Battle of Hattin: Crusader Forces Destroyed by Saladin

The Battle of Hattin occurred on July 4, 1187, near Lake Tiberias at a location called the Horns of Hattin. It was a resounding victory for Saladin over the forces of King Guy de Lusignan of Jerusalem and his erratic ally Raynald of Châtillon. While the King of Jerusalem and his knights managed to escape through surrender, both the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem were either killed in the conflict or shortly thereafter. Saladin’s success in rallying Muslims under the banner of jihad marked the culmination of his effort to reconquer Jerusalem. The Holy City fell like ripe fruit on October 2, 1187, after the Crusade army was defeated at Hattin.

Context of the Battle of Hattin

The Latin Kingdom had been in a state of utter decay since the passing of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, sometimes known as the leper, in 1185. Following the premature death of young Baldwin V, Guy of Lusignan and his wife Sibylle’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering enabled the former to seize the crown of Jerusalem.

The new guardian of the Holy Sepulchre made the decision to reopen hostilities with Saladin, who had agreed to a two-year cease-fire with the leper king and the regent, with the assistance of Raynald of Châtillon and against the regent Raymond, Count of Tripoli. Baron Raynald of Châtillon broke the cease-fire by assaulting a caravan that had left Cairo at the end of 1186, remaining true to the practices that earned him the nickname ‘the elephant.’ Saladin chose to march on the Latin realm because it had become too much.

On his side, the Ayyûbide indeed had free rein. After years of fighting the descendants of Nûr al-Dîn, he managed to unify the Muslims. He now controlled Aleppo, Damascus, and Cairo, where he had overthrown the Fatimids over a decade ago. Saladin’s propaganda, which emphasized the fight to retake Jerusalem, served as his foundation for legitimacy.

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He toiled for years to overcome Baldwin IV’s and the military orders, including the Templars,’ defenses of the Latin realm. Under pressure from Frankish might and internal conflicts in his camp, he learned the value of patience. He held the leper king in reverence, so his passing and Raynald of Châtillon’s provocations came at the right moment.

Saladin Against the Templars

Saladin departed from Damascus with an army of 15,000–20,000 troops in March 1187. He caused widespread destruction in the area, prompting the Crusaders to eventually defend against his actions. Years of raids by the sultan throughout the kingdom and internal conflicts had weakened the power of the realm.

However, the Templars under Gerard of Ridefort could always be relied upon in crucial moments. He led an assault with just two hundred knights against a Muslim cavalry consisting of seven thousand riders. Describing the Battle of Cresson (May 1, 1187) as a massacre would be an understatement.

Raymond of Tripoli, a key figure, found himself in a dire predicament. The count was torn between his obligations to the King of Jerusalem as a Frankish prince and his agreements with Saladin. After the Battle of Cresson, which took place on his land, the Count of Tripoli was compelled to officially align with the Latin side, regardless of his attempts to delay the inevitable. He had no intention of allowing Guy of Lusignan, Raynald of Châtillon, or Gerard of Ridefort to achieve anything.

Forces in the Battle

The final battle was scheduled to take place in the early days of July 1187. The location of the battle and, more importantly, the leader who would take charge remained uncertain. Around 600 Frankish knights were mustered from the military orders, with those lost at Cresson not included. Apart from these two units, the Jerusalem army comprised approximately 15,000 fighters. Present were King Guy of Lusignan, the Count of Tripoli, Raynald of Châtillon, the Master of the Templars, Gerard of Ridefort, and William of Montferrat, along with other nobles and Frankish knights of high standing.

In contrast, Saladin was evidently in a superior position. He commanded over twenty thousand troops, with half of them being mounted cavalry, including the renowned mounted archers who posed a significant challenge to the stout Frankish horsemen. The sultan not only held a substantial numerical advantage but also capitalized on his knowledge of the terrain and swift decision-making.

The Battle of Hattin

On July 2, Saladin launched an assault on Tiberias with the aim of luring the Latins into a trap. The city and the wife of the Count of Tripoli were under siege. However, the latter appeared to have attempted to dissuade King Guy of Lusignan from launching a counterattack to reclaim the city and rescue his bride. He was aware of the risks involved with Saladin’s forces, and it remained unclear whether he was certain that his wife was still within the besieged city.

The Crusader army did not set out for Tiberias on the evening of July 2. It was then that Gerard of Ridefort once again entered the scene. Motivated by a genuine animosity toward Islam, the Master of the Templars may have convinced Guy of Lusignan to break camp and lead the entire army to confront the Saladin threat head-on.

The subsequent day, the knights and troops of Jerusalem received orders to head towards Tiberias, which surprised and alarmed them. The crusader force had ventured far from their supply lines, and the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Proceeding with this plan was laden with risks. Despite Raymond of Tripoli’s best efforts – as a loyal vassal who had to join the army – the opinions of Guy and Gerard of Ridefort remained unchanged.

Saladin, on the other hand, closely monitored the movements of the Frankish army and promptly dispatched his light cavalry to harass them. The Latins aimed to reach the city and the nearby lake to resupply. However, to achieve this, they had to traverse a rugged plateau that lay between two of the renowned Horns of Hattin hills. Under the scorching heat and the onslaught of Muslim archers’ arrows, the Kingdom of Jerusalem’s army disintegrated. They soon had to confront Saladin’s well-equipped and formidable 20,000 soldiers.

The culmination of the ordeal was encountered at the conclusion of the Horns of Hattin. Through a combination of fire and strategic maneuvering, Saladin incapacitated and overwhelmed the crusaders. They found themselves bombarded by a barrage of arrows and were incapacitated. While a few, like Raymond of Tripoli, managed to escape towards Tyre, many perished on the blazing plateau or were captured in Tiberias. The Battle of Hattin had concluded.

The Frankish Army Destroyed at Hattin

The following day, Jerusalem’s King Herod and his entourage embarked on a journey to meet Saladin. In retaliation for Raynald of Châtillon’s numerous transgressions against Islam, Saladin personally ordered his beheading. During the battle, Gerard of Ridefort was seemingly killed, prompting the Sultan to issue orders for the execution of any surviving Templars. Likewise, the Turcopoles (the sons of Turks), deemed traitors to Islam, were beheaded. Due to his aristocratic lineage, Saladin spared Guy of Lusignan; however, he was still captured along with other Frankish lords, from whom Saladin planned to demand a ransom. The remaining populace was compelled into slavery.

The majority of the Frankish army was decimated on July 4, 1187, in the Battle of Hattin. Only a few garrisons remained in the fortresses and major cities. This proved insufficient to halt Saladin’s advance, as he, over the subsequent weeks, captured every Latin stronghold.

The only remaining major cities were Jerusalem and Tyre. Tyre fell on October 2, 1187, as a result of Saladin’s jihad, despite the valiant efforts of a small band of knights led by Balian of Ibelin. With Saladin having achieved his goal as a Muslim monarch and gaining more power than the Caliph of Baghdad, he had every reason to celebrate his accomplishments.