5 AUGUST 1192
01 Crusader soldier sounds alert
A Genoan soldier alerts the crusader camp at first light that Saladin’s army is about to attack. Richard deploys his foot soldiers and dismounted knights in a hedgehog formation, with spearmen in the front rank and crossbowmen in the second rank.
02 Horse-archers loose showers of arrows
The Muslim horse-archers in the front ranks of Saladin’s army advance towards the crusaders and shower them from three sides with flights of arrows in an attempt to thin their ranks, but the foot soldiers use their kite-shaped shields to protect them from the light arrows.
03 Crusader spearmen hold their ground
The Muslim horse-archers make repeated headlong charges against the crusader lines. When the spearmen in the front rank of the crusader army hold their ground and do not flinch, the horse-archers turn aside and ride across the front of the enemy lines, loosing arrows at close range.
04 Richard thwarts Muslim flank attack
Richard observes some of Saladin’s soldiers on foot attempting to infiltrate the town from the north in a flanking move. He rushes with a force to the shoreline, where he and his men drive them off.
05 Crusader spearmen stab horse-archers
The crusader crossbowmen inflict significant casualties on the horse-archers as they ride along the Christian lines. Richard eventually orders his spearmen to lunge forward and attack the horse-archers that pass by them.
06 Muslim emirs lose heart
As their losses mount, the Muslim emirs become convinced that they cannot break the crusader formation – hence, they slow the pace of their attacks.
07 Richard leads a mounted charge
Richard leads a mounted counterattack accompanied by his ten most valiant lords and senior knights into the centre of the Muslim host. They drive a deep wedge into the enemy formation and slay a large number of lightly armoured horsemen.
08 Saladin withdraws
Having gained no headway against Richard’s well-led army, Saladin breaks contact and leads his army west to its camp.