TheMedievalEra - The Crusades - 3rd Crusade The Crusades Key people King Richard I: (September 8, 1157 – July 6, 1189) Nicknamed “The Lionheart of England” for his great bravery and leadership during the Third Crusade, he is noted highly for battling Saladin and recapturing many lands in Asia Minor. King Richard I was the son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. As soon as his elder brother, Henry the Young King died and he was crowned king, he began preparing for the Third Crusade. He raised a great deal of money, to support his army for the crusade, by undergoing three actions: 1. persecuting and stealing from the Jews 2. raising the taxes of all of his subjects 3. selling offices, high ranking titles, and royal land. [1] King Philip II: (August 21, 1165- July 14, 1223) Otherwise known as King Philip Augustus of France, this King was the leader of the French Crusaders who fought alongside King Richard I and his army.

He constructed large siege equipments which played a major role in the capturing of Acre. After the surrender of Acre on July 11, 1191, Philip parted the Holy Land to go back to France due to a sickness. His leave played a major role in the Third Crusade because this meant that the rest of the Crusade was in the hands of King Richard I. Also his leave played a major role in that his crusaders did not want to fight without their leader; this played a major role in why Richard was not able to capture Jerusalem from the Muslims. [2] Frederick Barbarossa: (1122 – June 10, 1190) Otherwise known as Frederick Red-Beard, Frederick was the German king of Germany and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Born as the son of Duke Frederick II of Swabia and Judith of Baravia, Frederick is noted highly for aiding King Richard I in the Third Crusade. After the Third Crusade was launched by Pope Gregory VIII in 1187, Frederick began to accumulate his army of 150,000 immediately.

After he finished raising his army, he headed off to the Holy Land and won two fierce battles against the Muslims. Frederick drowned on his way to Antioch when he tried to cross a fast flowing river; his heavy armor prevented him from being able to swim. Saladin- (1137-March 4, 1193) The leader of the Muslims, Saladin fought against the crusaders that were led by King Richard I. The primary reason for the Third Crusade was because Saladin captured Jerusalem in 1187. Saladin is the son of Najm ad- Din Ayyub. Saladin’s name means “righteousness of faith”. He captured numerous cities such as Damascus, Acre and Mosul. Saladin is noted highly for his generosity during the war. For example, when King Richard was sick, Saladin sent him a basket of fruit, to nurse the King into good health. In the end of the Third Crusade, both King Richard I and Saladin signed a peace treaty that permitted Christians to visit Jerusalem without having to pay tribute; the treaty also gave the possession of the coast,from Jaffa to Tyre, to the Christians.

[3] Important Events 1187- Saladin, the sultan, or absolute ruler, of Egypt took and captured, from the Christians, Jerusalem and most of the Holy land in the battle of Hattin; Saladin’s army defeated King Guy in this battle. Pope Urban III was said to have died of shock when word spread to Europe that Muslims had conquered Jerusalem. Pope Gregory VIII, the next Pope after Pope Urban III, called on Kings and other Christian leaders to fight. The Kings that answered the call were the three European leaders King Philip Augustus of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany. [4] 1189- Frederick Barbarossa with his large army journeyed to the Holy Lands. Although met with resistance early on his exploit, Barbarossa is able to quickly subdue his enemies. Frederick and his army are struck with a major problem when they cross the Saleph River in Cilicia. Frederick and many of his men drown in the river. The death of the German King greatly demoralized the army, sending many home, and others onward to Antioch.

Saladin thought that Allah was on his side after most of Saladin’s men that continued onward to Antioch were either killed by Saladin’s forces or from fever. France and England were left to take back the Holy Lands from the Muslims. [5] 1190- The leader of the Crusade, King Richard I of England, raised money to fund the crusades through several methods. King Richard’s first means of funding for the crusade was through the oppression and theft of the Jews. As well as blatantly stealing, King Richard increased taxes for all classes in England. He even sold political positions and at one point he claimed he would sell London to anyone who would be willing to buy it. 1191-On April 20th, the French and English armies laid siege on the city of Acre. After 4 months, on July 11th, they they breached the walls of Acre and gave their terms of surrender. The terms were as follows: 2,000 prisoners, 200,000 gold pieces, and the return of the relic the True Cross.

