 The two versions of Ernoul 's chronicle tell different stories about John 's ascent to the throne of Jerusalem . According to one version , the leading lords of Jerusalem sent envoys to France in 1208 asking Philip II to select a French nobleman as a husband for their queen Maria . Taking advantage of the opportunity to rid himself of John , Philip II suggested him . In the other version an unnamed knight encouraged the Jerusalemite lords to select John , who accepted their offer with Philip 's consent . John visited Pope Innocent III in Rome . The pope donated 40 @,@ 000 marks for the defence of the Holy Land , <unk> that John could spend the money only with the consent of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the grand masters of the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller . 
