Melisende was named after the Countess of Rethel, Baldwin II’s mother; it’s a variant of Millicent, an old Germanic compound name. Now it has become the name of a fairy-tale heroine of an opera, so it sounds fanciful, but when Melisende was named, it was probably just a family name.
The difficulty of finding a husband for Melisende lay in the family’s need for a strong war leader who would be loyal to her interests. Nothing could really stop a powerful man from marrying her, being crowned, and then setting her aside, maybe off into a convent. There was no clear choice among the local lords whose characters and alliances were known; young Bohemund II was allied to Jerusalem via Alice, perhaps because he wasn’t obviously strong enough to handle Jerusalem. The King of France chose the Count of Anjou.
Fulk had been Count of Anjou since he was something like 18, and he had raised a family already. His son Geoffrey of Anjou married the the Princess Matilda of England; together they founded the Plantagenet Dynasty. Fulk’s daughter, another Matilda, married England’s Crown Prince (who died young, so he never became king). Fulk had already made a long pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was an important funding source for the Knights of the Temple. We have to presume that during his pilgrimage, he spent time with all of the Crusader ruling structure—so they knew him. He knew them. He had met the daughter.
Fulk was strong enough to hold Jerusalem against enemies and make wise decisions about internal plots and diplomacy. But was he actually too strong? His marriage was pragmatic and it was soon clear that, in personal terms, it was a disaster. Melisende was no traditional French wife; she was used to attending council meetings. But Fulk expected to be King of Jerusalem outright, on his own.
When Melisende gave birth to a son in 1130, her father saw an opportunity to block Fulk from a possible coup against her. First, he decreed that Melisende had sole custody of the infant Baldwin. Second, kings could have their successors anointed and crowned during their own lifetimes. Baldwin II had Melisende, Fulk, and infant Baldwin III crowned as three joint monarchs.
Fulk took as little notice as possible and began acting as if he were sole king. After Baldwin II died in 1131, it only got worse. Fulk made it clear in public that he had little regard for his wife or her hereditary rights. In 1134, he took the first steps to do exactly what the father had feared: setting her aside, to make room for his family back in Anjou. He began with a splash, publicly accusing her of adultery.
Melisende had always been close to her cousin, the son of Baldwin II’s sister, who was now Count Hugh II of Jaffa. Fulk accused Hugh of treason, specifically of adultery with the Queen. Hugh was convicted by Fulk’s supporters in the council and, to defend himself, went into full military revolt. The Count of Jaffa allied with the Fatimid governor of Ascalon, and then Fulk besieged it. Jaffa held out, but in negotiation, Hugh lost.
Hugh was sent into exile for three years, but as he was waiting for a ship to take him away, he was suddenly knife-attacked by a French knight from a region that was suspiciously close to Anjou. Public opinion had never accepted the allegations against Hugh and Melisende; King Baldwin II had been a popular ruler who left behind much loyal sentiment. Everyone believed that the assault on Count Hugh was an attempted assassination, and in their eyes, the only reason to kill Hugh was to stop him from someday proving the queen’s innocence. Therefore, Fulk must know that she was innocent.
From that day forward, Fulk lost the power he had been trying to build up. Melisende’s supporters in the council enforced her presence and cooperation with all ruling decisions. Fulk was still needed as a war leader, but he had to become a king consort. He withdrew his allegations against Melisende and accepted living with her again. She had one more son, Amalric, before Fulk’s death in 1143.
By the time Fulk died, Melisende had become fond enough of him to seem genuinely grieved by his death. One record of Fulk says he was a cheerful, honest knight who just had difficulty remembering people’s names.
But after Fulk was gone, Melisende ruled for her son Baldwin III. But that’s another story. Melisende is most famous today for her ownership of a Psalter that survived into our times, beautifully decorated and preserved at the British Library.