KEY BATTLES

The conflicts that shaped Saladin’s rise

BATTLE OF MARJ AYYUN

(10 June 1179)

During a period of drought, Saladin offered a truce and end to raids in return for the Crusaders abandoning nearby strongholds. The offer was refused and raids continued, including crop burning. The Crusaders sent out a force to the Litani River and attacked Saladin’s advance guard thinking it was his main force. Saladin arrived quickly with the rest of his army to devastate the Christian forces.

BATTLE OF HATTIN

(3–4 July 1187)

20,000 Crusaders went to the aid of Tiberias only to be worn out by hot and dry conditions. Saladin met this depleted force with his 30,000 men at Hattin and decimated them. While he allowed the lords to leave, including new king of Jerusalem Guy de Lusignan, captured templars and hospitallers were killed, and he personally executed Reynald de Châtillon.

BATTLE OF AL-FULE

(30 September – 6 October 1183) With raids continuing and having achieved greater control of Syria, the Crusaders looked to confront Saladin to bring his incursions to an end. Guy de Lusignan looked to engage in closequarters fighting to stifle Saladin’s army, which ended in a stalemate between the two armies.

BATTLE OF MONTGISARD

(25 November 1177)

Looking to take advantage of uncertainty in Jerusalem, Saladin marched 27,000 men from

Egypt. However, his army became dispersed thanks to raids on their journey. The Crusaders, led by Baldwin IV and Reynald de Chatillon intercepted Saladin at Montgisard, catching him off guard and his army out of formation. Tired from their march and looting, Saladin’s forces were routed.

BATTLE OF THE HORNS OF HAMA

(13 April 1175)

An opening battle in

Saladin’s campaign to control Syria, he was up against the combined armies of Aleppo and Mosul. While having a smaller force, he held the strong defensive position atop the hills of Hama and held on for as long as possible. His reinforcements from Egypt turned the tide as they trapped the enemy and defeated them.

SIEGE OF JACOB’S FORD

(23–30 August 1179)

With a fortress at Jacob’s Ford just a day’s march from Damascus and a possible staging ground for Crusader incursions into Egypt, Saladin set about destroying it in a siege. With Baldwin IV’S forces close, the siege needed to be swift and ruthless. Siege mines around the walls were used to collapse them and the Crusader forces inside were mercilessly slaughtered.

SIEGE OF KERAK

(November –

4 December 1183)

As the castle from which Reynald de Chatillon struck out at Muslim caravans on their way to Mecca,

Kerak was a regular target for attack by Saladin. On this occasion Baldwin IV personally led his army to relieve the siege, even though he was now confined to a stretcher. Seeing he was pincered between this new force and the walls of Kerak, Saladin ended the siege.