Fulk V, count of Anjou and Maine (1109-1131), king of Jerusalem (1131-1143), a powerful feudal magnate in France and in the crusader territories of Palestine.

Fulk exerted his control over his vassals and was later caught up in the dynastic quarrels between the French and English kings. In 1128 his son Geoffrey Plantagenet married Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, and became the progenitor of England’s branch of the Angevin dynasty. Fulk first visited Palestine in 1120 and returned in 1129 to marry Melisend, daughter of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem.

Fulk became king of Jerusalem upon Baldwyn’s death in 1131 and spent the first year of his reign settling a dispute in Antioch (Turkey) and putting down a revolt led by his wife’s lover, Hugh of Le Puiset. In 1137 he allied himself with the Byzantines against a Turkish leader, ‘Imad ad-Din Zangi, of Mosul (Iraq), and in 1140 intervened to help the Muslims of Damascus ward off Zangi’s armies. He protected Jerusalem in the south by constructing a series of fortresses, among which was Krak of Moab.

Fulk’s domestic policies followed the pattern established by his predecessors: good relations with the church, encouragement of commercial interests, and respect for the privileges of the Italian trading cities.