The Third Crusade - full documentary

1187 proved to be one of the most critical years in the history of the crusades in july saladin ruler of egypt and syria defeated the army of the crusader kingdom of jerusalem at the battle of hatin zelda next conquered jerusalem itself as well as virtually all the other cities and castles in the christian kingdom back in europe this sent shock waves throughout latin christendom in response pope gregory viii issued audita tremendi an eloquent document calling on christendom to take up arms to recover the kingdom of jerusalem the third crusade had begun [Music] knights of the cross is an upcoming historical drama tv show about the crusades created by christianchannel.com and real crusades history at last richard the lionheart saladin and all the adventure of the crusades in a tv series that's faithful to the history check out the link in the description below to watch the official trailer and learn about how you can help make the knights of the cross tv series a reality join us at christianchannel.com knights of the cross [Music] pope gregory's call resonated throughout christian europe for decades the rulers of latin christendom had largely ignored calls for help from their crusading brethren in the east now with jerusalem fallen the latin world swung into action pope gregory called for a seven year truce throughout christendom so that the rulers could focus on recovering the holy land he also called on all christians to do penance for their sins for he insisted that only through sin had jerusalem been lost [Music] the pope knew that france was vital to the success of any crusade and so he had once set to work on securing peace between the king of france philip ii and henry ii king of england and ruler of the vast angevin empire which included normandy anju and other portions of modern france in january 1188 henry and philip met at their traditional conference site on the borders of normandy here the bishop of tyre preached powerfully to the two monarchs about the need for a new crusade the bishop's words deeply moved the crowd and suddenly the ancient feuding of the two kings seemed meaningless compared to the plight of the holy land philip and henry agreed to a peace on the 21st both rulers took the cross that is vowed to lead their armies in crusade however henry's son the courageous richard the lionheart had already vowed to join the crusade back in november at tour within hours of receiving news of the fall of jerusalem henry later chided his son for taking the cross without his permission but richard's example inspired thousands of others throughout france and england men were taking the cross the first major power to depart for the east was the holy roman empire led by frederick barbarossa the imperial army set out for the east in april 1189 barbarossa's crusade is one of the most pivotal episodes in the larger third crusade although he is nearly 70 years old frederick still is an energetic ruler his long and successful reign has gained him great power across germany and he is now eager to crown his career with a campaign to recapture the holy land however frederick is no naive crusader as a young man he fought under conrad iii of germany who led an army to the east during the second crusade frederick well remembers the problems experienced by conrad's army above all frederick recalls the dangerous journey across asia minor where the seljuk turks had brutally defeated conrad's knights in 1147. frederick is eager to avoid conrad's mistakes and intends to meticulously organize his army for the long campaign he dispatches envoys to secure safe passage in the lands through which his army must pass on its journey frederick exchanges envoys with the byzantine empire envoys from the byzantine emperor isaac angelus assure frederick of the german army will be permitted to safely move through byzantine territory however in truth isaac views frederick as an enemy recently frederick had forged an alliance with the normans of sicily an avowed enemy of byzantium furthermore isaac is terrified by the notion of a large german army moving through his territory where it could do immense damage ultimately isaac believes frederick's crusade is a fraud and that the german ruler intends nothing less than the conquest of constantinople itself although he's confirmed a peace with frederick isaac contacts the target of the crusade saladin and the two confirm a treaty isaac promises saladin that he will do all that he can to inhibit the german army as it crosses the byzantine empire in addition frederick exchanges envoys with another major power that controls part of his route the seljuk turks who rule much of eastern anatolia the seljuk sultan also agrees to friendship with frederick promising that the german crusaders will be able to pass peacefully through seljuk territory having taken care of diplomatic matters frederick barbarossa departs from regensburg on may 11 1189 at the head of the largest crusader army ever to set out for the east marching with him is his son frederick the duke of swabia and most of the important german nobility it's a momentous event the crowning achievement of a long and triumphant reign as the great crusader host passes through the towns of germany the citizens cheer many feel certain that such a tremendous force led by so wise an emperor will succeed in retaking the holy land frederick's march proves to be a model of discipline historian christopher tyermann states in sharp contrast to louis vii's ordinances for his crusade army in 1147 fredericks were enforced loudish behavior led to the loss of hands theft to execution such harsh discipline was coupled with a constant emphasis on the pious nature of the operation the general effect on morale and military effectiveness stood in marked contrast to the shambles into which conrad iii's army had descended in asia minor in the autumn of 1147. frederick and his army pass through hungary where king bella iii and his wife queen margaret a daughter of king louis vii of france welcomed them the hungarians provide lodging supplies and markets for the crusaders after a comfortable stay in hungary the germans enter into byzantine territory on july 2nd almost immediately they are harassed by armed bans at nish frederick encounters serbian rebels who ask the germans to join them in an uprising against the byzantines frederick refuses stating that his mission is to liberate the holy land not to fight with other christians however as the march continues ambushes from local forces intensify increasingly the journey resembles a fighting march the germans capture some of their attackers who before being hanged claim that they are acting on the instructions of the byzantine emperor when they reach sofia on august 13 the crusaders find that isaac's promised markets have been withdrawn after fighting their way through the mountains the crusaders reached philippopolous which has been abandoned by its byzantine defenders its fortifications dismantled on isaac's orders more than a decade before 1204 the byzantines are already displaying remarkable confusion and impotence under isaac's rule as the crusaders enter the abandoned filipolis frederick learns that his envoys at the byzantine court have been thrown into prison he also receives tactless communications from isaac demanding hostages to guarantee good behavior from the germans and a share of future conquests isaac's refusal to afford frederick his proper title in this correspondence is the icing on the cake the holy roman emperor is in no mood to negotiate especially since it's becoming increasingly clear that he has the military advantage he responds angrily to isaac's message demanding that his envoys be released and that the byzantines provide peaceful passage to the crusader army isaac releases the envoys but shows fickleness in making any agreement of peaceful relations meanwhile frederick's troops occupy philippopolous and the surrounding territory securing food and markets through their own prowess frederick settles on a strategy to force the byzantines to cooperate isaac angelus is an understandably nervous ruler he came to power in a particularly bloody coup and he himself remains fearful of insurrection he worries that the very presence of the german army may spark rebellion among already restive regions despite isaac's paranoia historians today find little evidence to justify the idea that barbarossa had prior designs on the byzantine empire christopher tyermann states frederick kept his eyes fixed firmly on the goal of the holy land and jerusalem he saw himself as a knight of christ bound to avenge the events of 1187 not an indiscriminate hammer of islam or anybody else indeed it's isaac's own hostility toward frederick that ultimately provokes german conquest of byzantine territory frederick next captures adrianopol which he establishes as a headquarters he occupies thrace and makes contact with rebels and the balkans at this point frederick appears to be seriously contemplating an attack on constantinople byzantine forces seem powerless to oppose frederick's garrisons and foragers increasingly panicked isaac again asks frederick to negotiate only to again abruptly end negotiations on christmas eve just when a deal seems imminent isaac's military feebleness and diplomatic schizophrenia caused his policy to implode the byzantine chronicler nikitas kanyadus disdainfully records isaac's incompetence left with no choice isaac capitulates in the end frederick proves remarkably lenient on february 14 1190 he confirms an agreement with isaac that guarantees the germans safe passage through the remainder of the empire ships to carry them across the helispont at gallipoli and access to markets at reasonable rates in