Hostage, Sister, Abbess: The Life of Iveta of Jerusalem

Authors

Erin L. Jordan, Old Dominion UniversityFollow

Abstract

Iveta, the youngest daughter of Baldwin II of Jerusalem, remains an elusive figure in the history of the Latin East. When she does make an appearance in crusade scholarship, it is often as a contentious figure due to the tendency of scholars to fixate on rumors of sexual violation by Muslims during her youth. These studies depict Iveta as a reluctant nun, isolated, powerless, and permanently confined to the cloister due to the damage resulting from her youthful trauma. This article presents a different view of Iveta, arguing that her entrance into monastic life was prompted by a vocation and debunking the idea that she was marginalized by her family and reduced to a position of powerlessness. Although her life was led primarily within the walls of the cloister, she was by no means confined to the periph- ery of family or feudal politics. She remained actively involved in family affairs until her death and wielded considerable authority as abbess of the convent of Bethany, occupying an enviable space where the secular and the sacred intersected.

Recommended Citation

Jordan, Erin L. (2017) "Hostage, Sister, Abbess: The Life of Iveta of Jerusalem," Medieval People: Vol. 32: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/medpros/vol32/iss1/4