Although the True Cross and the 2,000 prisoners were in Saladin’s possession, neither Acre nor Saladin had 200,000 gold pieces. Saladin was able to release the 2,000 prisoners, he was not able to release the amount of gold that was agreed upon. 2,700 Muslim prisoners were executed by Richard. With Acre captured, Philip returned to France because of severe sickness. After, the English army continued on their way along the coast to Jerusalem. All but one of Saladin’s attempts to provoke Richard’s army into fighting his own to keep them away from the holy city were of no avail. This one battle was the battle of Arsuf. Saladin attacked Richard’s army with a force of 20,000. [6] 1192 –By January 3rd, Richard’s very sick and tired army arrived at Jerusalem. Since fighting caused the men in the army to become very tired, they decided to return to the coast. Richard realized that he didn’t actually have the amount of forces necessary to take over Jerusalem. Also, even if he did have enough forces, he first had to amend the problem in England as soon as possible.

Seeing this as a great opportunity, Saladin recaptured Jaffa from the English but soon Richard retaliated and launched a surprise attack on Jaffa. This caused Saladin to lose control of his men, and Richard to retake the city. On September 2nd, Richard and Saladin signed a treaty. This treaty allowed Richard to keep all of the lands that he had conquered during this Crusade. Also, this allowed Christians to freely come visit and leave Jerusalem. After signing the treaty, Richard set sail back home to England. [7] Important Terms Acre –A port city located in Israel; also known as Akko. An old city that appears in the Bible, Acre was the main conflict region for the Crusades. Crusaders and Muslims fought numerous battles to conquer this city. Infidel– one who has no religious faith; unbeliever Jerusalem– A large city located in Israel which was treated by the Jewish, Muslims, and Christians as sacred place. The triumph over Jerusalem by Saladin lit the fire of the Third Crusade. Siege– To surround, attack, or isolate a certain place. Ex) Siege of Acre Pilgrim– person who travels to a holy place for his/her religious purposes.

Truce– Making a peaceful treaty to stop fighting between two or more groups. Capitulate– To accept defeat and decide not to resist anymore; unconditional surrender. Christendom– a term referring to all Christian people and Christian countries. Impact on the medieval era Due to the loss of their leader, emperor Friedrich, the Crusaders lost hope and were not able to conquer Jerusalem. Therefore, British king Richard I and France King Philip II organized the crusaders back home. Even though they failed to take back Jerusalem, they succeeded to negotiate with Saladin. As a result of this negotiation, Christians were able to get the freedom of peaceful pilgrimage. One of the important facts during the 3rd crusade is that Christians and Muslims pretty much lost devotion to their faith, which had appeared in the 1st Crusade. The 3rd Crusade was based on each groups concern and desire to get benefit. ^ King Richard raises money for the third Crusade.December 6 2011. < > ^ The third Crusade - The capture of Acre in 1191. December 6 2011. < > ^ Macro History- Saladin and the Second and Third Crusades.

December 5 2011.< > ^ English Monarchs - The Third Crusade . December 5 2011. < > ^ Watkins James. December 5 2011.< > ^ The Crusades to the Holy Land. December 4 2011. < > Saladin and the Second and Third Crusades, 1147 to 1193 Saladin and the Second and Third Crusade The Second Crusade In October 1147 troops from Europe pushed southeast of Constantinople into Asia Minor. There were Seljuks Turks, their empire having broken up with their Sultanate of Rùm remaining. At the Second Battle of Dorylaeum, about 100 miles southeast of Constantinople, the Seljuks began driving Conrad and his troops back to Constantinople, harassing Conrad's army daily. Meanwhile, troops led by Conrad's half-brother, Otto of Freising, a bishop, were marching southward along the Mediterranean coast toward Jerusalem. His force was decimated but he made it to Jerusalem and a year later returned to Bavaria.

Another force, led by the French king, Louis VII, arrived and in December 1147 won a minor battle against the Seljuks near Ephesus, on the west coast of Asia Minor. From there, marching toward Jerusalem, the king's troops were almost entirely wiped out by sickness and Seljuk forces. King Louis arrived at Antioch by boat, went on to Jerusalem and eventually back to France. Fall of the Fatimid Caliphate and Rise of Saladin After the failure of the Second Crusade, Nur ad-Din, who ruled Seljuk Turks in Damascus and Syria, was eager to expand his power. In 1163 he sent his most trusted general, Shirkuh, on a military expedition to the Nile. With General Shirkuh was his young warrior nephew, Saladin – Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Crusader states are in shades of green. The Sultanate of Rum is Seljuk rule. (Wikipedia Commons, altered by F Smitha) Governors in North Africa had become Sunni and had declared their independence from the Shia caliphate, the Fatimid dynasty, whose rule was reduced to Egypt.

