Battle of Ascalon
Battle of Ascalon (representation from the 13th century)
| date | August 12, 1099 |
|---|---|
| place | Ascalon |
| output | Victory of the Crusaders |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 1,200 knights 9,000 foot soldiers |
20,000 |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
presumably 10-12,000 |
The Battle of Ascalon took place on August 12, 1099 and is often referred to as one of the final events of the First Crusade .
background
The crusaders had already negotiated with the Fatimids of Egypt during their journey to Jerusalem , but had not achieved a satisfactory result - the Fatimids were willing to give up Syria but not Palestine , the crusaders aimed at Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher . The siege of Jerusalem led to the conquest of the city on July 15, 1099; Immediately afterwards, the crusaders learned that a Fatimid army was approaching.
The crusaders acted quickly. Godfrey of Bouillon was appointed defender of the Holy Sepulcher on July 22nd , Arnulf von Chocques , who had become Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem on August 1st , found the remains of the Holy Cross on August 5th . Fatimid ambassadors came to the city and told the crusaders to withdraw, but were ignored. On August 10, Gottfried led the remaining crusaders out of Jerusalem towards Ascalon , a day's march away, while Peter the Hermit led both the Catholic and Orthodox clergy in prayers and a procession from the Holy Sepulcher to the temple . Robert II of Flanders and Arnulf accompanied Gottfried, while Raymond IV of Toulouse and Robert of Normandy stayed behind - either because of quarrels with Gottfried or because they wanted to await news of the Egyptian army that their own scouts were to bring. When the Egyptian presence was certain, they set out the next day. In the vicinity of Ramlah they met Tankred and Gottfried's brother Eustach , who had moved out earlier that month to conquer Nablus . At the head of the army, Arnulf carried the remains of the Holy Cross, while Raimund von Aguilers carried the remains of the Holy Lance , which had been discovered in Antioch the year before .
The battle
The Fatimids were commanded by the vizier al-Afdal Shahanshah , who probably led around 20,000 soldiers (others estimate 30,000, the Gesta Francorum exaggerates with 200,000, Ekkehard von Aura even with 500,000). His army consisted of Seljuks , Arabs , Persians , Armenians , Kurds and Ethiopians . He intended to besiege the Crusaders in Jerusalem, although he was not carrying any siege engines ; but he had a fleet available that anchored in the port of Askalon. The exact number of crusaders is unknown, Raimund von Aguilers speaks of 1200 knights and 9000 foot soldiers. The highest estimate is 20,000 men, but that is certainly not possible at this point in the Crusades. Al-Afdal camped in the plain of al-Majdal in a valley outside Askalon and prepared for the march and the siege. In any case, he didn't expect the crusaders to be ready to meet him. On August 11th, the crusaders found ox , sheep , camels and goats grazing outside the city, intended as food for the Fatimid camp. Prisoners taken by Tankred in a skirmish near Ramlah said the animals were intended to encourage the crusaders to plunder in order to facilitate the attack on the Fatimids. The crusaders took the animals with them and added them to their army, which made it appear much larger than it really was.
On the morning of August 12, the crusaders were informed of the location of the Fatimid encampment. They were divided into nine divisions, Gottfried led the left wing, Raimund the right, Tankred, Eustach, Robert of Normandy and Gaston IV of Bearn the center; in addition, each group was divided into two smaller divisions, and a division of foot soldiers marched in front.
According to most reports (Christian and Muslim), the Fatimids were caught unprepared and the battle was short. Albert von Aachen, on the other hand, stated that the Fatimids were well prepared and that the battle had lasted a long time. The two main lines fought each other with arrows until they were close enough for hand-to-hand combat with lances . The Ethiopians attacked the center of the crusaders, the Fatimid vanguard was able to outflank the crusaders and get in the rear of the rear guard until Gottfried appeared and saved them. Despite their numerical superiority, al-Afdal's army was hardly as strong or dangerous as the Seljuks whom the Crusaders had previously met. The battle seems to have been over before the Fatimid heavy cavalry was ready to intervene. Al-Afdal and his troops fled in panic to the safety of the heavily fortified city; Raimund chased some of them into the sea, others climbed trees and were killed with arrows, and still others were slain while retreating into the city. Al-Afdal left his camp and treasure behind, which were captured by Robert and Tankred. The losses of the Crusaders are unknown, those of the Egyptians are given in some sources as 10–12,000.
consequences
The crusaders spent the night in the abandoned camp, preparing for another attack, but then saw in the morning that the Fatimids were retreating into Egypt. Al-Afdal fled across the sea. The crusaders took as much as they could and burned the rest. They returned to Jerusalem on August 13, where, after long celebrations, Gottfried and Raimund claimed Askalon for themselves - with the result that the garrison refused to give up, when she found out about the dispute. After the battle, most of the crusaders returned to Europe, seeing their crusade vows fulfilled. By the end of the year there were probably only a few hundred knights left in Jerusalem, but they were soon reinforced by new crusaders who had been encouraged by the success of the First Crusade.
Ascalon remained under Fatimid rule and soon became the base of operations for invasions into the Kingdom of Jerusalem ; many battles were fought in the years that followed, until the city was finally conquered by the Crusaders in 1153 after a long siege .
swell
- Albert von Aachen , Historia Hierosolymitana
- Ekkehard from Aura , Hierosolymita
- Fulcher of Chartres , Historia Hierosolymitana
- Gesta Francorum
- Raimund von Aguilers : Historia francorum qui ceperunt Jerusalem.
literature
- Hans E. Mayer: The Crusades . Oxford 1965.
- Jonathan Riley-Smith : The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading . Philadelphia 1999.
- Steven Runciman : The First Crusaders, 1095-1131 . Cambridge University Press, 1951.
- Kenneth Setton (Ed.): A History of the Crusades. Madison, 1969–1989 ( online here ).
- William Barron Stevenson: The Crusaders in the East. A brief history of the wars of Islam with the Latins in Syria during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1907.