return frederick promises to avoid constantinople and withdraw from byzantine territory for all his bravado isaac angelus has shown himself an impotent weak ruler whose own paranoia brought on the very disaster he'd initially feared byzantine chronicler nikitas cognatis judges the whole affair as isaac himself bringing ruin upon his own empire [Music] the german army next to parts byzantine territory and yet their greatest challenge awaits them in the lands of the seljuk turks [Music] april 25 1190 the german crusaders at last enter into territory under the control of the seljuk turkish sultan of rome hilly arslan ii previous agreements with the sultan had produced promises of friendship safe passage and markets for the crusaders in seljuk territory however as in the byzantine empire prior negotiated agreements proved worthless unbeknownst to the crusaders killy arslan's son got up aldine the son-in-law of saladin has effectively usurped his father and is now preparing his forces to oppose the germans on may 7 near philamelium the crusaders encounter a turkish ambush the emperor's son frederick of swabia leads a counter-attack that decisively repulses the turks who suffer heavy casualties the crusaders press on through the rugged terrain beating back turkemon raids and increasingly suffering from hunger despite these difficulties the german forces struggle on and maintain incredible discipline they fight their way to the city of iconium the capital of the seljuk turks although some of the leading men in the army want to press on barbarossa insists that they take the city rather than leave it as an enemy stronghold at their rear on may 18 outside iconium the crusaders come up against kotov aldine's main army what follows is a pitched battle and the most formidable challenge yet faced by frederick's crusade the emperor divides his army in two with his son duke frederick attacking the city while the old emperor himself faces off against the turkish army although the turks outnumber the christians the german knights deliver a cavalry charge that shatters cut up aldine's divisions the turks are beaten and suffer casualties numbering in the thousands iconium falls to the christian army and the germans pillage it at their leisure it's a moment of incredible triumph the turks are utterly defeated and iconium yields immense booty to the crusaders broken and humiliated kattab aldine is removed from power and his father again resumes rule of the sultanate kili arslan ii resumes his compliant policy toward frederick who agrees to a peace if his army is provided with turkish hostages and supplies the sultan submits to these terms triumphant the german crusaders march unopposed through seljuk territory frederick barbarossa and his army have just achieved something remarkable they have completed the longest and most dangerous portions of the treacherous crossing through asia minor despite opposition from the two greatest powers in the region the byzantine empire and the seljuk turks frederick's knights have crushed the sultan's men in battle and sacked the turkish capital the german crusaders far from home have utterly dominated two formidable enemies this is no small achievement the second crusade and the crusade of 1101 were both badly defeated by the turks of asia minor not since bowman and the first crusade as a major crusader army from overseas so triumphed over the turks of asia minor frederick has done it but barbarossa's crusade is rarely remembered for this remarkable military operation which is a model of discipline and ranks as one of the outstanding feats of the medieval era how many armies so far from home could overcome two powerful enemies in succession on their home turf instead it's subsequent and rather random events that have come to define frederick's crusade in the popular imagination some weeks later the german crusaders march into the friendly territory of christian armenia there on june 10 as the army is crossing the river salah some unknown event takes place that ends the life of the great holy roman emperor what exactly happens how exactly does the emperor die the sources disagree so we aren't certain some accounts say that the army is crossing the river and the emperor's horse trips and frederick falls in other accounts state that some unknown accident takes place causing the emperor to fall other sources relate that the army has already laid camp and the emperor goes down to bathe but then is injured in some accident or episode some accounts say that after the emperor is pulled from the water by his men he lies ill in bed for 10 days before finally dying historians today still puzzle over the mystery and it seems likely that the elderly emperor could have suffered from a heart attack or a stroke it's not surprising that a man of his age might be suffering from some latent medical condition that could manifest itself in sudden death regardless of what happens frederick dies his followers are devastated but contrary to popular belief this tragedy does not lead to the disillusion of the crusade the german army fresh from its victories in anatolia is fully intact they mourn their emperor but they continue on under the capable leadership of barbarossa's son frederick of swabia who's shown incredible skill during the operations against the byzantines and the turks the crusaders continue on to antioch it is here that the german crusade finally breaks down defeated not by byzantines or turks but by disease an epidemic breaks out in antioch which takes the lives of many members of the german army at this point some of the survivors return home while some continue on to the holy land under the duke of swabia by october 1190 frederick of swabia arrives at the siege of acre with some 700 nights from acre frederick writes to his brother the new holy roman emperor henry vi asking him to request papal recognition for the german hospital at the siege camp of acre interestingly it's this german hospital that gives birth to the teutonic knights a german crusading order that will have a major role to play in the northern crusades frederick of swabia himself dies of illness at acre in early 1191 a much reduced german coalition continues to serve at acre under the command of duke leopold of austria however at this point the german army has been so reduced in numbers by disease that it no longer plays a major role in the crusade rather it's primarily the forces of richard the lionheart and philip ii of france that will wage the war against saladin frederick's death is untimely and tragic but we should not forget the remarkable victories of his campaign the german army demonstrated incredible competence and skill over the course of the gruelling war in asia minor historian g a loud writes while clearly suffering severely as it marched through asia minor frederick's army was far from being defeated there indeed in capturing iconium and securing the submission of kylie arslan the emperor gained a significant military victory and finally it is not the emperor's own death that spells doom for the german contingent without the epidemic at antioch the german army could have continued intact under the emperor's son a proven commander who had the loyalty of the german forces [Music] perhaps the best testament on frederick's behalf comes from one of his enemies the byzantine chronicler nikitas kanyadas who despised his own emperor and yet had this to say about frederick he was a man who deserved to enjoy a blessed and perpetual memory his burning passion for christ was greater than that of any christian monarch of his time following the example of the apostle paul he did not count his life dear to him but pressed forward even to die for the name of christ as it turned out henry ii of england wouldn't live to crusade in july 1189 he fell ill and died his son richard took the throne and it once launched into preparations for an expedition to palestine [Music] meanwhile in the east gee of lusegnan the titular king of jerusalem was a prisoner to sultan saladin it was gui who had lost the battle of hatin and thus brought on the total collapse of the crusader position in palestine but in june of 1188 saladin agreed to grant the disgraced king his freedom so long as ghee took an oath never again to take up arms against the sultan once he'd regained his freedom gee received absolution from his oath with a small force under his command ge marched to tyre the last city still held by the christians in palestine gee expected to be welcomed as king into tyre but he was sorely disappointed tyre was held by conrad of montforon a gifted commander from the west who had saved the city from saladin tyre was filled with christian refugees who looked to conrad to lead and protect them conrad refused to admit gi or even recognize him as king from conrad's perspective ghi's kingship was nullified by his failure at hatin for months gee now a king without a kingdom had to make camp outside of tyre [Music] during this period crusaders began to show up from europe eager to join the fight against saladin in august a peasant fleet arrived before tyre ready to follow ghee's lead now in command of a moderately sized army yi decided to act marching south he laid siege to acre the most important port in palestine and one of salidan's key bases on august 28 gee established his army on the low hill of tyrone a mile and a half east of acre although gee's force was small this position allowed him to press the city quite closely and to maintain a view of the surrounding territory meanwhile the peasant fleet established a beachhead and attempted to blockade the harbor to counter this bold move by the christians saladin arrived with his vast army and established control of the countryside the sultan spread his troops