The Third Crusade

  The Third Crusade also known as The Kings' Crusade was led by Emperor Fredrick I Barbarossa of Germany,King Philip II Augustus of France,and King Richard I of England to conquer back Jerusalem from the Muslims under their  leader,Saladin.


                                                          The Saracen Commanders


                                   al-Malik al-Nasir Salah ed-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub

 He is probably better known as Saladin.Anyways,he was born in the castle Takrit in Mesopotamia in 1137.He was the son of al -Ayyub and was the nephew of Shirkuh.Since a boy he prepared himself to conquer Jerusalem.He was deeply religious and prayed five times each day.As far as education he wrote ''children are brought up in the way in which their elders were brought up.''
 In 1174,the commander of the Muslims,Nur ed-Din Zangi,died and the throne passed to Shirkuh but he died as well and the throne eventually passed to Saladin,who locked his wives up and had other other women with him.He was full of pride of his race and often far outnumbered his enemies.He fought other Muslims more than he did the crusaders and conquered the city of Damascus in 1174.In 1183 he conquered Aleppo and in 1186 he conquered Mosul from other Muslims.Of course,Saladin still wanted to conquer Jerusalem from the Christians and in 1177 with an army of 26,000 men, he battled King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem,at  Montgisard, who had less than 8,000 men but yet Saladin still lost 23,000 men and the battle.However,Saladin did not give up and in 1179 he defeated King Baldwin IV at the battle of Marj Ayun before winning the Battle of Jacob's Ford the same year.
 Reynald de Chatillon plundered from the Arabs which turned Saladin to attack the city of Kerek in 1183. However,King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem,who had leprosy,arrived at the city with an army,which sent Saladin's army away without a battle between the two kings.

 Since Baldwin could no longer rule because of his leprosy,the throne passed to his brother in law  Guy de Lusignan. This meant Saladin would have a new opponent.
 In September 1183, Saladin's army battled 16,300 crusaders led by King Guy at Al-Fule and neither army really won the battle.Saladin's son,Al-Afdal and another Muslim named Muzzaffar al Din Gokbori with an army of about 7,000  defeated a few hundred crusaders led by Gerard de Ridefort and Roger de Moulins at the battle of Cresson on May 1,1187 for they tricked the crusaders into a domed charge.He joined forces with his son on May 27, 1187.On July 2,1187 he attacked the city of Tiberius on  with part of his army.
 King Guy heard of this and had a meeting at the castle of Sephorie as he asked his men what he should do. The oldest and most experienced out of the soldiers named Count Raymond III of Tripoli,suggested for them to stay where they were while Gerard de Ridefort,who had been wounded at Cresson,wanted to confront the enemy.That day in July, King Guy went with Raymond's decision but that night he was influenced by Gerard, who had called Raymond a coward, and so King Guy decided to confront Saladin's army which was exactly what Saladin wanted.This would lead up to  the Third Crusade.
  The crusader army marched out to confront Saladin's army.They probably had 5,000 men from The Kingdom of Jerusalem and 15,000-20,000 more men from the Kingdom of England, and many of them came alone from Europe with the Holy Cross for the kings of Europe would not help them at the time.
 The armies meat at the Horns of Hattin where Saladin's tens of thousands of men army trapped the crusaders on a hill.The next morning on July 4,1187,Saladin defeated the crusader army that had been in bad condition and his men killed all the crusaders except some of the top leaders since almost none of them would convert to Islam.
 In August 1187 Saladin's brother,Al Adil, arrived with an Egyptian army to the Holy Land which was around the time Saladin conquered Acre and Ascalon from the Christians.He would now move on to the city of  Jerusalem.
 The defenders of Jerusalem were led by King Guy's wife,Queen Sibylla,a knight named Balian d'Ibelin,and the Patriarch Heraclius against Saladin's army which was perhaps 200.000 strong.After a long siege the Christians surrendered the city to the Muslims .The siege of Jerusalem,which had lasted from September 20-October 2,1187 was a great victory to Saladin even though some Christians such as Queen Sibylla had escaped.After this victory,he attacked the city of Tyre on November 12,1187-January 1,1188  but his siege failed and with this victory for the crusaders at Tyre, it became a future revival for the Third Crusade.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                        Taqi al-Din

 He was actually Saladin's nephew and he often rebelled against his uncle.He also didn't get along with Al Afdal,who was Saladin's son.He played an important role in the battle of Hattin and when the Third crusade came he abandoned the fight.

                                                            Muzaffar al Din Gokbori

 His name means 'Blue Wolf' in Turkish.He served under Nur al-Din Zangi and became the governor  of Harran in what had been one crusader state called the County of Edessa but fell to the Muslims long before the Third Crusade.Little is known about where his division took place during the battle of Hattin.

                                                           Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad

Born March 7,1145, he wrote about the life of  Saladin and was an eyewitness of  the Third Crusade.                          

                                                               


                                                                  Kilij Arslan


His birth is unknown.He claimed to be a Russian descendant.He often fought with the Byzantine Empire.


