What were the reasons behind the formation of the Crusader States?
The whole point of the First Crusade had been to bring Jerusalem under Christian rule. When the original crusaders succeeded at capturing Jerusalem, many just went home, but some decided to stay. It’s not clear whether there really was a plan for what to do when the Crusade succeeded. The papal legate, who presumably would have made these decisions died during the campaign. The Byzantine Emperor had made the crusaders swear to return any former Byzantine territory they captured to him, which would have included Jerusalem, but the Crusaders didn’t think these oaths were really binding. So basically, they were on their own. They organized themselves as a kingdom, except that the first ruler took the title “Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre” rather than “king.” (In medieval law an “advocate” was a layman who protected and represented a church or monastery at court, since monks weren’t supposed to leave their cloister on secular business). Rivalries among the various crusade leaders (there wa