throughout the hills setting up base on tel kaisan some five miles southeast of acre his forces extended all the way to the hill of tail ayadia to the right and to the river amman to the left salidan had put the besiegers to siege however the very daring of ghi's attack made it effective new crusaders arriving from the west rallied to gee now cast as the hero taking the fight to saladin to recapture a key christian city gradually gee's army grew and became more and more of a threat to acre later one christian chronicler would write this was the beginning of the deliverance of christendom however gee was far from capturing the prized port of acre saladin had greatly strengthened the city's walls and the garrison was strong and well supplied salidan's own army was so large that the christians had to devote much time and energy to fortifying and guarding their own camp nevertheless the crusader army continued to grow james of avena a prominent flemish nobleman arrived with his knights in september as did a considerable frisian and danish fleet that same month conrad of montforod was also obliged to join the besiegers the growing strength of the christian forces prompted the crusades leaders to plan a general assault for october 4th the muslim chronicler ibn al-afir describes this event saying that the christians emerged in a broad and unified formation gee himself led the attack with four clerics marching ahead of him bearing the gospels the battle that followed was long and bloody the knights templar led by their grand master gerard of riddeford charged taki aldine's contingent on the muslim right causing them to retreat this prompted salidan to reinforce his right with troops from the center which consequently weakened the sultan's center formation the christians in the center now delivered a charge which broke the reduced muslim center at this point crusader infantry and cavalry managed to penetrate the muslim camp at tel ayatiya however the christian forces now became overextended the muslim garrison of aker launched a sortie which placed serious pressure on the christian camp coordination among the various christian contingents broke down with some attempting to press the attack while others fell back in an attempt to repel the muslim sortie coming from acre salden now masterfully reorganized his faltering center and in conjunction with his left and right launched a counter-attack that drove the christians back toward their camp the templars pressing the fight to the end endured some of the heaviest casualties among them their grand master gerard of rideford who went down trying to protect the christian rear guard as it retreated back into camp thus the crusaders endured a serious defeat at the start of the siege of aker but despite saldan's victory the strategic situation wasn't much changed the christians though pressed on both sides still held on strong in their camp and their army survived to continue the siege saladin meanwhile was still in a good position to harass the procedures though he still was unable to dislodge them the battle for acre would slog on and would be the main focus of the third crusade for some time yet in 1189 while a motley crusader army struggled to besiege acre in the holy land richard the lionheart son of king henry ii of england prepared to set out on crusade a learned articulate man gifted in music and in poetry richard was also a top-notch warrior and commander when he took the throne of england at age 32 he was at the height of his prowess having proven himself an effective conqueror since his teens tall with red gold hair and fierce blue eyes richard led from the front riding alongside his men into the heart of danger his soldiers were intensely loyal to him the lionheart was a force to be reckoned with once crowned richard threw himself into preparing his crusade he was a fervent christian and felt obligated as a king to rescue the holy places in the east he was also committed to the poetic ideals of his age which prized crusading as the paramount expression of valor in addition to the funds amassed from the salad and tithe richard committed his personal wealth to the crusade he sold many of his properties to fund his war chest by this richard raised an immense fleet and army his efficiency and effectiveness demonstrated strong administrative skills indeed richard's abilities as an organizer and planner far more than his personal valor were at the heart of his success this was a ruler as equally at home at the head of his army as he was tending to the tedious labors of administration meanwhile the king of france philip ii was nothing like richard at 25 philip was slight and sickly blind in one eye and intensely jealous of richard who was in theory his vassal despite these shortcomings philip was a calculating and shrewd man unscrupulous in seeking his interests and obsessively committed to the victory of his capacion line over the plantagenets unlike richard philip felt no higher calling to the crusade but was pressured into joining the expedition as a result of the mood throughout europe his organization was half-hearted and the force he produced poorly funded in addition philip did not command the loyalty that richard did and his control over his vassals was always tenuous [Music] richard and philip departed in july 1190 traveling by sea with their forces to the east both kings stopped in sicily and route to the holy land here tensions flared up between richard and tangrid the island's ruler tancred had recently seized the throne after the death of king william ii of sicily who had been husband to king richard's sister joanna currently tancred held joanna prisoner richard demanded that she be released along with the full sum of her dowry at first tankred resisted but richard quickly overwhelmed tanqrit's forces and joanna was rescued from then on joanna would be one of richard's companions during the crusade unlike his other siblings richard was close to joanna and the two seem to have had similar personalities sharing a love of music poetry and horses the lionheart added the wealth of his sister's dowry to his well-funded war chest at the end of march 1191 philip sailed on to the holy land but richard remained to meet his mother eleanor who arrived in sicily with the daughter of the king of navarre baranguela this spanish princess was to be the lionheart's bride and richard greeted her with much fanfare richard himself sailed with his fleet for the holy land on april 10. however richard's passage was hindered by a major storm several ships were blown off course and wrecked on the coast of the island of cyprus cyprus famed for its vineyards and cedars had long been a possession of the byzantine empire but five years prior isaac dukas kamenes a rogue member of the imperial family had arrived and taken control of the island declaring himself to be the legitimate emperor of byzantium to maintain his rule and defiance of the emperor in constantinople isaac struck an alliance with saladin when he learned of the misfortune of some of the lionheart ships isaac had once dispatched men to loot the wreckage and capture the survivors however one ship in particular interested isaac the royal ship carrying richard's sister and his bride-to-be this vessel had not been wrecked but had been blown off course like some of the others and on april 24 dropped anchor off the southern coast of cyprus near limassol isaac knew that if he could acquire the king's sister and his fiancee he would have a powerful tool by which to control the lionheart at once he dispatched messengers to the anchored ship asking the ladies to disembark and come ashore as his honored guests joanna and baranguela weren't fooled and flatly refused [Music] on may 5th richard arrived relieved to find berenguela and joanna safe however when he learned that isaac had imprisoned some of his men he was furious he had once dispatched a messenger to the so-called emperor demanding the release of his men and the restoration of the plunder isaac refused he bolstered the defenses of limassol assembled his army and prepared for war richard now launched an invasion of cyprus which is remembered as one of the most remarkable operations of the middle ages isaac stripped lima soul of everything that could be moved doors furniture benches chests stone anything that could be used to fortify the beach isaac then arranged his army in a defensive position behind these makeshift defenses richard and his men were undeterred rowing ashore in small boats the lionheart and his forces left onto the beach isaac's archers loosed a volley of arrows while richard personally led the charge at the enemy troops faced with the lionheart's fury isaac's men broke and fled richard entered le masol where his men found an abundance of wine meat and grain isaac retreated pitching camp about five miles from the city he declared his intention to give battle the next day and then settled in for a night's sleep meanwhile richard unloaded his horses and had them exercised by moonlight while his scouts surveyed isaac's position on waking the next morning isaac found his camp totally surrounded richard launched the attack and isaac's forces were crushed with isaac himself barely escaping still dressed in his night clothes richard seized his enemy's standard treasure and horses this victory prompted many local aristocrats to offer their submission to the lion heart on may 11 his support dwindling isaac sued for peace that same day richard received a visit from two prominent commanders of the siege of acre jeffrey and gee of lusegnan as duke of aquitaine richard was obligated to the lucinons who were his vassals thus richard offered his support when the brothers requested his endorsement of ghi's claim to