Battle of Arsuf

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Battle of Arsuf
Part of: Third Crusade
Battle of Arsuf (detail).  History painting by Eloi Firmin Féron (1802–1876)
Battle of Arsuf (detail). History painting by Eloi Firmin Féron (1802–1876)
date September 7, 1191
place Arsuf
output Victory of the Crusaders
Parties to the conflict

Cross of the Knights Templar.svg Crusaders

Flag of Ayyubid Dynasty.svg Ayyubids

Commander

Count of Poitiers Arms.svg Richard the Lionheart

Saladin

Troop strength
about 20,000 men
among them
at least 50,000 men (mainly mounted)
losses

about 700 men

about 7,000 men

The Battle of Arsuf was a battle at the time of the Third Crusade , in which the forces under Richard the Lionheart those under Saladin near the village Arsuf defeated.

prehistory

After conquering Acon in July 1191, Richard had gained command of the united army of the Third Crusade. The main aim of the crusade was to retake Jerusalem , which Saladin had ruled since the siege of Jerusalem in 1187 . Richard knew that he would need control of the port of Jaffa to secure his supplies before his army could attack Jerusalem. On August 22, 1191 it marched in orderly formation from Acre south along the coast. His fleet maintained close contact with the army and ensured its supplies. Saladin's main army followed him at a safe distance, while his mounted archers kept the Crusaders involved in minor skirmishes .

Course of the battle

On September 7, 1191, Saladin's army faced the crusader army north of Jaffa near Arsuf on carefully selected terrain. The way of the crusaders to Jaffa was bordered at Arsuf to the west by the Mediterranean Sea and to the east by a piece of forest, in which Saladin's forces were now hiding in order to stab the crusaders marching past as possible in the back. Richard anticipated an attack by Saladin and had carefully organized his army: the Knights Templar were the vanguard. Behind them followed Richard's contingent of Bretons , Angevinen , Poitevinen , Normans and English . It seems that King Guido of Lusignan commanded the Poitevines and the contingent of the Crusader States . It was followed by Flemings under Jakob von Avesnes and the French contingent under Hugo of Burgundy , with the Order of St. John bringing up the rear. All departments had both infantry and cavalry; the former marched on the land side, the latter on the Mediterranean side. The crusaders marched south, Saladin's attack came from the northeast.

The exact composition of Saladin's army is not known, but the chronicler Ambroise mentions in his Estoire de la guerre sainte that the infantry consisted of Sudanese and Bedouins , the light cavalry of Syrians and Turkmens and the heavy cavalry of Mameluks, among others .

Saladin tried to lure the heavily armored knights with his mounted archers to a risky counterattack so that they could be more easily eliminated, disordered and separated from the infantry. Richard had his lancers build a wall of lances in the front row and between his crossbowmen counter the fire. He held back his cavalry behind and forbade them to attack before he had given the signal. Richard intended first to have the entire Saracen army tied up in hand-to-hand combat, and then to order his heavy cavalry to make an attack that was supposed to be devastating. The archers of the Saracens could hardly harm the well-armored European soldiers, but they caused considerable damage to the horses of the Johanniter. Even before Richard gave the signal, they finally broke through the ranks of their own infantry and started a counterattack on the right side of Saladin's army. Richard now had no choice and ordered a major attack. His cavalry broke out in a closed line on the entire front. The Saracen cavalry could not withstand the heavily armored knights. The Johanniter inflicted heavy casualties on their enemies, and the French on their right also killed many. Richard's contingent of Bretons, Angevines, Poitevines, Normans and English as well as the Knights Templar, on the other hand, were only able to catch a few of the rapidly retreating Saracens.

The battle was not lost for Saladin at this point. At the Battle of Acre , his cavalry had successfully counterattacked the opposing knights when they had spread too far in pursuit of their fleeing enemies. Richard was aware of this risk. If the knights lost contact with the persecuted, he made them stop and put them back in order. Saladin's counterattack was met with an orderly counterattack. This process was repeated one more time before Saladin's troops finally withdrew to the forests of Arsuf .

The battle ended in a clear victory for Richard and his crusader army , their first significant victory since the Battle of Hattin in 1187. Saladin's forces had suffered numerous losses in the Battle of Arsuf, while those of the opposing side were comparatively small, including Jacob of Avesnes had lost only one important nobleman.

consequences

Their defeat severely shook the morale of the Saracen army. The legend of Saladin's invincibility was shattered. His soldiers no longer dared to attack the crusaders in open battle so that Richard's troops could advance unhindered. On September 10, 1191, they took Jaffa without a fight and then began preparations for the attack on Jerusalem. However, Saladin's army had not been destroyed. This now gathered his troops in the area around Jerusalem and concentrated on threatening the supply routes of the Crusaders. Richard failed to get Saladin's mobile troops into a decisive battle, and he knew that if Saladin could successfully conquer it, it would be impossible to hold Jerusalem permanently while Saladin could cut off supplies with an army intact. Richard and the united army of the Third Crusade were unable to retake Jerusalem, despite the successful defense against Saladin's counterattack on Jaffa in the summer of 1192 .

literature

  • Angus Konstam: The Crusades . Tosa Verlag, Vienna 2001. pp. 127, 144-145.
  • Robert L. Wolff, Harry W. Hazard (Eds.): A History of the Crusades. The later Crusades, 1189-1311. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison 1969. pp. 74-75.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c cf. Konstam, The Crusades . P. 144
  2. a b cf. Konstam, The Crusades . P. 145