aaminion00
Stoned
Now I don't claim to be an expert on the crusades. But I was supposed to do a report on the Horns of Hattin, and spent a little time putting together information found from various sources I found trustworthy. I'm sure some of the posters here know a lot more than me about this battle, but just never decided to put up an article. So if you see some flaws, go ahead and point them out and I'll correct this for civfanatics. This should be good enough to get an A in school as it is. If XIII feels like making this an article, he can feel free to do so.
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The battle at the horns of Hattin is to this day considered one of the most important events of the Crusades. Eventually setting up for the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the mightiest of the Christian kingdoms in the Middle East, it also defined Saladin, the Muslim ruler. For years, the Crusading forces had managed to withstand the Muslim threat and enforce their hold on the holy land. Even when a few of the Kingdoms to the North fell, the Kingdom of Jerusalem had managed to survive, through such wise leadership as that of Baldwin the IV, and heavy fortifications such as those of Krak de Chevallier. However, this was all about to change on that faithful day of July 3rd 1187.
The Horns of Hattin are two twin hills in modern-day Israel, and are the chief geographic feature of their immediate area. They lie on an ancient road, first build by the Romans, leading from the Mediterranean Coast Eastward, and are directly to the west of the Sea of Galilee. On July 2nd 1187, Saladin had captured the city of Tiberias nearby in the East. He had also done this with only a small portion of his forces, due mainly to political infighting of the Christians in the city. The significance of the victory was greatly enhanced due to the fact that one of the captives was Eschiva, wife of King Raymond III of Tripoli.
King Raymond himself considered a march towards Saladins army in mid-summer would be suicidal, but this was declared cowardice by King Guy of Jerusalem. When the dust of their argument settled, the Crusader army of 1200 knights and something close to 20,000 footmen left Acre to meet Saladins forces at Tiberias. However, Saladin was well informed of the Crusaders movements, and decided to set up camp a few miles away from a pass between two hills, known as the Horns of Hattin.
The moment the Christian army left Acre, they were repeatedly harassed by smaller numbers of Muslim who withdrew before they were able to get involved in any large scale battle. The day was ferociously hot, and many wanted Guy to fight his way to the Sea of Galilee. However when the powerful knights of Templar said they could go no further that day, Guy decided to set up camp where he was, at the base of one of the Horns of Hattin. This turned out to be a huge mistake.
Initially they thought there was a well there; however it soon turned out that the well was dry. It quickly became obvious, with Saladins amassing forces, they would have to fight thirsty the next morning. Saladin knew of the Crusaders plight as well. He immediately ordered the brush around the horns to be set on fire, and his army to surround the crusaders. Smoke from the flames spread over the Christians, making conditions even more miserable.
Realizing that he was doomed if he stayed where he was, Guy moved his army towards the fresh waters of the Sea of Galilee. However, the Muslims anticipated this and met them there, killing the bulk of the Crusader army. The Knights Templar got separated from the rest of the Christian forces in this maneuvering, and ended up getting massacred by the Muslim archers. When it became obvious that the Crusaders would not win, Count Raymond tried to escape by breaking through the Muslim ranks. However, seeing that this would merely leave the Crusaders leaderless, Saladins forces let Raymond pass through and then formed the wall back up when he did. Several other Christian leaders left in similar fashion not long afterwards.
All that was left of the Crusader army now was King Guy and a few dedicated knights. He wisely moved his forces to the top of the nearby hill, and mounted a defense there. They fought heroically and repelled the Muslims for a long time. However, the heat was even worse for the thirsty and tired knights at the top of the hill. When Saladins forces charged up for the last time, they found Guy and his men lying on the ground too tired and thirsty to move.
Saladin took what remained of the Crusaders captive. The part of the true cross with which the Crusader army always marched was captured as well, making the loss even worse for the Christians. The master of the Knights Templar was captured, marking the end of the holy order. The wicked Raynald de Chatillon, who was one of the most hated Crusaders among Saladins army, was also captured. Saladin, whose sister Raynald was said to have raped and killed, brought Raynald into his tent. After strongly rebuking Raynald for his treachery, he offered Raynald to spare his life if he converted to Islam. Raynald refused and was killed by Saladin himself.