The Fatimid caliphate from 1160 at age eleven was al-Adid. His caliphate allied with the Crusaders in Jerusalem in order to protect themselves from the aggressions of a Sunni force led by General Shirkuh. Caliph al-Adid suffered a serious illness and died of natural causes in 1171. General Shirkuh had also been ill, and he died of his illness. Saladin replaced General Shirkuh, and owing to the success of his army in Egypt, he became Egypt's new sultan. The Fatimid caliphate was no more. Saladin was interested in a Sunni revival in Egypt and in driving the crusaders out of the Middle East. In Damascus, Saladin's boss, Nur ad-Din, died of fever in May 1174. Nur ad-Din's eleven-year-old son succeeded him. Saladin preferred not to honor his obligation to the eleven-year-old and was on his way to taking power in Damascus and creating an empire of his own.

From Cairo in 1174 Saladin rode across desert with 700 horsemen through what today is Jordan, picking up support along the way from Turks, Kurds, Bedouins and others. On November 23 he arrived in Damascus where he, a Kurd, had grown up. There, amid general acclamations, he rested at his father's home. Four days later he installed himself in the city's citadel castle and received the homage and salutations from the city's citizenry. Saladin's Gains Power and Moves against Jerusalem Saladin left his brother Tughtigin as Governor of Damascus. He established control over nearby cities in Syria that had grown in independence. He struggled against Shia led by Rashid al-Din Sinan from the al-Nusayri Mountains in Northwestern Syria. In 1182, Saladin began his move against the Crusaders. His motives have been described as both his devotion to Islam and as dynastic aggrandizement.

On 4 July 1887 his force, estimated as 30,000 including 12,000 cavalry, met a Crusader force out of Jerusalem consisting of something like 15,000 infantry and 1,200 knights. This was the Battle of Hattin (in what today is northeastern Israel), won by Saladin and his troops, a victory to be celebrated by Muslims into the 21st century. Saladin ordered some of the captives to be treated humanely. Some of the captives were beheaded, including all 200 of the Knights Templar and Hospitaller military orders, with the exception of the Grand Master of the Temple. Saladin troops took away lower ranking prisoners as slaves. The victory at Hattin was followed by the reconquest of various Crusader towns. Saladin besieged Jerusalem and offered it generous terms of surrender, which were rejected. The Crusader nobleman in charge, Balian of Ibelin, threatened to kill his Muslim hostages, estimated at 5000, and to destroy Islam’s holy shrines of the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque.

They offered their own terms of surrender. Saladin consulted his council and their terms were accepted. Every Christian man, woman and child was to pay a ransom for his freedom. On 2 October 1187 Saladin took possession of the city – after 88 years of Christian rule. Saladin allowed many to leave without a ransom consideration, and most Christian foot soldiers were sold into slavery. With Jerusalem secure, Saladin summoned Jews to resettle in the city, and Jews formed the large settlement in Ashkelon responded to his request. Third Crusade Disturbed by Saladin having taken back Jerusalem, western Europe organized another crusade. The German Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I, 68, was the first to lead a force into Muslim territory. On May 18, 1190, his army captured Iconium, the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rüm (see map). On June 10 Frederick's horse slipped, Frederick died of a heart attack caused by the shock of the fall. Much of his army returned to Germany and the rest went on to disaster.

The Crusaders established at Tyre held out against Muslim assaults, and a French knight, Guy of Lusignan, who had been considered King of Jerusalem, moved to take the city of Acre with a newly arrived French force. During the winter of 1190-91 dysentery and fever claimed the lives of the Crusader forces besieging Acre. England's King Richard I (the Lion-hearted) arrived in June 1191, after a disastrous sea voyage that had significantly reduced his force. Acre was taken by the Crusaders in June. In July a large fleet of English ships arrived at Acre with reinforcements. On August 20, after deciding that Saladin was not going to agree to the terms they wanted in a treaty, Richard had 3,000 Muslim prisoners executed. It was in full view of Saladin's camp just outside the city. Richard's move proved unproductive as Saladin retaliated by executing his Christian prisoners of war. In September 1191, Richard won the Battle of Arsuf (see map) and established his headquarters at Jaffa.

