Hattin
Maryem
Wed, 07/13/2022 – 11:55
Hattin pitted the Crusader (also known as Frankish) armies under the King of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, against the forces of the Muslim commander, Saladin. Saladin’s army was larger than that of his opponents, ca. 30,000 men to ca. 20,000 men, but the Crusaders had some formidable troops, especially their knights. Besides, they were encamped behind their fortifications at their base at Sepphoris (modern Tzipori, Israel), where the local springs provided an ample source of water. They could not easily be taken by assault and a siege was unlikely to work. So, Saladin decided to lure them out to fight. He surely knew that the enemy was far from united, which might well work to his advantage, especially if he forced them to make a difficult choice.
On July 2 Saladin attacked the fortified city of Tiberias, located on the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret, Israel) about 20 miles away, which belonged to one of the leading nobles in the Crusader army. The attack broke through the city’s walls and forced the Frankish defenders back into the citadel, where their number included the noble’s wife. When the news reached the Frankish camp at Sepphoris, …read more
Source:: Hoover Institution