Hugh II of Jaffa

Hugh II, also called Hugh of Le Puiset, was the first count of Jaffa in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was born in Apulia and came to the crusader kingdom in 1120, where he obtained Jaffa as his inheritance. King Baldwin II, who was his cousin, allowed Hugh to marry the wealthy widow Emma of Jericho in 1123; the marriage enabled Hugh to exert power over the land held by Emma and her minor sons, Eustace and Walter. After Baldwin II's death in 1131, Hugh came into a conflict with King Fulk, Baldwin's successor. Hugh opposed Fulk's attempts to exclude Queen Melisende from power and Fulk's replacement of the established nobility with newcomers from Europe. The tensions escalated into an open rebellion in 1134 after Hugh's stepson Walter accused him of high treason. Hugh enjoyed a broad public support until he sought help from the Egyptians, the crusaders' archenemy. After agreeing to a three-year exile, Hugh survived an assassination attempt widely attributed to Fulk. He then returned to Apulia, where he died.²