In July 1192, while Richard was away, Saladin's army attacked and captured Jaffa. Saladin lost control of his army because of their anger over Richard's massacre at Acre. Richard returned by ship and on July 31 recaptured the city. Another battle was fought on August 5, and Richard again was triumphant. On September 2, 1192, Richard and Saladin signed a treaty that left Jerusalem under Muslim control but allowed unarmed Christian pilgrims to visit the city. Richard started back to Europe on October 9. The Third Crusade was over. Saladin allowed Christian pilgrims to visit Jerusalem without official papers. He posted soldiers for their safety. He commanded that every kindness be extended to his guests, and he enjoyed conferring with the Bishop of Jerusalem and allowed him to visit Bethlehem and Nazareth and to leave behind Latin priests and deacons. Saladin returned to Damascus in mid-November 1192 and was greeted with jubilation. Crowds followed him through the streets. Poets praised him.

They called him the great protector who had spread the wings of justice over all and rained gifts on his people "from the clouds of his munificence and kindness." In 1193, at the age of 55, Saladin died of yellow fever. He had given his wealth to charity, except for one gold piece and forty-seven pieces of silver. Tyre remained under the control of Europeans – until a century later when it would be taken by Mameluk forces. The Principality of Antioch and the County of Tripoli remained predominantly Christian. Battle of Arsuf in the Crusades approx. 20,000 men Battle of Arsuf - Background: Having successfully completed the siege of Acre in July 1191, Crusader forces began moving south. Led by King Richard I the Lionheart of England, they sought to capture the port of Jaffa before turning inland to reclaim Jerusalem. With the Crusader defeat at Hattin in mind, Richard took great care in planning the march to ensure that adequate supplies and water would be available to his men. To this end, the army kept to the coast where the Crusader fleet could support its operations.

In addition, the army only marched in the morning to avoid the midday heat and campsites were selected based on the availability of water. Departing Acre, Richard kept his forces in a tight formation with the infantry on the landward side protecting his heavy cavalry and baggage train to seaward. Responding to the Crusaders' movements, Saladin began shadowing Richard's forces. As Crusader armies had proven notorious undisciplined in the past, he began a series of harassing raids on Richard's flanks with the goal of breaking up their formation. This done, his cavalry could sweep in for the kill. The March Continues: Advancing in their defensive formation, Richard's army successfully deflected these Ayyubid attacks as they slowly moved south. On August 30, near Caesarea, his rearguard became heavily engaged and required assistance before escaping the situation. Assessing Richard's route, Saladin elected to make a stand near the town of Arsuf, just north of Jaffa. Arraying his men facing west, he anchored his right on the Forest of Arsuf and his left on a series of hills to the south. To his front was a narrow two-mile wide plain extending to the coast.

Saladin's Plan: From this position, Saladin intended to launch a series of harassing attacks followed by feigned retreats with the goal of compelling the Crusaders to break formation. Once this was done, the bulk of Ayyubid forces would attack and drive Richard's men into the sea. Rising on September 7, the Crusaders needed to cover a little over 6 miles to reach Arsuf. Aware of Saladin's presence, Richard ordered his men to prepare for battle and resume their defensive marching formation. Moving out, the Knights Templar were in the van, with additional knights in the center, and the Knights Hospitaller bringing up the rear. The Battle of Arsuf: Moving onto the plain north of Arsuf, the Crusaders were subjected to hit-and-run attacks beginning around 9:00 AM. These largely consisted of horse archers dashing forward, firing, and immediately retreating. Under strict orders to hold formation, despite taking losses, the Crusaders pressed on. Seeing that these initial efforts were not having the desired effect, Saladin began focusing his efforts on the Crusader left (rear).

Around 11:00 AM, Ayyubid forces began increasing the pressure on the Hospitallers led by Fra' Garnier de Nablus. The fighting saw mounted Ayyubid troops dash forward and attack with javelins and arrows. Protected by spearmen, the Crusader crossbowmen returned fire and began exacting a steady toll on the enemy. This pattern held as the day progressed and Richard resisted requests from his commanders to allow the knights to counterattack preferring to husband his strength for the right moment while allowing Saladin's men to tire. These requests continued, particularly from the Hospitallers who were becoming concerned about the number of horses they were losing. By mid-afternoon, the lead elements of Richard's army were entering Arsuf. At the rear of the column, the Hospitaller crossbow and spearmen were fighting as they marched backwards. This led to the formation weakening allowing the Ayyubids to attack in earnest. Again requesting permission to lead his knights out, Nablus was again denied by Richard. Assessing the situation, Nablus ignored Richard's command and charged forward with the Hospitaller knights as well as additional mounted units.