jerusalem's crown the lucions remained with richard's party for an important event the following day on may 12 in lima sol's chapel of st george richard married the princess baranguela the crusaders cheered their valiant young king and his lovely spanish bride who at this stage in their marriage appeared to be quite blissful the norman bishop john of evro crowned baranguela queen of england it was a fitting moment to crown the triumph of the capture of limassol soon after isaac presented himself before richard to confirm the peace but richard knew through his spies that this was a ruse the would-be emperor was only stalling for time and weighing the lionheart's plans after lunch isaac snuck out of camp richard only smiled when he received the news he now had his excuse to complete the conquest of cyprus richard gave part of his army to give lu senon and ordered him to pursue isaac the king divided the rest of his forces into two naval squadrons which circled the island seizing coastal fortresses and enemy ships having completed this circuit richard returned with his troops to lima seoul here he rendezvoused with gui who hadn't captured isaac but had secured the loyalty of more of the island's landowners isaac now retreated with the remainder of his troops to the northern castles high in the mountains buffalo cantara and saint hilarian here isaac hoped to wait richard out eventually reasoned isaac the lionheart must continue on to the holy land and when he did isaac could sweep back down from the mountains and regain control of all of cyprus it was a far-fetched planet best however when news reached isaac that richard had taken the coastal castle of carinia along with isaac's own daughter the pseudo emperor lost all will to resist he surrendered completely requesting only that he not be imprisoned in iron shackles richard accepted these terms and had special silver shackles made for his defeated opponent isaac's daughter was placed in the custody of queen berenguella and the lady joanna by june 1st the whole of cyprus belonged to richard the lionheart richard's conquest of cyprus is sometimes viewed as a distracting prelude to the main action but in fact it was one of the most important achievements of the third crusade cyprus was a wealthy island and strategically positioned just off the coast of syria-palestine possession of this island provided a valuable source of provisions as well as the perfect staging ground for future crusades in the immediate aftermath of his victory richard used cyprus to provide food supplies and horses to the crusaders besieging acre cypress would serve a similar function for the remaining history of the crusades and would be a possession of latin christendom for the next four centuries the cyprus campaign is also a remarkable example of richard's brilliance as a general the mountainous terrain made cyprus difficult to fully subdue but as john gillingham points out the operation was finally conceived and methodically carried out having secured a critical supply base for the crusade richard now set off to join his fellow christian warriors at the siege of acre by the time the fleet of richard the lionheart arrived at acre on june 8 1191 a crusader army had been battling saladin for control of the city for nearly two years the crusaders were positioned in their fortified camp before acres walls while saladin sat behind them with his enormous army besieging the procedures the situation had devolved into a virtual stalemate with the crusaders unable to overwhelm the city and saladin unable to dislodge the crusaders [Music] but in the summer of 1191 king richard plantagenet greatly improved the situation of the crusaders first he conquered the nearby island of cyprus from one of salden's allies cyprus now provided the crusaders before acre with an abundance of food and supplies then richard brought his own fleet to the siege of acre richard's first act was to destroy one of salidan's supply ships as it attempted to bring provisions to acres muslim garrison as he disembarked richard was greeted by king philip ii of france and the overjoyed crusader army finally after two years of struggle the crusaders felt confident that king richard and his army would bring them victory the celebration lasted into the night with the christians singing around bonfires meanwhile the muslims of salden's army and inside of acre looked with dread on the many ships and troops brought by the lion heart however both richard and king philip soon fell ill this dampened the spirits of the christians somewhat but as king richard improved he had himself carried out before the walls on a litter so that he might use his crossbow to launch arrows of the defenders even as he continued to recover catapults and trebuchets belonging to richard phillip the templars and the hospitalers continued to bombard acre meanwhile richard's fleet so fully blockaded the harbor that saladin could no longer send supplies to his men within the city the muslims within acre were starving and increasingly desperate on july 4 saladin made one final attempt to overwhelm the christian camp with his army but the christians held firm behind their ditches and salden's attack failed at this point the surrender of acre seemed all but inevitable on july 12 the besiegers and the besieged at last agreed to terms of surrender the garrison handed themselves over to the christians with the agreement that they would be freed in exchange for two hundred thousand dinars fifteen hundred christian prisoners and the relic of the true cross with king richard and king philip marching at their head the christians entered acre and raised their standards over the city the muslim garrison was placed in the city's dungeons to await their sultan's ransom the siege of acre was over the christians had regained one of the most important cities in palestine this was a huge reverse for saladin after several years of nearly unbroken victories once again acre was a christian city the crusaders immediately reconsecrated the churches and richard and philip began restoring the city's walls and towers they also turned to the prickly issue of the succession of the crown of the kingdom of jerusalem both claimants gui of lusegnan and conrad of monfarad formally submitted their arguments to the judgment of king richard and king philip after consulting with the templars hospitalers and the local barons the two kings reached a compromise gee would remain king until his death at which point conrad and isabella or their heirs would gain the crown both would share the royal revenues the decision didn't fully satisfy gui or conrad but it satisfied the crusaders who were eager to be done with this distraction and continue on with their efforts to defeat saladin but this concorde was endangered on july 29 when king philip announced that he would abandon the crusade and return to france future french chroniclers would criticize philip for abandoning his solemn duty as a christian ruler in truth philip had never wanted to crusade he was far more interested in getting back to the west where he could plot deceased territory belonging to richard philip was reluctant to deal with richard face to face but with the king of england far away on crusade philip had the chance to sew discord at home richard had no delusions about the ugly reality of phillips character and so the lionheart asked the king of france to swear solemnly on holy relics that he would not attack plantagenet lands but why expect philip to honor that oath when he was already breaking his crusader's vow when philip departed richard also sent back one of his chief military captains merkadir with instructions to guard against philip's attacks [Music] philip's departure was devastating for the french army most of which remained in the holy land richard provided funds to maintain them leadership of the crusade now fell solely on richard's shoulders a task for which he was certainly suited he dispatched invoice to saladin asking that the terms of surrender of acre be fulfilled saline responded that he certainly would but asked that he be allowed to deliver the payments and prisoners in installments richard agreed to this at once both sides agreed to a schedule of payments in which salden would deliver the ransom gradually while both sides would exchange their prisoners however as each deadline came and went a pattern began to emerge saladin refused to keep his end of the bargain at each assigned date salden offered excuses as to why he could not deliver a payment or release prisoners richard agreed to extend the deadlines but it became clear that the sultan was toying with the crusader king and trying to undermine his authority above all saline wanted to keep richard bogged down an acre endlessly negotiating over these prisoners while the christian army disintegrated even salden's own chroniclers admit this whereas richard famously was obsessed with the well-being of his own men on this occasion salin was perfectly content to gamble with the lives of his most valiant soldiers the men who had defended aker these men provided the sultan with a means of stalling his enemy and that mattered more to saladin than obtaining their freedom richard quickly recognized saladin's game he knew that the sultan was toying with him and trying to both break the momentum of the crusade as well as make richard appear ineffective after one more broken deadline and litany of excuses from the sultan's envoys richard marched his prisoners out before salin's encampment and executed them in full view of the muslim army in effect richard had called salden's bluff and the results would prove disastrous for the sultan many emirs and leading men in the muslim forces were enraged that saladin had failed to ransom the