                                      The Size and tactics of the Saracen Army                            
  

 Many Muslim soldiers were called horse-archers which meant they would often ride mares and shoot with the bow.There tactics were often to rain down their arrows on the crusaders and then attack them with their cavalry.Some people may feel that my estimate of how many Muslims fought the Crusaders during the crusade is a not accurate but I would guess their army being the size of at least 300,000 men in the fields, along with 6,000 Muslim garrison inside the city of  Acre and 20,000 Muslim garrisons inside Jerusalem and Ascalon. Them having at least 300,000 men is supported by Richard de Templo's account of the crusade.   Some sources claim that Saladin's army was as small as  80,000 men during the Battle of  Arsuf  during the Third Crusade.  Others claim his army not to be 30,000 in total. I however, trust the eyewitness sources more than the tongues of modern historians.

                                                   



                                                                     
                                                             
   







                                                               
                                                                 The Christian World



                                        The Kingdom of Jerusalem and other crusader states



                                                         King Guy of Jerusalem


 Born 1150,Guy married Princess Sibylla of Jerusalem in 1180,for she considered him handsome and adored him.Guy's brother in law,Baldwin IV,who might have been won of the finest crusaders in history,became very angry with how Guy  and Sibylla ran off together to get married. After their marriage, Baldwin found them together  and even tortured Guy.However,some crusaders were out to capture Sibylla and force her to marry Baldwin of Ibelin but Baldwin IV of Jerusalem speedily had his sister marry Guy and so the plot of the other crusaders never worked out.Since King Baldwin of Jerusalem died of leprosy  the throne passed to his nephew Baldwin V but he died as well and so the throne passed to his parents which caused Sibylla to crown herself and her husband king and queen of Jerusalem.
 Guy was not very famous among his troops and he was often blamed for the campaigns of 1183..He took place in the battle of Al-Fule in September 1183, where neither him or Saladin won the battle.In the battle of Hattin on July 4,1187 his army was virtually destroyed by Saladin and he himself was captured.After Saladin conquered Jerusalem, Guy was put in the Citadel of Neapolis which was in the city of Jerusalem where Guy's wife got to come and see him and eventually payed the ransom for him.Saladin made King Guy promise that if he let him go he wouldn't turn against him and  would not attack the Muslims anymore and Guy promised, but he lied.He was set free by Saladin and in 1188 he arrived at the city of Tyre,which was one of the last crusader strongholds but the leader of the city,Marques Conrad,who was under King Guy, did not allow Guy,his two daughters,and his wife to come into the city so Guy went with his family to Acre.

                                                           Balian d'Ibelin


 Born in the early 1140s Balian married Maria Comnena in 1177 and so he became the step father of Princess Isabella,who was Queen Sibylla's, half sister.On July 4,1187 he was at the rearguard of the army with the Templars at the Horns of Hattin.During the battle he managed to escape and reached the city of Jerusalem where he defended it bravely against Saladin's army but the crusaders lost the battle and he rode off to France but not with Queen Sibylla,who went to the city of Tripoli.He would soon become involved in the Third Crusade.

                                                    Gerard de Ridefort

 His birth is unknown.He was the Grand Master of the Knights Templar from the end of 1184 until his death in 1189.Though he himself was never in the Third Crusade he was involved in many battles before the crusade and took place in the siege of Acre in 1189.

                                                 Marquis Conrad of  Montferrat

 He was born in the early 1140s and was the son to Marquis William V of  Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg.Conrad and his crusaders were victorious over the Muslims at the city of Tyre in 1188. That same year, when King Guy came to the city of Tyre with his family Conrad did not allow him in and so Guy went with his family to the city of Acre.



                                                     The Holy Roman Empire

                                                                                                                                                                                         
                                                 Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany

 Born in 1122, he was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt in March 1152.The name Barbarossa means 'red beard'.On June 9,1156,at Wurzburg he married Beatrice of Burgendy.Their children's names were Sophie,Beatrice,Frederick V Duke of Swabia,Henry IV Holy roman Emperor,Conrad who was later on named Frederick VI of Swabia after the death of his brother,{Do not get him confused with Marquis Conrad},Gisela,Otto I Count of Burgendy,Conrad III Duke of Swabia,Reanaud, William,Philip of  Swabia,  who was King of Germany,and Agnes.He was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on June 18,1155.He was probably very religious and would lead the largest army on the Third Crusade.

                                                  Frederick IV, Duke of Swabia

 He was born in 1167.He was also betrothed to Princess Constance of  Hungary but they never married.

                                                       Lepold V,Duke of Austria

 He succeeded his father,Henry II of Austria, as Duke of Austria upon his father's death on January 13,1177.Both him and King Philip of  France's cossen was Marquis Conrad,who opposed King Guy being the king of Jerusalem and claimed he should be king.

                                                     Prince Geza III of  Hungary

 His older brother was King Bela III of Hungary.His wife is known to be a Byzantine noblewomen.