This movement coincided with a fateful decision made by the Ayyubid horse archers. Not believing that the Crusaders would break formation, they had stopped and dismounted in order to better aim their arrows. As they did so, Nablus' men burst from the Crusader lines, overran their position, and began driving back the Ayyubid right. Though angered by this move, Richard was compelled to support it or risk losing the Hospitallers. With his infantry entering Arsuf and establishing a defensive position for the army, he ordered the Templars, supported by Breton and Angevin knights, to attack the Ayyubid left. This succeeded in pushing back enemy's left and these forces were able to defeat a counterattack by Saladin's personal guard. With both Ayyubid flanks reeling, Richard personally led forward his remaining Norman and English knights against Saladin's center. This charge shattered the Ayyubid line and caused Saladin's army to flee the field. Pushing forward, the Crusaders captured and looted the Ayyubid camp. With darkness approaching, Richard called off any pursuit of the defeated enemy.

Aftermath of Arsuf: Exact casualties for the Battle of Arsuf are not known, but is estimated that Crusader forces lost around 700-1,000 men while Saladin's army may have suffered as many as 7,000. An important victory for the Crusaders, Arsuf boosted their morale and removed Saladin's air of invincibility. Though defeated, Saladin quickly recovered and, after concluding that he could not penetrate the Crusader's defensive formation, resumed his harassing tactics. Pressing on, Richard captured Jaffa, but the continued existence of Saladin's army prevented an immediate march on Jerusalem. Campaigning and negotiations between Richard and Saladin continued over the next year until the two men concluded a treaty in September 1192 which allowed Jerusalem to remain in Ayyubid hands but permitted Christian pilgrims to visit the city.

Selected Sources Saladin - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Google On July 4, 1187, the Muslim forces of Saladin (Salah al-Din) decisively defeated the crusader army south of the Horns of Hattin in Palestine, capturing Guy, king of Jerusalem; Reginald of Châtillon, Saladin’s enemy whom he personally killed; over two hundred Knights Hospitaller and Templar Knightly Orders whom he ordered to be killed; and many crusaders whom he ransomed. The remaining captured Christians were sold on the local slave markets. Born into a Kurdish, Sunni, military family, Saladin rose rapidly within Muslim society as a subordinate to the Syrian-northern Mesopotamian military leader Nur al-Din. Participating in three campaigns into Egypt (which was governed by the Shi`ite Fatimid dynasty), Saladin became head of the military expeditionary forces in 1169. After he was appointed wazir(adviser) to the Shi`ite caliph in Cairo, he consolidated his position by eliminating the Fatimid’s sub-Saharan infantry slave forces.

Finally, in 1171 the Shi`ite Fatimid caliphate was brought to an end by Saladin with the recognition of the Sunni caliphate in Baghdad. In the meantime, Nur al-Din kept pressuring Saladin to send him money, supplies, and troops, but Saladin tended to stall. An open clash between the two was avoided by the death of Nur al-Din in 1174. Although Egypt was the primary source for his financial support, Saladin spent almost no time in the Nile Valley after 1174. According to one of his admiring contemporaries, Saladin used the wealth of Egypt for the conquest of Syria, that of Syria for the conquest of northern Mesopotamia, and that of northern Mesopotamia for the conquest of the crusader states along the Levant coast. This oversimplification aside, the bulk of Saladin’s activities from 1174 until 1187 involved fighting other Muslims and eventually bringing Aleppo, Damascus, Mosul, and other cities under his control. He tended to appoint members of his family to many of the governorships, establishing a dynasty known as the Ayyubids in Egypt, Syria, and even Yemen.

At the same time he was willing to make truces with the crusaders in order to free his forces to fight Muslims. Reginald of Châtillon violated these arrangements, to Saladin’s annoyance. Modern historians debate Saladin’s motivation, but for those contemporaries close to him, there were no questions: Saladin had embarked on a holy war to eliminate Latin political and military control in the Middle East, particularly Christian control over Jerusalem. After the Battle of Hattin, Saladin, following the predominant military theory of the time, moved rapidly against as many of the weak Christian centers as possible, offering generous terms if they would surrender, while at the same time avoiding long sieges. This policy had the benefit of leading to the rapid conquest of almost every crusader site, including the peaceful Muslim liberation of Jerusalem in October 1187. The negative was that his policy permitted the crusaders time to regroup and refortify two cities south of Tripoli—Tyre and Ashkelon.

