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Saladin destroys the Crusader army at Hattin and retakes Jerusalem

1187 (Hattin & fall of Jerusalem)·Military & conflict·Levant·
1187 (Hattin & fall of Jerusalem)Date
Military & conflictCategory
20Empires active
Date
1187 (Hattin & fall of Jerusalem)
Category
Military & conflict
Region
Levant
Era
Post-Classical / Medieval
Significance

On 4 July 1187 the Ayyubid sultan Saladin (Salah al-Din) decisively defeated the main army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the Horns of Hattin in Galilee.

Luring the crusaders onto a waterless plain and surrounding them, he destroyed their field force, capturing King Guy of Lusignan and seizing the relic of the True Cross. With the Latin military strength of the Levant broken, town after town surrendered. Jerusalem itself, defended by Balian of Ibelin, capitulated after a short siege, and Saladin entered the city on 2 October 1187 — nearly nine decades after the crusaders had taken it. In contrast to 1099, the surrender was negotiated and large-scale slaughter was avoided. The loss of Jerusalem shocked Western Christendom and prompted the Third Crusade (1189–1192), led by Richard I of England, Philip II of France and the emperor Frederick Barbarossa, which recovered coastal territory but failed to retake the holy city. Saladin's victory restored Muslim dominance in the Holy Land and made him an enduring figure in both Islamic and European memory.

See the world map in 1187 (Hattin & fall of Jerusalem) →More military & conflictThe Post-Classical / Medieval era

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