brave defenders of aker and this would create loyalty problems for the sultan that would persist throughout the crusade in addition salon would from then on find it very difficult to convince his men to garrison castles and cities since they now feared the fate of akers garrison ultimately richard had given salad an ample opportunity to secure the lives of his men this was more than could be said for saladin who had ruthlessly executed templars and hospitals taken prisoner after the battle of hattin giving them no opportunity to be ransomed by repeatedly reneging on the terms of the agreement salden intentionally placed richard in a very difficult situation richard had no ability to permanently house these prisoners nor could he allow the sultan's flagrant violations of the terms go unanswered it was a hard and bloody decision made in the midst of a hard and bloody war and ultimately salad himself should be criticized for abandoning the courageous acre garrison to such a cruel fate compared to richard who often risked his own life leading rescue missions when his own men were captured we can only wonder at salden's calloused and ungrateful attitude toward his bravest soldiers salden tried to use the massacre as a propaganda win executing many christian prisoners of his own in dramatic public spectacles but ultimately considerable numbers of his own followers continued to blame him for the needless deaths of their comrades salon would never overcome this bitterness that now infected his ranks with the recapture of acre the third crusade achieved a critical success acre had served saladin as one of his key garrisons in arms depots with acarus a base richard the lionheart was determined to further his conquests after consulting with the knights templar and the knights hospitaler the king decided to march his army south along the palestinian coast reoccupying the forts and towns along the way richard's goal at this point was jaffa the port city closest to jerusalem and another crucial regional stronghold as richard marched out of acre saline gathered his forces determined to halt the lionheart's advance [Music] richard's route along the coast provided several advantages using his fleet richard could supply his army throughout the march also the sea itself protected the army's right flank and reduced the advantage of saladin's numbers since the muslims could only attack the christians from the left on august 22 the christians began the grueling march the weather was hot the terrain treacherous saladin's turkish horse archers harassed the christian column with sudden bursts of arrows wounding or killing horses as well as men but richard maintained strict discipline the army's formation was impeccable and advanced down the coast intact despite harassment from saladin's forces finally on the morning of september 7 the christian army emerged from a wooded region north of arsev richard knew that salden would likely try to force a battle for the sultan had been summoning forces from across egypt and syria at dawn the christians drew toward arseph arranged in 12 squadrons with the templars leading the vanguard and the hospitalers holding the rear guard in total richard had about ten thousand infantry and around twelve hundred heavy cavalry for a total of roughly eleven to twelve thousand men saladin's army numbered at least twice that amount at around twenty five thousand as the crusaders emerged from the woods saladin launched part of his army in attack while keeping some forces in reserve saladin's chronicler and biographer ibn shaddad says the enemy were tightly beset and the fighting was fierce and blazed into flame on both sides the enemy quickened their march in the hope of reaching the site where they could camp their situation became serious and the noose about them tightened while the sultan was moving between the left wing and the right wing urging the men on in the holy war the gesta regis riccardi an eyewitness account of the third crusade from richard's camp records how essential those valiant crossbowmen and archers were that day those absolutely inflexible men in arms who brought up the rear of the army drove back the relentless turks as best they could with a continuous volley of shots richard had arranged his infantry including his archers so that they marched alongside the cavalry protecting the horses from enemy arrows nevertheless the guest author says that the christians were so hemmed in by saladin's attacks that they could see nothing but the sky and the enemy some crossbowmen walked backward as the christians advance so that they could maintain the marching order while holding back the turks the effectiveness of the crusaders marching order caused the muslims to attack at closer and closer range now the turks weren't just using their bows but taking out their lances for more direct attacks in the rear guard the hospitalers were particularly hard-pressed by these attacks the spidlers requested permission to give charge but the king refused in fact the increasing boldness of the saracen attacks played into richard's plan the lionheart hoped to force salidan to fully commit his army to close quarter fighting so that the christians could launch a decisive charge that would shatter the saracen ranks as saladin pressed the attack richard's column continued to advance this prompted bolder and bolder attacks from the muslims the chronicler ibn al-afir says that many saracen troops had by now taken a position close to the action and the gesture says that the christians noticed that many of the turkish cavalrymen had now dismounted in an effort to shoot their arrows more accurately it was at this moment that the crusaders finally gave charge [Applause] ibn shaddad describes his experience of this event with riveting detail then their cavalry massed together and agreed on a charge i saw them grouped together in the middle of the foot soldiers they took their lances and gave a shout as one man the inventory opened gaps for them and they charged in unison along their whole line our men gave way before them it happened that i was in the center which took to wholesale flight my intention was to join the left wing since it was nearer to me i reached it after it had been broken utterly so i thought to join the right wing but then i saw that it had fled more calamitously than all the rest ibn shaddad fled to where saladin was positioned with his bodyguard he writes the sultan stood among them while men were fleeing on all sides but he was commanding the drummers to beat their drums without stopping he ordered the men to rally to him but they were all fleeing around him the muslims were in a complete route ibn shaddad tells us that the christians charged in a total of three different waves these charges were coordinated using signals from richard's trumpeters in the initial charge the muslims suffered serious casualties and with each additional charge salden's army was further devastated the christian infantry moved up behind the knights finishing off wounded or fleeing enemy troops king richard personally took part in the fighting charging at the forefront of his cavalry the guest to regis riccardi dramatically recounts the king's conduct king richard pursued the turks with singular ferocity fell upon them and scattered them across the ground no one escaped when his sword made contact with them wherever he went his brandished sword cleared a wide path on all sides continuing his advance with untiring sword strokes he cut down the enemy as if he were reaping the harvest with a sickle so that the corpses of saracens he had killed covered the ground everywhere saladin's nephew taki aldeen rallied some of the muslims in an attempt to reverse the situation but when richard led his third and final charge the crusaders devastated taki aldine's cavalry at this point the victory was sealed richard and his knights had defeated saladin's army the crusaders were triumphant saladin himself retreated with his bodyguard into the wooded hills where the survivors of his army rallied meanwhile the victorious christians occupied arsenal the battle of arseph was a critical moment in the third crusade salden endured horrible casualties with around half of his army being slain however his army was not fully destroyed and he was able to rally the survivors which numbered around half his original force at a safe point in the hills here ibn shaddad tells us that saladin was inconsolable after his defeat refusing to eat or even speak much to anyone christian casualties were light but the army was particularly moved by the loss of james of avena a knight well loved by his comrades who had shown much bravery during the battle the templars and the hospitalers searched the battlefield and when they found james's body they carried it carefully to arseph here the fallen knight was buried with richard himself assisting in the funerary rites the battle secured christian control of the coastal plain and allowed the crusaders to go on to occupy the port city of jaffa from here to acre richard now ruled a considerable chunk of palestine [Music] i want to hear [Music] richard the lionheart's victory at arsev was a devastating defeat for saladin and allowed the crusaders to occupy the key port city of jaffa salidan retreated farther south to ashkelon while the christian army began restoring java's fortifications which had been demolished previously by the saracens the crusader leadership met in council to discuss their next move the french led by duke hugh of burgundy favored a direct attack on jerusalem but richard would not support this option jerusalem lay far inland and the supply route from jaffa to the holy city would be stretched then rather richard wanted to drive south and attack ashkelon