From Tyre, Christian forces, reinforced by the soldiers of the Third Crusade (1189–1191), encircled Muslims in Acre, destroyed the bulk of the Egyptian navy, and, under the leadership of Richard the Lion-Heart, captured the city and slaughtered its Muslim defenders. Saladin, by avoiding a direct battle with the new crusader forces, was able to preserve Muslim control over Jerusalem and most of Syria and Palestine. Saladin’s reputation for generosity, religiosity, and commitment to the higher principles of a holy war have been idealized by Muslim sources and by many Westerners including Dante, who placed him in the company of Hector, Aeneas, and Caesar as a “virtuous pagan.” The Reader’s Companion to Military History. Edited by Robert Cowley and Geoffrey Parker. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Tags Saladin Saladin Saladin Saladin Saladin – whose real name was was Salah al-Din Yusuf – was a great Muslim leader. Born into a prominent Kurdish family, his father worked for the Turkish governor 'Imad ad-Din Zangi ibn Aq Sonqur in northern Syria.

Saladin spent his youth in Ba'lbek and Damascus, where his main interest was the study of religion rather than military training – certainly offering little hint of what he was to become. Once Saladin reached working age, he got a job with his uncle Asad ad-Din Shirkuh, who was a key military commander under Nur al-Din, the son and heir of Zengi. After Zengi’s death, three military expeditions into Egypt began, all led by Shirkuh, in a bid to stop the country falling to the Latin Christian (Frankish) rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The King of Jerusalem, Amalric I, Shirkuh and Shawar, the leader of the Egyptian Fatimid caliph, began a three-way struggle as they fought for control. Enter Saladin, aged 31, who took part in the third expedition, approaching Cairo on 2 January 1169. At this point, the Franks retreated, allowing Saladin’s troops to reach Cairo. Saladin ordered Shawar’s assassination on 18 January, at which point Shirkuh was made leader.

However, he died without warning on 23 March and Saladin was appointed commander of the Syrian troops in Egypt and leader of the Fāṭimid caliph in 1169. He was now known as the Sultan. Saladin then became the Sole Master of Cairo and the first Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt in 1174, and although he occupied Damascus and other Syrian towns, Egypt continued to be the main base of his operations. Saladin has been held up as a chivalrous historical figure who fought fairly - when the Crusaders took Jerusalem in 1099 they carried out mass murder, whereas when Saladin re-took it in 1187 following the defeat of the King of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin near the Lake of Galilee, he allowed inhabitants to leave the city safely. He called this a ‘just war’ and said that his actions were out of respect for Jerusalem’s status as a holy city. Despite his fierce opposition to the Christian powers, Saladin also had a respectful relationship, if one built on rivalry, with King Richard I of England (Richard the Lionheart). When Richard was wounded in battle against Saladin, the latter offered his personal doctor to Richard.

Saladin managed to unite and lead the Muslim world and the Christians of western Europe were stunned by his success. The pope, Gregory VIII, ordered another crusade immediately to regain the Holy City for the Christians. This was the start of the Third Crusade. It was led by Richard I (Richard the Lionheart), Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany and King Philip II of France. These were possibly the three most important men in western Europe - such was the significance of this crusade. It was to last from 1189 to 1192. Richard was determined to get to Jerusalem and he was prepared to take on Saladin. Both sides fought at the Battle of Arsur in September 1191. Richard won but he delayed his attack on Jerusalem as he knew that his army needed to rest. Richard marched on Jerusalem in June 1192. However, by now even Richard the Lionheart was suffering. He had a fever and appealed to his enemy Saladin to send him fresh water and fresh fruit. Saladin did just this – sending fresh fruit and frozen snow to the Crusaders to be used as water. Why would Saladin do this? There are two reasons. First, Saladin was a strict Muslim.

One of the main beliefs of Islam is that Muslims should help those in need. Secondly, Saladin could send his men into Richard's camp with the supplies and spy on what he had in terms of soldiers and equipment. They found that Richard had a small force, which counted him out of taking Jerusalem. Saladin and Richard organised a truce - pilgrims from the west would once again be allowed to visit Jerusalem without being troubled by the Muslims. Neither Richard nor Saladin particularly liked the truce but both sides were worn out and in October 1192, Richard sailed for western Europe, never to return to the Holy Land. Saladin was keen for Cairo to be a well-protected yet enjoyable city for its inhabitants, with a high level of commercial and cultural freedom – very different to the kind of city its residents had been used to in years gone by. Today, Saladin has been lauded for attempting to defend an entire country’s ideology as well as its territory, and he made best use of Cairo for his purposes – one of which was accumulating the money needed to fight against the crusaders.

