The
King of Jerusalem was the supreme ruler of the
Crusader States, founded by Christian princes in 1099 when the
First Crusade took the city; the title disappeared with the departure of the last crusader of
Tartus in August 1291, less than two centuries later. Its history can be divided into various periods: those where the title of King of Jerusalem was associated with Jerusalem itself (1099–1187 and 1229–1244), and those where the title represents the highest level of suzerainty in the
Holy Land without the city itself as part of the realm.