the gateway to saladin's power base in egypt if the crusaders controlled ashkelon they could harass the sultan's supply routes from cairo and render jerusalem less defensible the debate was intense but the popular mood among the soldiers was oriented toward the immediate capture of jerusalem richard had to relent but reluctantly in october of 1191 richard began leading the crusaders in moves toward jerusalem meanwhile the lionheart engaged in diplomatic talks with saldan's brother and second in command al-adil richard knew that the muslim army was increasingly demoralized and he hoped to strike a deal with saladin that would restore the bulk of the old crusader kingdom salden for his part was eager to get rid of richard and hoped through diplomacy to convince the christian warrior king to depart for home during these talks al adil even suggested a marriage alliance proposing that he himself marry richard's sister joanna richard said he might consider this if aledil would convert to christianity aladil would not agree to this and there's not much indication that either richard or saladin really took the whole scenario seriously but rather it was all part of the diplomatic dance in which both parties probed and tested one another nevertheless over the course of these meetings there is indication that richard and the sultan's brother al-adil who the christians called safidine gained a certain respect for one another meanwhile saladin engaged in separate diplomatic talks with conrad of montforod conrad feared richard's overwhelming influence but when salden tried to convince conrad to openly break with and even attack the lionheart conrad flatly refused knowing well his own supporters would abandon him should he ever engage in such treachery richard's advance toward jerusalem was extremely slow and cautious the lionheart insisted on occupying and rebuilding all the fortresses in the area to secure the supply route between jaffa and jerusalem by january of 1192 the crusaders occupied bait nuba just 12 miles from the holy city it was the height of winter and torrential storms made the roads virtually impassable although many in the army wanted to attack jerusalem richard was still skeptical about the logistics of the situation he called a council during which the templars hospitalers and local barons argued that saladin was too well positioned in jerusalem and a siege during such conditions would inevitably fail rather they argue the army should advance instead on ashkelon and fortify this crucial city richard supported this verdict coming from the men most experienced with warfare in the region although the duke of burgundy disagreed strongly richard's position won out burgundy and the french refused to go to ashkelon and instead returned to acre meanwhile richard drove on to ashkelon joined by the military orders and his nephew henry count of champagne on january 20 the crusaders began rebuilding ashkelon's walls which had also been destroyed by saladin by april ashkelon was restored and the king of england was making regular raids against saladin's supply convoys richard's plan had proved quite wise as crusader control of ashkelon turned out to be a major problem for the sultan who could no longer safely move caravans from cairo to palestine meanwhile richard ruled an extensive network of cities and castles stretching all along the palestinian coast however that same month richard received word from his own kingdom that his brother john had formed an alliance with king philip of france and he posed richard's lord chancellor william longchamp this news greatly troubled the lion heart he realized that if he continued with the crusade he could lose his very kingdom to the predations of his cowardly brother john and the treacherous king of france indeed as it turned out the whole enterprise of the crusade was threatened by the greed impiety and wickedness of philip ii of france reluctantly king richard announced that he would return at once to his angevid lands however to promote unity among the christians in the holy land he endorsed conrad of montfart for the crown of jerusalem the magnates of the crusader kingdom ratified conrad as king montferrad was elated but his triumph was short-lived on april 28 1192 conrad was stabbed to death in the streets by two members of the assassin cult the duke of burgundy claimed richard had hired the assassins but this was false the assassins led by the mysterious old man of the mountain never hired out their work and they had a personal grudge against conrad recently conrad had seized a ship belonging to the old man of the mountain and refused to return it meanwhile saladin himself had offered the assassins a large sum of money if only they would murder either conrad or richard with conrad dead the english french and local crusaders at once set about filling the yet again vacant throne of jerusalem the local barons wanted someone who would please both richard and the french the solution was henry of champaign nephew to both richard and philip and a man who had proven himself as a commander since the early days of the siege of aker richard the lionheart and the duke of burgundy both offered their endorsement and the high court elected henry conrad's widow queen isabella was married to henry at once henry then took up leadership of the recovering crusader kingdom at last unity prevailed among the crusaders richard turned ashkelon over to henry and henry put the forces loyal to conrad at the disposal of the lionheart richard's hope was that henry and the remaining crusaders would defend what had been won so far and wait for richard while he returned to secure his own end of an empire then as richard planned it a grand crusade would be launched against egypt to eliminate salden's power center forever and thus allow the christians to once again control jerusalem but the other lords in the army resisted this once again led by hugh of burgundy they instead insisted that they would now at last lay siege to jerusalem whether richard joined them or not this placed richard in a very difficult situation for him an attack on jerusalem now with saladin still in control of egypt with suicide if the lionheart departed for home burgundy and the others would squander all that he'd restored losing the christian army in another hatin before jerusalem which would allow salidan to reconquer everything that richard had so far won on the coast unwilling to allow this to happen richard declared that he would remain in the holy land until easter of 1193 the army was elated they still hoped to press on to jerusalem though richard still wanted to convince them to invade egypt when the leaders met in council to discuss their next move richard was once again outvoted richard insisted that this was folly and in fact refused to lead the campaign stating that he would not lead the army to its certain destruction rather richard pledged to march with them as a comrade not as their commander the men agreed and on june 7th the crusader army departed ashkelon for jerusalem this time at the height of summer storms were not a problem the army arrived in four days in bait nuba at jerusalem saladin's forces were on high alert the sultan himself departed the city for his own safety but before he did he wept openly in the al-aqsa mosque during friday prayers fearing that once again the christians would overwhelm the city meanwhile at bait nuba richard learned from his scouts that saladin had destroyed all water sources in the area and that jerusalem was well defended by a large muslim garrison once again richard argued before the council of leaders that an attack on the holy city was not feasible and once again hue of burgundy and the french lords refused to listen and once again the templars hospitalers and local barons argued in richard's favor the situation had not changed salden still controlled this region and his forces could surround and cut off a christian army moving out against jerusalem richard in particular noted the problem of obtaining drinkable water the army would quickly be suffering from extreme thirst and this would render the men and horses all the more vulnerable to saladon's forces once more richard made the case for an attack on egypt and the templars and hospitals agreed that this would be the best course at last a final vote was taken and the majority agreed that richard's observations were undeniably correct the council voted to abandon the assault on jerusalem inside jerusalem the muslims were elated saudi himself offered thanks to allah having fully expected to face an attack from the christians his scouts reported to him the disagreements between richard and the french and the sultan determined to use this division among his enemies to his advantage hugh of burgundy and the other french crusaders were encausatrent they withdrew it once to acre and tyre proclaiming that they would never participate in richard's egyptian campaign meanwhile richard focused on securing ashkelon and jaffa and traveled to acre to plan his next move once again unity had collapsed among the crusaders with the french refusing to cooperate and richard's force reduced to its own vassals the templars the hospitals and some peasant and genoese sailors and crossbowmen the third crusade seemed on the verge of collapsing in the summer of 1192 the third crusade reaches an impasse in july king richard declines to attack jerusalem which is held by saladin at this point richard has retaken much of the palestinian coast but richard's refusal to besiege jerusalem highlights his dependence on his fleet for support and shows that saladin is in firm control of the hinterland by now the war has gone on for years and both the christians and the muslims long for an end to the hostilities