The Citadel One of the things that Saladin is best known for is the creation of the Cairo military fortress, the Citadel, which he built between 1176 and 1177, as well as the college-mosque, the madrassa, where religion and Islamic law was once again taught to residents. Keen to ramp up the city’s defences, Saladin ordered the construction of a wall which enclosed the entire city, stretching from Badr's wall to the north, west to the Nile and the port of al Maks and to the east, under the Mukattam Hills. Little of the wall or his other buildings remain today, although the original perimeter of the Citadel still stands, while the rest has been rebuilt by others. Saladin sold off the Fatimids’ treasure to pay his Turkish troops and, in doing so, went from strength to strength in his military efforts. Leaving Cairo in 1182, Saladin went to Syria to fight the crusaders and liberated the vast majority of Palestine from the English, French and other armies, and from the control of the Pope, by the time of his death in Damascus in 1193. He was succeeded by his brother, al Adil.

The Crusades The Crusades Medieval Chronicles > The Crusades The Crusades The Holy Lands are Holy places for both Christians and Muslims religions and both religions laid claim to them many times during the medieval period. The Holy Lands (Palestine) was the place claimed that Jesus lived especially the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Lands were controlled by Muslims Turks at this time. When Christian people tried to visit the Holy Lands Muslim Turks who also attacked the Christian controlled Byzantine Empire attacked them. The Turks also defeated the Christians in the battle of Manzikert which was part of the Byzantine empire and this led the Christians to fear that their very religion was in danger. Knights Templar The Knights Templar were a religious order of knights that were fearsome warriors. The legend of the knights Templar describes them as fighting to the death and that they were not scared of being killed in battle. Read more about the Knights Templar >> Peoples Crusade The People's crusade ended in the death and slavery of most of the 100,000 commoners and other people who took on the fearsome Turkish Muslim army in Jerusalem during the times of the medieval Crusades.

Read more about the Peoples Crusade >> Third Crusade The Third Crusades were a massive undertaking involving up to a million Christian warriors who were preparing to fight the Muslims armies on three fronts. The Third Crusades brought together Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. Read more about the Third Crusade >> The Crusades and Pope Urban II Contents 11 Crusade Facts: After the defeat at Manzikert the Byzantine Emperor asked Pope Urban II for help and he set the crusades in motion with his cry of “Dues vult!” translated as God wills it, or it is Gods will. On November 27 in the year 1095 Christians from all over Europe heard the Pope’s cry and were united in their mission to return the Holy lands to Christian rule. The crusades were ordered by the Pope Urban II and took place in the high and late medieval period, the goal was to return the Holy Lands to Christian rule using military force by driving out the Muslims who currently controlled it. The Crusades and the Holy Lands – Location The Holy Lands are the names given to describe the religious lands claimed by Christians, Jews and Muslims.

The Holy Lands position is between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, The Holy Land is divided between Palestinian and Jewish lands and incorporates parts of the river Jordan. Today the Holy Lands are part of Land of Israel and Palestine and currently the area is considered part of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. The Call | First Crusade (1095-1099) There were three main Crusades in all, the first Crusade started in 1095, the intention of this crusade was to drive out the Muslims from the Holy Land. Pope Urban II instructed medieval knights across Europe such as the Knights Templar to recapture the Holy Lands for the Christians. Nobles from France, Germany and Italy brought together their armies of knights and set off on a journey that would take three years. The Pope had called on Christians from all over Europe to fight to take the Holy Lands back from the Muslims, the church was highly respected in medieval times and people were eager to answer the Popes call. Many ordinary people even women and children joined medieval knights in this quest.

The Crusades | Crusaders Journey The journey to the Holy Lands was long and hard and was very treacherous, as the crusaders had to travel through many different lands, the knights Templar offered protection to many people making the journey but people who joined the Crusades still died before even reaching the Holy Lands. People would also die of starvation, disease and were victim to the harsh weather conditions on the long journey to the Holy lands which could take years. The First Crusades | Holy Land is captured (1095 -1099) In the first crusade, up to 30,000 crusaders led by four noblemen made the three-year journey to the Holy Lands, they initially battled through Anatolia heading southwards towards Palestinian lands. By June 1098, the Christian crusaders attacked the Syrian city of Antioch. Antioch eventually fell to the Christians when a traitor opened the gates to the city and let them in, the Following year the Christian crusaders surrounded the Holy city of Jerusalem, scaling the cities walls and finally in the summer of 1099 the city surrendered to the invading christian army.

