Jerusalem and Its Hinterland

Abstract

This chapter analyses the reciprocal connection and economic co-dependence between the city and its hinterland through patterns of property ownership among the different Jerusalemite institutions. It shows that the extra-urban activities of these institutions directly continued the mechanisms and strategies established earlier in their intra-urban engagement. Thus, for example, in the case of the Holy Sepulchre this included the establishment of close working relationships with local settlers, direct management of rural estates and the reallocation of previously acquired assets in accordance with the Holy Sepulchre’s changing economic needs. Furthermore, this chapter seeks to highlight the different interests that shaped patterns of property ownership outside the city and trace the shifts that occurred after the middle of the twelfth century, as well as their correspondence with the development of Jerusalemite institutions.