Siege of Kerak

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Siege of Kerak
Part of: War between Crusaders and Ayyubids
date from November 20, 1183
place Kerak
output Victory of the Crusaders
Parties to the conflict

Armoiries de Jérusalem.svg Kingdom of Jerusalem

Flag of Ayyubid Dynasty.svg Ayyubids

Commander

Blason de la maison de Châtillon.svg Rainald of Châtillon Raymond III. from Tripoli
Armoiries Tripoli.svg

Saladin

Troop strength
unknown unknown;
9 siege engines
losses

unknown

unknown

The siege of Kerak was an event during the war between the Ayyubids and the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem (1177–1187).

prehistory

Kerak Castle, east of the Dead Sea , was the center of Oultrejordain's rule . The castle was only built in 1140 and acted as a shield for the inner areas of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was also on a strategically important caravan route from Syria to Egypt and Arabia. From 1176 Rainald von Châtillon was lord of Kerak and Oultrejordain. Despite the ceasefire agreements he had with the Muslims, he repeatedly carried out attacks on Muslim caravans and even maintained a pirate fleet in the Red Sea that carried out attacks on pilgrim ships on the way to Mecca .

In response to Rainald's attacks and to secure his strategic interests, Saladin led an army to Kerak and began the siege of the castle on November 20, 1183.

The siege

Although the defenders were surprised by the arrival of the Muslim army, they managed to retreat into the fortifications. Thereupon Saladin had the fortress bombarded with nine siege engines. Rainald felt so little threatened in his well-built castle that he did not even interrupt the wedding that was in progress. It was then that Rainald's stepson Humfried IV of Toron married Isabella of Jerusalem, who was only 11 years old . Stephanie von Milly , Rainald's wife and Humfried's mother, managed to persuade Saladin not to shoot at the tower where the wedding was celebrated during the festivities - while the attack on the rest of the castle continued unhindered.

The end of the siege

Finally Baldwin IV provided a relief army under the leadership of Raimund III. from Tripoli , but insisted on pulling himself up in a litter. As the army advanced, Saladin withdrew and Baldwin entered the castle in triumph. Saladin tried later, in 1184, to take the castle a second time, but Baldwin set up a relief army again and Saladin withdrew again.

literature

  • Johannes Ebert (Red.): The Chronicle of the Crusades. Chronik Verlag im Wissen-Media-Verlag, Gütersloh et al. 2003, ISBN 3-577-14609-5 .

Web links