyre had been [captured] (that is, in 1127/28), the king, patriarch, and other leading men elected (as archbishop of Tyre) William, the venerable prior of the church of the Sepulchre of the Lord”, adding that this William was “an Englishman by birth, and a man of most exemplary life and character”. A few chapters later, William of Tyre reports that when the Patriarch Stephen died (in 1130), “he was succeeded by William, prior of the church of the Sepulchre of the Lord…He was Flemish by birth, a native of Mesines.” Two Williams were prior of the Holy Sepulchre at an early time then, with William of Mesines (Flanders) probably directly succeeding William the Englishman as Prior of the Holy Sepulchre. This also means that William of Mesines could only have been prior from 1127 (the year of the election of William the Englishman to the archbishopric of Tyre) to 1130, the year of his own election as Patriarch. See William of Tyre, "A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea", Vol. 1, trans. Emily Babcock and A.C. Krey, Bk. XIII, Ch. 23 and Bk. XIII, Ch. 26.

[1] The first William who was prior of the Holy Sepulchre was William the Englishman who went on to become Archbishop of Tyre. In his history, William II of Tyre, the historian, wrote, “in the fourth year after Tyre had been [captured] (that is, in 1127/28), the king, patriarch, and other leading men elected (as archbishop of Tyre) William, the venerable prior of the church of the Sepulchre of the Lord”, adding that this William was “an Englishman by birth, and a man of most exemplary life and character”. A few chapters later, William of Tyre reports that when the Patriarch Stephen died (in 1130), “he was succeeded by William, prior of the church of the Sepulchre of the Lord…He was Flemish by birth, a native of Mesines.” Two Williams were prior of the Holy Sepulchre at an early time then, with William of Mesines (Flanders) probably directly succeeding William the Englishman as Prior of the Holy Sepulchre. This also means that William of Mesines could only have been prior from 1127 (the year of the election of William the Englishman to the archbishopric of Tyre) to 1130, the year of his own election as Patriarch. See William of Tyre, "A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea", Vol. 1, trans. Emily Babcock and A.C. Krey, Bk. XIII, Ch. 23 and Bk. XIII, Ch. 26.

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