The Muslim Fight Back | Saladin This victory by the crusaders was however to be short lived as many of them had returned home leaving Outremer vulnerable to Muslim attacks. The Seljuk Empire was already breaking up, the Muslims armies had decided to join forces to fight the common enemy the Christian crusaders and in 1144 the Muslim armies managed to capture Edessa, which was at the time the capital of the most northern part of the crusaders kingdom. The Second Crusade (1147-1149) The Christians responded to the Muslims capture of Edessa by mounting a second crusade. The second crusade was a disaster, both armies sent were badly beaten and the second army sent that was led by the king of France did not even make it to Edessa and they were defeated at the city of Damascus, the Muslim army sending them back retreating to France. Saladin was the legendary Muslim leader who was a very courageous and clever warrior; he led the Muslim troops to victory repeatedly, finally capturing the prized city of Jerusalem.

Pope Gregory VIII & Third Crusade | Kings Crusade (1189 to 1192) The new pope Gregory VIII instigated the third crusade also known as the king’s crusade. Pope Gregory had made it a priority to recapture Jerusalem and had ordered yet another crusade against the Muslim occupiers. Pope Gregory has masterfully managed to persuade the newly crowned King Richard (Richard the Lionheart) to join the third Crusade; King Richard had a brilliant military brain and was held in the same esteem as the Muslim leader Saladin. Third Crusade | Richard The Lionheart & Saladin Richard the Lionheart set off immediately to confront Saladin in the Holy Lands, Both were military masters, both were well respected men considered to be military geniuses, in fact they had so much mutual respect for each other that it almost led to the negotiation of a truce before the battle even began. Richard the Lionheart was having some great victories during the third Crusade battles against Saladin; however, his progress was suddenly halted when news from England came that his brother John had started rebelling against him in England, this meant that Richard had to leave the Crusades and return to England to take care of business at home.

Saladin retains the biggest Prize | Third Crusade The Christian armies led by King Richard in their conquest to recover the Holy Lands made great advances during the third Crusade as Saladin’s armies lost many strategic locations such as Acre Jaffa. Saladin and the Muslim armies had managed to retain the most important prize of all however, the spiritual city of Jerusalem that the Christian armies had wanted and this led to the last and final fourth crusade being launched. The Fourth Crusade (1202 – 1204) The focus of the fourth Crusade was as before to recapture the Holy city of Jerusalem from the Muslim armies, many strategic gains in the previous Crusades strengthened the Christians resolve and this was a final push to recapture the spiritual city of Jerusalem. Initially the crusaders had intended to take back Jerusalem via Egypt however for whatever reason these plans were changed and the crusaders of western Europe decided to invade the city of Constantinople instead which at that time was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, these peoples were on the same side as the crusaders before this attack.

The crusaders were not able to hold this territory that they had captured for long due to its location and the resistance from surrounding countries and this bad mistake eventually led to the end of the crusades altogether. The end of the Crusades The fourth and final Crusade weakened the crusaders armies and led to their eventual decline, morale was low and this led to the collapse of any serious attempts by the crusaders to capture the Holy Lands again during medieval times. The Muslim armies continued to defeat the crusaders and they managed to win back Acre in 1291 which was the last Crusader held city and the medieval period of the crusades came to a complete end.

Crusade Facts: The Crusades encourage religious hatred in England against Jewish people living in London Crusaders learned new skills and ideas that they brought back from the Muslim Lands New materials and products like silk and were brought back from the Crusades The Crusades were a war of religions, Christians against Muslims The Christian Crusaders won the First Crusade Battles and Took Jerusalem The Muslims recaptured Edessa and a Second Crusade was Launched The Second Crusade was a disaster and Saladin Captured Jerusalem for the Muslims The Crusaders captured Acre in the Third Crusade but the Muslims retained Jerusalem The Fourth Crusade led to the end of the Crusades and the Crusaders were defeated Saladin was a great Muslim military leader who captured the Holy city of Jerusalem King Richard was a great warrior and leader known as Richard the Lionheart King Richard made great progress in his attempts to recapture Jerusalem The first Crusade started in 1095 Pope urban II called on medieval knights to drive out the Muslims from Jerusalem The crusaders captured Jerusalem briefly in 1099 in the third crusade Richard The Lionheart got his name because of its bravery in battle There were a total of four Crusades to recapture Jerusalem The fourth Crusade was the final Crusade to rec

apture the holy city of Jerusalem The Muslim armies retained control of Jerusalem after the final fourth crusade The Knights Templar offered protection to travelers to the Holy Lands Groups of Knights who were also Monks formed groups to fight the Muslims The main groups of Monks who were knights were the Knights Templar, Teutonic knights and Knights Hospitaller The Crusades finally ended in 1291 when the Muslims recaptured Acre.

Question: What English King fought in the Crusades and battled against Saladin?
Answer: Richard the Lionheart