Raoul of Mérencourt (also called Ralph or Radulfus) was the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1214 to 1224., succeeding the assassinated Albert Avogadro. Early career in patriarchal service Raoul was a native of the County of Champagne. He seems to have come to the Holy Land as part of the entourage following Henry II, count of Champagne and future husband of Isabella I, queen of Jerusalem. Raoul worked as a notary in the Haute Cour in Acre. In 1206, Albert, formerly bishop of Vercelli, arrived as the new patriarch, following upon Soffredo Gaetani, who resigned the office after only one year, and went off to join the Fourth Crusade in Constantinople. In 1208, Albert sent Raoul as part of an official delegation to Philip Augustus, king of France, to seek a husband and king-consort for the young heiress to the throne, Maria of Montferrat. The king, with the encouragement of Blanche of Navarre, countess-regent of Champagne, selected one of her feudal vassals, John of Brienne. John held the title of count of Brienne on behalf of his brother Walter (Gautier) of Brienne, whose cause had briefly attracted the young Giovanni Bernadone (later Francis of Assisi) to his cause. At Walter's death in 1205, John held the county as guardian for Walter's son, later to become count of Jaffa. John of Brienne arrived in Acre on 13 September 1210 and married Maria the following day, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the major feast of the kingdom of Jerusalem. The two were then crowned king and queen on 3 October in the cathedral of Tyre. The patriarch recommended Raoul to become the chancellor and guide for the newly arrived monarch. Queen Maria died shortly after giving birth to their daughter Yolanda, officially known as Isabella II. The barons of the kingdom were uncertain of John of Brienne's ability to lead. In 1211, Albert sent Raoul to seek the counsel of Pope Innocent III. He returned with clear instructions to support John as regent-king for his daughter. Patriarch Election At Albert's assassination on 14 September 1214, while in procession to the cathedral of the Holy Cross in Acre, the post of patriarch became open. The canons of the Holy Sepulchre, following their own custom in imitation of the Acts of the Apostles, selected two candidates to succeed Albert. One candidate was Lotario Rosario de Cremona, who had originally succeeded