Hugh of Saint Omer

Who was Hugh of Saint Omer?

Hugh of Saint Omer was the Prince of Galilee and Lord of Tiberias from 1101 to his death. Fauquembergues and Saint Omer are both situated near each other. Hugh was lord of the former and his family, which was to gain fame in subsequent Crusades, hailed from the latter.

Born in Thérouanne, Hugh accompanied Baldwin of Boulogne on the First Crusade and into Mesopotamia in 1098, where he carved out the County of Edessa. He was at Jerusalem in 1101, when Tancred of Hauteville was entrusted with the regency of the Principality of Antioch. Tancred's vacant Galilean principality was granted to Hugh. Hugh was captured and executed following an ambush of his troops during a raid into Turkish territory. A like fate awaited his successor, Gervaise of Bazoches.

He was related to Godfrey of Saint-Omer, one of the founders of the Knights Templar.