                                                            The French

                                              King Philip II Augustus of  France

 He was Born August 21, 1165 in Gonesse France and was the son to Louis IIV of France and his third wife,Adela of Champagne.When he was sick at the age of fourteen,his father,who was also sick,went on a journey to Canterbury England to pray for the health of his son at the tomb of his martyred friend,Thomas Becket.Philip got better and was crowned king of France in the cathedral at Rheims on November 1,1179.
 He married Isabella of Hainault on April 20,1180.His father died on September 18,1180. He soon conquered more land for his kingdom such as Flanders,Burgundy,and Champagne.He fought alongside Prince Richard I of England against Richard's father,Henry II of England,until King Henry decided to hand some cities over to Philip.His wife gave birth to their first son,Louis VIII of France,on September 5,1187.She also gave birth to twins on March 14,1190,but she died the next day and they died four days later.Before his wife's death,on January 1,1188,he and King Henry II of England took up the cross at Gisors France for they had heard of the fall of  Jerusalem to Saladin,and the Pope demanded that the kings of Europe put their differences aside and unite for a new crusade.

                                                  Duke Hugh, III of  Burgundy

 Born in 1152 he was the oldest son of Odo II and Maria of Champagne.He married Alice of Lorraine first in 1165 and then married Beatrice of  Albon in 1183.He took place in some fighting in France before the Third Crusade and was a belligerent man.



                                 Those of  England, and parts of France under English rule


                                                          King Richard I of  England

 Born September 8,1157 probably at Beaumont Palace,he was the Third legitimate child to King Henry II of England and was not expected to get the throne.He had nine siblings.He was wet nursed by a women known as Hodierna.He was considered handsome.His hair was said to be between red and blond.He rebelled against hi father for the throne of England since the age of sixteen.His two older brothers died before him and so that meant that he was the inheritance to the throne.His father,King Henry II, had been a man of great humor,but also had a violent temper.It is highly suspected that Richard's mother,Queen Eleanor of  Aquitaine, led her sons in the rebellion against their father.Richard allied with King Philip of France against Henry of England's forces and defeated them in the battle of Ballans on July 4,1189.Two days later,
Henry died and Richard was crowned King of England,Duke of Normandy,and Count of Anjou that year.
He would soon challenge Saladin in the Third Crusade, being perhaps Christendom's finest warrior.



                                                            Grand Master  Robert de Sable

We have no exact date of his birth, but we do know that he probably died at a very old age.Before the third crusade, his wife and son had already died, and his youngest daughter had already been married.He had served under ''Henry the young King'' in a revolt against King Henry II of England.




                                                            Sir Peter de Preaux




                                                   His birth was around 1165. He was a Norman knight and his father's name was Osbert de Preaux, and his mother's name was Maud de Warenne..During his life time,Peter served under the kings Henry II, Richard I, and John of England.He had four brothers, John, William, Roger, Eudo,  
Both Peter and William accompanied King Richard in the Third Crusade.Peter and William were considered in the tournament circle of  the day as great warriors. Peter was the royal standard bearer of England during the time.


                                          Count  Henry II of Champagne-1170

Also known as Henry I of Jerusalem, he was born July 29, 1166.He was count of  Champagne from 1181-1197.His father was Henry I of Champagne and his mother was Maria of France, who was the daughter of    King Louis VII of France and Eleanor of  Aquitaine.He also had a aunt, whose name was Adela of Champagne and was the queen of France.He was the nephew of both King Richard I of England and King Philip II Augustus of France.
 In 1171, he was betrothed to Isabella of Hainault, but she married King Philip II of  France.Henry's father died in 1181.In 1190 he set out on the third crusade even before Richard of England or Philip II of  France.  
                                                 

                                                 Sir William des Roches

William des roches was born around 1165. He married Marguerite de Sable, the daughter of Grand Master Robert de Sable. He was a companion to Peter de Preaux during the third crusade.

                                          Grand Master Garnier de Nablus

Grand Master Garnier de Nablus- in his eighties during the third crusade, he was brilliant strategist of his time. He saved the crusader army from the death at the battle of Arsuf.


                                                   Archbishop Hubert Walter-1160
 A trusted adviser of King Richard, he was a good political leader, in the fact that he eventually persuaded the saracens to peace.

                            Chaplain William of Poitiers
 Later serving as pries at Jaffa, he was the priest during crusading that King Richard confessed to.





     
The Size and Tactic of the Crusader Army- the crusaders of the third crusade came mostly from the
holy Roman Empire, France, and England. English and French forces according to Richard de Templo seem to be at 100,000 by the battle of Arsuf, though it could have been more than this from the start.   Richard I may have led about two hundred ships on the venture, but the majority of his forces probably did not sail with him, but separated in different groups. His army was made of knights and crossbowmen and footsoldiers. His army brought three siege engines with them, though most siege engines were from King Phillip of France, who led the smaller army of the two. Fredrick Barbarossa's army has varied in size according to historians. But most reliably, was probably at least 100,000 men. This is very  possible since Barbarossa was a mighty leader of a vast empire, whom had in the past often quarreled with the pope. If the crusaders could bring the saracens into the field for open combat, they could easily win. This was a common medieval tactic to win the opponent in the open field.