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The battle at the horns of Hattin is to this day considered one of the most important events of the Crusades. Eventually setting up for the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the mightiest of the Christian kingdoms in the Middle East, it also defined Saladin, the Muslim ruler. For years, the Crusading forces had managed to withstand the Muslim threat and enforce their hold on the holy land. Even when a few of the Kingdoms to the North fell, the Kingdom of Jerusalem had managed to survive, through such wise leadership as that of Baldwin the IV, and heavy fortifications such as those of Krak de Chevallier. However, this was all about to change on that faithful day of July 3rd 1187.
The Horns of Hattin are two twin hills in modern-day Israel, and are the chief geographic feature of their immediate area. They lie on an ancient road, first build by the Romans, leading from the Mediterranean Coast Eastward, and are directly to the west of the Sea of Galilee. On July 2nd 1187, Saladin had captured the city of Tiberias nearby in the East. He had also done this with only a small portion of his forces, due mainly to political infighting of the Christians in the city. The significance of the victory was greatly enhanced due to the fact that one of the captives was Eschiva, wife of King Raymond III of Tripoli.
King Raymond himself considered a march towards Saladins army in mid-summer would be suicidal, but this was declared cowardice by King Guy of Jerusalem. When the dust of their argument settled, the Crusader army of 1200 knights and something close to 20,000 footmen left Acre to meet Saladins forces at Tiberias. However, Saladin was well informed of the Crusaders movements, and decided to set up camp a few miles away from a pass between two hills, known as the Horns of Hattin.
The moment the Christian army left Acre, they were repeatedly harassed by smaller numbers of Muslim who withdrew before they were able to get involved in any large scale battle. The day was ferociously hot, and many wanted Guy to fight his way to the Sea of Galilee. However when the powerful knights of Templar said they could go no further that day, Guy decided to set up camp where he was, at the base of one of the Horns of Hattin. This turned out to be a huge mistake.
Initially they thought there was a well there; however it soon turned out that the well was dry. It quickly became obvious, with Saladins amassing forces, they would have to fight thirsty the next morning. Saladin knew of the Crusaders plight as well. He immediately ordered the brush around the horns to be set on fire, and his army to surround the crusaders. Smoke from the flames spread over the Christians, making conditions even more miserable.
Realizing that he was doomed if he stayed where he was, Guy moved his army towards the fresh waters of the Sea of Galilee. However, the Muslims anticipated this and met them there, killing the bulk of the Crusader army. The Knights Templar got separated from the rest of the Christian forces in this maneuvering, and ended up getting massacred by the Muslim archers. When it became obvious that the Crusaders would not win, Count Raymond tried to escape by breaking through the Muslim ranks. However, seeing that this would merely leave the Crusaders leaderless, Saladins forces let Raymond pass through and then formed the wall back up when he did. Several other Christian leaders left in similar fashion not long afterwards.
All that was left of the Crusader army now was King Guy and a few dedicated knights. He wisely moved his forces to the top of the nearby hill, and mounted a defense there. They fought heroically and repelled the Muslims for a long time. However, the heat was even worse for the thirsty and tired knights at the top of the hill. When Saladins forces charged up for the last time, they found Guy and his men lying on the ground too tired and thirsty to move.
Saladin took what remained of the Crusaders captive. The part of the true cross with which the Crusader army always marched was captured as well, making the loss even worse for the Christians. The master of the Knights Templar was captured, marking the end of the holy order. The wicked Raynald de Chatillon, who was one of the most hated Crusaders among Saladins army, was also captured. Saladin, whose sister Raynald was said to have raped and killed, brought Raynald into his tent. After strongly rebuking Raynald for his treachery, he offered Raynald to spare his life if he converted to Islam. Raynald refused and was killed by Saladin himself.
