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.