richard asks for terms the sultan sends his brother al adil to ask richard to demolish ascalon a coastal fortress on the doorstep of egypt richard refuses he wants the sultan to acknowledge christian control of the coast including ashkelon al-adil returns to his brother with the report that the english king refuses to demolish even a single stone of ashkelon meanwhile richard strengthens ashkelon's defenses the war must go on toward the end of july saladin hears that richard is an acre the chief city of the crusaders richard is planning to besiege beirut saladin decides to counter this move by striking at richard's southern lands jaffa has been newly restored and garrisoned by the lionheart located within striking distance of jerusalem jaffa is an important site if saladin can capture it he will cut richard's lands in two and threaten the christian position in palestine in the final days of july saline gathers his army and moves toward jaffa meanwhile at acre richard is with his army preparing to besiege beirut when he receives word that saladin is advancing on jaffa quickly richard assembles his war council he instructs his nephew henry of champagne and the grand master of the knights templar to assemble the crusader forces and march down the coast from acre to jaffa meanwhile richard himself with a small detachment sets off with his fleet for jaffa richard knows that time is of the essence he doesn't want to wait for the land army he wants to get to jaffa as soon as possible july 28th saladin arrives in full strength before the walls of jaffa he divides his army placing the right wing under his son al-sahir and the left wing under his brother al-adil while he commands from the center the sultan fully besieges the christian stronghold muslim sappers begin working to undermine the walls jaffa's defenders are in a difficult situation their numbers are few but the city is well defended with newly built walls and towers over the coming days the fighting is fierce salvant's troops managed to collapse part of the curtain wall but the christians build a huge fire in the breach preventing the muslim troops from crossing over ibn shaddad saladin's servant and biographer writes admirably of the courage of the christian defenders he says the christians left open the gates and stood in formation fighting in front of the gates by july 31st saladin's forces inflict even more damage on jaffa's walls the christians send the knight abraderons and bishop randolph of bethlehem as emissaries to the sultan salden grants terms he will allow the christians to ransom their lives if they'll relinquish java the christian garrison withdraws to the citadel to await the sultan's agents while muslim troops enter the town and put it to sack by morning saladin's camp is a buzz with rumor that king richard is on his way with a fleet the sultan is eager to get the christians out of the citadel he sends ibn shaddad and his son al-saheer to collect ransoms from the garrison and remove them from the citadel meanwhile salden is confident that his troops on the shore can prevent the lionheart from making a landing on the morning of august 1st richard's first ships begin to appear off the coast announcing their arrival with the bring of trumpets approaches the citadel and demands that the garrison evacuate the christians agree 47 horsemen emerge ibn shaddad collects ransoms from each of them documents their belongings and sends them on their way however at this point the defenders realize that christian ships have appeared on the sea and they decide to hold out ibn shaddad says that he watched as the garrison troops climbed up onto the walls with their shields seeing this ibn shaddad realizes that the situation has changed dramatically he turns to one of his comrades and says take care the enemy have changed their minds in the next moment frankish horsemen emerged from the citadel and charged through the muslim troops standing outside even shadow's first hand account of these events is quite gripping meanwhile richard the lionheart's fleet approaches the shore of jaffa at first the king and his companions are distraught for saladin's flags are flying over the city it's a devastating sight they're too late jaffa has already fallen however the king and his men are amazed when they catch sight of a man swimming desperately through the waves toward the ships richard's knights help bring the man aboard it's a priest and he has risked his life to deliver a message to the king sire says the priest the town has fallen but the christians hold out in the citadel please go to their aid now before it's too late when richard hears this he grabs his danish axe raises it high and shouts by god's calves saladin will never take the christians with a small force of knights and archers richard jumps into the surf and rushes onto the shore ibn shaddad personally witnessed this stunning amphibious assault and describes it in his biography of saladin the king of england hastened to gain the shore the first galley to deliver its men on land was his he was red-haired his tunic was red and his banner was red as was his device in only a short time all the men from the galleys had disembarked in the harbor all this went on before my eyes they then charged the muslims who withdrew before them and were cleared out of the harbor i was on horseback so i galloped as far as the sultan and gave him the news the two envoys were with him and he had just taken his pen in his hand to write their guarantee of safe conduct i whispered in his ear what had happened so he stopped writing and kept them busy in conversation hardly a moment later the muslims came fleeing toward the sultan who shouted to those about him and all mounted their horses he seized the invoice and ordered the baggage train and the camp to move back to yazoor this is a truly remarkable moment in military history richard the lionheart accompanied by a small force pearls back saladin's army from the shores of jaffa the king himself is at the forefront wielding his axe against enemy troops having secured the shore the crusaders now enter jaffa itself richard is the first to set foot in the city charging up a spiral stairway through a templar house with his knights the king storms through the narrow streets battling hand to hand with enemy troops soon the town is cleared of muslim forces richard's men mount the walls throwing down salden's banners and raising up the standard of the lionheart euphoric the christians emerged from the citadel to cheer their king the lionheart has triumphed jaffa is saved richard occupies the position salden had held while the sultan himself beats a hasty retreat [Music] salad had all but reduced jaffa only to have richard arrive and totally reverse the situation the riveting accounts from the primary sources make these events all the more alive to us it is fascinating that the most powerful and vivid account of these events comes from saladin's own chronicler evan shaddad who personally watched the lionheart in action richard now has his men break up pieces of his ships to create a wooden fortification before jaffa meanwhile saladin withdraws to ramla having secured jaffa richard dispatches a messenger to saladin asking him to send envoys salden sends his brother al-adil's chamberlain abu bakr and several mamluks to meet with king richard already richard knows abu bakr and his companions well from past meetings with al adil indeed richard is on friendly terms with this group of muslim warriors ibn shaddad describes their meeting king richard had made friends with several of the elite mamluks and had knighted some of them he was on very good terms with them as they met with him on numerous occasions when the group mentioned came before him he was both serious and lighthearted he said this sultan of yours is a great man islam has no mightier prince on earth than him how is it he departed merely because i had arrived by god i had not even put on my halberg and was not ready for anything on my feet i wore only sea boots why did he withdraw here ibn shaddad provides us with a fascinating glimpse into the subtleties of the lionheart's personality richard is a highly capable diplomat simultaneously he complements saladin while emphasizing his own capability in battle and the extent of his victory at jaffa all this is to encourage the sultan to come to terms it's also fascinating that a great crusader king could strike up a certain friendship with abu bakr and other emirs and mamluks before abu bakr departs richard asks him to greet the sultan for him and to urge the sultan to come to a peace meanwhile at ramla the sultan learns that henry of champaign and the templars are moving south from acre to reinforce the lionheart saldan decides that he might still turn defeat into victory jaffa is damaged and richard holds it with only a small force if the muslims attack quickly they might overwhelm the king before the main christian army arrives on august 3rd saldan departs with his army for jaffa but king richard is preparing for this the lionheart organizes his small force to hold the city the gesta regis riccardi written by one of richard's followers describes the king's formation amid wooden palisades richard arranges the inventory in a shield wall each man holds a long spear aimed forward with the blunt end planted in the ground between each of these spearmen richard places across bowman each crossbowman is assigned two crossbows and an assistant to help him load one bow while he himself shoots the other bow meanwhile the king himself leads a small cavalry force containing so few men that the guest to names each of them individually incredibly richard is about to fight this battle with between 10 and 20 mounted knights this is confirmed by