CHAPTER 122: CHAPTER 122 – A REALM REFORGED

Damascus, August 18, 1180

The throne room of the former Ayyubid palace in Damascus had been transformed. Gone were the silken drapes of Arab design; in their place now hung tapestries bearing the lions of Jerusalem and the cross of the kingdom. The marble floor still held the memory of Saracen rule, but today it echoed only with the sound of Latin speech and the clink of mail and spurs.

King Baldwin IV, now seated beneath a double standard—the gold-on-white banner of Jerusalem and a newly woven pennon bearing the red cross of Syria—looked down upon the gathering of barons, bishops, and officers from across the realm.

A scroll was brought forward by a notary and handed to Patriarch Heraclius, who read it aloud:

"Let it be known, in the name of God Almighty and with the authority granted unto the King of Jerusalem, that the lands from the Lebanon mountains to the Euphrates, from Homs to Aleppo, shall be formally joined to the Crown of Jerusalem."

He paused, and the crowd grew quiet.

"To ensure their prosperity, their loyalty, and their Christian defense, His Grace Baldwin IV hereby establishes the Duchy of Damascus—a royal duchy, held in perpetuity by the heir to the throne of Jerusalem, beginning with the Lord Baldwin, fifth of his name."

Murmurs passed among the nobles, some surprised, some relieved. Baldwin stood.

"This city will never again be a prize for rebels or schemers," he said firmly. "It will belong to the heir of the realm—forever."

He turned his eyes toward Lord Balian of Ibelin

, standing at his right. "You will serve as regent in Damascus until Baldwin V comes of age. See to his education. Rule in his name, not your own."

"I shall," Balian replied, bowing low.

Baldwin continued.

"Next: the County of Aleppo. For its tenacity in defense, for his loyalty in every campaign, and for his wisdom in the north, I name Hugh of Tiberias Count of Aleppo."

Hugh, grizzled and calm as ever, nodded without ceremony.

"You will establish fortifications at the outer edges of the Orontes and keep our frontier facing the Armenians and Mosul secure."

Then Baldwin’s voice sharpened.

"The County of Homs, lying central between Aleppo and Damascus, is to be held by one whose loyalty has never wavered—my Marshal and commander of our heavy infantry, Gerard of Sidon."

Gerard saluted with mailed fist across his chest.

"You kept our lines together at Aleppo," Baldwin said, "and you held the breach at Damascus. You’ll see to the garrisoning of Homs and restore its grain routes."

Baldwin now glanced toward a younger man at the edge of the dais, his features sharp, his beard neatly trimmed, with a cautious expression.

"And to the newly taken fortress of Hama, we grant to Roland of Jaffa. You are untested in lordship, but your family served well in Tripoli before its fall. Hama is exposed and will be tested again. You are to build it into a stronghold worthy of our northern marches."

Roland bowed deeply, visibly honored.

Then Baldwin’s eyes landed upon a man further down the hall: Guy de Lusignan, standing proud, arrogant as ever, his fine cloak freshly embroidered. Baldwin’s fingers tensed involuntarily on the armrest.

"And for Baalbek," he said slowly, "we grant it to Lord Guy de Lusignan."

Guy blinked, surprised.

"You will serve as its Count and garrison the heights. Your fief shall be secure and wealthy, but I expect you to remain there. The frontier must not be neglected."

Baldwin leaned forward.

"You are not to leave Baalbek without the leave of your king or his steward. Your task is important—hold the pass, keep order, collect tribute. Do it well, and the realm may forgive your former impatience."

Guy forced a smile, bowing stiffly.

Baldwin knew well what he had just done: given a vain and ambitious man a lordship he would not want to abandon, far from the royal court, far from Jerusalem’s politics. The high mountain of Baalbek would be his gilded cage.

Later That Day – The Hall of Records

The scribes and clerks labored through the evening, copying the charters and grants, while envoys rode out with sealed orders to Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and Baalbek. But Baldwin remained in the palace, pouring over documents with Balian and the royal architect.

"Tell me what’s needed," Baldwin said.

"We’ve surveyed the eastern districts," the architect replied. "The aqueducts need repair. The Saracens maintained them well, but bombardment from the siege cracked some of the clay channels. We can restore them in weeks."

"Do it," Baldwin said. "I want water reaching the fields before autumn."

"And the mills?" Balian asked.

"We’ll use the plans from Acre," the architect continued. "New water mills will be set on the Barada River. The same designs we installed outside Jerusalem—water wheels for flour, with granaries nearby. The locals will adapt quickly."

"We’ll also need crop rotations," Balian added. "The Syrian peasants still overplant barley. They’ll exhaust the fields. We’ll introduce clover and beans on alternating years, as we did in Galilee."

Baldwin nodded. "The farmers here are tired of war. Give them stability, water, bread, and they will not rebel. Offer land to any knight willing to stay, but make it conditional—they must garrison and protect."

That night, fifty knights were granted fiefs or plots of land in the Damascus valley and the countryside near Homs and Baalbek. Most were seasoned veterans, some former pilgrims who had chosen to remain in the Holy Land after victory. They swore oaths to King and Cross, to uphold the laws of Jerusalem, and to defend their holdings from bandits or wandering emirs.

In return, they received land, income from nearby villages, and royal protection.

Three Days Later – Atop the Citadel Walls

The air was cooler at dusk. Baldwin stood with Balian, gazing out over the city from the top of the Citadel. Below them, construction had begun in earnest. Scaffolding lined the southern curtain wall. Workers were hammering wooden supports along the new breach. Masonry teams gathered near the great eastern gate.

Smoke rose in neat spirals from chimneys in the Latin quarter. Monks from the Holy Sepulchre were helping to re-consecrate the old mosques into chapels. In the distance, caravans of Syrian Christians returned to their shops and homes, wary but no longer fleeing.

"It feels strange," Balian said.

"What does?"

"To win like this. We’ve spent years expecting death. And now, we build."

Baldwin leaned heavily on his cane.

"We build because we must," he said. "This war is not over. But for now, peace is real. And while it lasts, we shall transform these lands. From kingdom to crown, from crown to empire—not in name, but in strength."

He turned to Balian.

"And when the boy becomes a man, he must inherit a realm that will not collapse under him."