ibn shaddad [Music] saladin approaches jaffa with a force of around ten thousand men when he realizes that richard's force is so small he's exhilarated finally the moment has come when he will crush the lion heart the sultan has a fully equipped army and richard has less than two thousand men with less than twenty horses the position of the christian seems impossible immediately seldom launches the attack however as the turkish horse archers rush at richard's formation the christians hold firm the sultan's initial attacks are repulsed again ibn shadon's description is powerful the enemy stood firm and did not move from their positions like dogs of war they snarled willing to fight to the death our troops were frightened of them dumbfounded by their steadfastness the number of their cavalry was estimated at most at 17 and at the least as nine and their foot was less than one thousand some said 300 and others more than that the sultan was greatly annoyed at this and personally went around the divisions urging them to attack and promising them good rewards if they would as the battle progresses it becomes clear that richard has made good use of his limited resources repeated attacks from the turkish cavalry fail and indeed the christian crossbowmen are picking off salden's riders with every charge soon saladin's troops fall back and refuse to obey the sultan's orders to attack this infuriates saladin who is horrified to see his army failing before such a small force the sultan rides up and down his ranks demanding that his men fight but they refuse at this point king richard decides to attack leading his 10 or 20 horsemen he charges the sultan's lines this is one of the lionheart's finest moments despite being terribly outnumbered richard and his knights inflict serious damage on salden's army the gesta regis riccardi provides a vivid account of the action the king and his men realized that the saracens were not going to do anything else when they were unable to bear this half-hearted and evasive strategy any longer the king and those who had horses put spur to horse and with lances couched charged powerfully into the thick of the enemy throwing them down to the right and the left emptying saddles of their riders and transfixing some of them richard's decision to charge is no accident he recognizes the collapsing morale of saladin's army and understands that the sultan likely won't be able to counter a cavalry attack from the christians however small it may be the king's charge further demoralizes the muslim host when it's all over richard does something to further expose saladin's inability to control his own forces ibn shaddad describes it the king of england took his lance that day and galloped from the far right wing to the far left and nobody challenged him the sultan was enraged turned his back on the fighting and withdrew to yazur at this point salden realizes the extent of his defeat he calls for a retreat and the muslim army withdraws once again richard the lionheart has won a great victory over saladin [Music] indeed one of the most remarkable victories in military history fortunately the battle was carefully recorded by the chroniclers in both camps who repeatedly confirmed one another's details we are fortunate that such a fascinating episode was so well documented the battle of jaffa destroys saladin's plan to dislodge king richard from the coast jaffa is saved for the crusaders for richard this is a crucial victory had saladin succeeded the very position of the christian domain in syria palestine would have been threatened the crusader victory at jaffa secured far more than richard the lionheart's status as a legendary warrior it confirmed the strategic reality of the situation in palestine richard could not take jerusalem but saladin could not take jaffa nor dislodge the crusaders from the southern coast historian christopher tyermann points out that saladin's failure at jaffa inflicted deep psychological and military blows on the saracens given the situation both sides recognize that they must negotiate some sort of truce after the battle richard fell ill again he also received unsettling news from back home philip ii king of france was now actively attacking angevin lands like saladin richard was also ready to come to terms he dispatched bailey navalny to act as his chief diplomat in the negotiations with saladin on september 2nd 1192 the two sides included a formal three-year truce salad agreed to acknowledge most of richard's conquests recognizing that the crusaders would hold the coast from tyre to acre to jaffa including towns and castles such as caesarea and arsenal richard agreed at last to demolish ashkelon which would be held by neither side saladin also agreed to give christian pilgrims free access to jerusalem protected by his own men tripoli and antioch were included in the truce as well the truce concluded many crusaders took the opportunity to complete their pilgrimage by visiting jerusalem where some of them were entertained by saladin himself richard however was not among them refusing to ever enter jerusalem as anything but its conqueror on october 9 1192 richard by now recovered from his illness boarded a ship and set out for home with his fleet the third crusade was over though the lionheart swore to return and build upon the success he'd already achieved he intended to come back with a new crusade to finally take jerusalem [Music] [Applause] discussions of the third crusade and our pop culture often seem to conclude that the expedition was a failure because it did not recapture jerusalem and yet historians frequently disagree with this assessment thomas madden says the third crusade was by almost any measure a highly successful expedition jonathan riley smith wrote that the third crusade's achievements were outstanding andrew erenkritz concludes that the treaty of ramallah which ended the third crusade must be regarded as a humiliating concession the christian invaders imposed on islam so which is it was the third crusade a success or a failure the crusader kingdom of jerusalem was much larger than the city of jerusalem itself it included hinterland castles like kerak and montreal inland cities like ramallah and tiberius and a network of coastal cities like acre caesarea and jaffa after the battle of hattin in 1187 saladin the sultan of egypt and damascus conquered virtually all of this in response to this devastation of the crusader kingdom pope gregory viii called the third crusade when richard the lionheart the primary leader of the third crusade arrived in palestine with his army in 1191 he found the kingdom of jerusalem as it existed prior to saladin's conquests all but lost only the port city of tyre remained in christian hands but richard began to reverse many of saladin's important gains acre the wealthiest and largest port city was reconquered by the christians next richard defeated saladin at the battle of arseph reestablishing crusader control of much of the coast and allowing the christians to reoccupy jaffa the port city nearest to jerusalem at this point richard made two military demonstrations toward jerusalem though he never actually attempted to recapture the city richard's navy allowed him to dominate the coast and keep his army well supplied but jerusalem lay far inland where saladin had the advantage therefore richard determined that jerusalem was not a viable military target at this time the holy city of jerusalem was the spiritual fixation of the crusade the fact that richard was unable to capture it was a disappointment to the christian world but does this mean that the third crusade was a failure in fact the third crusade succeeded in several important ways as mentioned earlier saladin had essentially captured the whole of the kingdom but richard's conquests re-established crusader control of some of the most important territory in palestine saladin attempted to reverse the situation besieging jaffa in 1192 but richard repulsed this attack defeating saladin soundly at the battle of jaffa prior to the third crusade saladin had been poised to exterminate the crusader presence in palestine but by the end of the third crusade he was forced to recognize richard's conquests in the treaty of ramallah saladin's servant and biographer baha'in tells us that saladin was very unhappy about this treaty our enemy will grow strong now that they have retained these lands the sultan lamented we can see then how the third crusade was a reverse for saladin since he lost control of the economically important palestinian coast and although the third crusade did not regain jerusalem it did regain acre jaffa and other coastal cities so overall it was a net positive for the christians in addition to the territory he reclaimed from saladin richard also captured the island of cyprus off the coast of syria for the crusaders cyprus was both economically and strategically important and its addition to crusader territory was one of the most significant achievements of the third crusade we can see then why historians tend to judge the third crusade as overall a success for the christians now check out our video on queen isabel of spain and her conquest of granada in 1492 click on the link on your screen you'll also find our queen isabelle video linked in the description below

Channel: Real Crusades History

Views: 49,853

Rating: 4.8549848 out of 5

Keywords: crusades, medieval, crusades history, crusades documentary, middle ages, third crusade, third crusade documentary, saladin documentary, saladin history, richard the lionheart saladin, richard the lionheart crusades, richard the lionheart documentary, frederick barbarossa

Id: KYuBJUXiMNg

Length: 90min 29sec (5429 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 01 2021