Battle of Cresson

Meanwhile, Saladin had sent a small force towards Tiberias led by his son al-Afdal, seeking revenge for an attack on a Muslim caravan by Raynald of Chatillon. Raymond III hoped Saladin would ally with him against Guy, and allowed this force to pass through Tiberias on April 30, although he warned the Christians in Nazareth about the army's presence. Hearing this, Gerard quickly assembled a small army, consisting of the Templar garrisons from Qaqun and al-Fulah and the royal knights stationed at Nazareth, only about 140 knights in total; Bali ...

See also:

Battle of Cresson, Battle of Cresson - Background, Battle of Cresson - The battle, Battle of Cresson - The problem of the sources, Battle of Cresson - Bibliography

Read more here: » Battle of Cresson: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Cresson - The battle

1187 - Events. May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. September 20 - October 2 - Siege of Jerusalem - Saladin captures Jerusalem. October 29 - Pope Gregory VIII issues the bull Audita tremendi, proposing the Third Crusade. Alexis Branas attempts to seize Constantinople in defiance of his master Isaac II Angelus. Cathedral of St. Jacob consecrated in Szc ...

Including:

• 1187 - Events
• 1187 - Births
• 1187 - Deaths

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Guy of Lusignan became king of Jerusalem in 1186, in right of his wife Sibylla, after the death of Sibylla's son (and Guy's stepson) Baldwin V. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was at this time divided between the "court faction" of Guy, Sibylla, and relative newcomers to the kingdom such as Raynald of Chatillon, as well as Gerard of Ridefort and the Knights Templar; and the "nobles’ faction", led by Raymond III of Tripoli, who had been regent for the child-king Baldwin V and had opposed the succession of Guy. Raymond left Jerusalem for Tripoli. T ...

See also:

Battle of Hattin, Battle of Hattin - Location, Battle of Hattin - Background, Battle of Hattin - Siege of Tiberias, Battle of Hattin - The battle, Battle of Hattin - Aftermath, Battle of Hattin - Legends and fiction, Battle of Hattin - Sources

Read more here: » Battle of Hattin: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Hattin - Background

Raymond also was drawn into the developing strife in the kingdom. Economically, the opposing sides were the established barons who drew regular income from their holdings, and the new crusaders, who wanted war spoils. Socially, these were arranged as a baronial party and a court party, the royal court being the best source of favour, military commands and other opportunities to become rich. The baronial party appreciated more peaceful relations, trade, and at least peaceful enjoyment of their agricultural incomes. Dynastically, Dowager Queen ...

See also:

Raymond III of Tripoli, Raymond III of Tripoli - Early life, Raymond III of Tripoli - Regent of Jerusalem, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond and the nobles' party, Raymond III of Tripoli - Battle of Hattin and death, Raymond III of Tripoli - Physical characteristics, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond in fiction, Raymond III of Tripoli - Sources

Read more here: » Raymond III of Tripoli: Encyclopedia II - Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond and the nobles' party

He was the son of Barisan of Ibelin, and brother of Hugh and Baldwin. His father had been a knight in the County of Jaffa, and had been rewarded with the lordship of Ibelin after the revolt of Hugh II of Le Puiset. Barisan married Helvis, heiress of the wealthy lordship of Ramla. Balian's name was also Barisan, but the pronunciation of the name in Old French changed to "Balian" in the course of the 12th century; he is sometimes known as Balian the Younger or Balian II when his father is also referred to as Balian. He is also called Balian of ...

See also:

Balian of Ibelin, Balian of Ibelin - Early life, Balian of Ibelin - The nobles' faction, Balian of Ibelin - Dispute between Raymond and Guy, Balian of Ibelin - The Battle of Hattin, Balian of Ibelin - Defense of Jerusalem, Balian of Ibelin - Third Crusade, Balian of Ibelin - Legacy, Balian of Ibelin - Balian in fiction, Balian of Ibelin - Sources

Read more here: » Balian of Ibelin: Encyclopedia II - Balian of Ibelin - Early life

Saladin had assembled his own army at Raymond's fortress of Tiberias. When Raymond reconciled with Guy, this assembly turned into a siege, and the town fell on July 2. Raymond's wife Eschiva was besieged in the citadel. Raymond and Guy met at Acre with the bulk of the crusader army, which consisted of 1200 knights, possibly as many as 20,000 foot soldiers, and a large number of mercenaries (including Turcopoles and other Muslims) hired with money donated to the kingdom by Henry II of England. Muslim sources claim that the crusaders had over ...

See also:

Battle of Hattin, Battle of Hattin - Location, Battle of Hattin - Background, Battle of Hattin - Siege of Tiberias, Battle of Hattin - The battle, Battle of Hattin - Aftermath, Battle of Hattin - Legends and fiction, Battle of Hattin - Sources

Read more here: » Battle of Hattin: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Hattin - Siege of Tiberias

The Muslims captured the royal tent of King Guy, as well as the True Cross, after the Bishop of Acre was killed in the fighting. Prisoners included Guy, his brother Amalric, Raynald, William III of Montferrat, Gerard, Humphrey IV of Toron, Hugh of Jubail, and many others. Perhaps only as few as 3,000 Christians escaped the defeat, including Raymond, Joscelin, Balian, and Reginald of Sidon, who had trampled their own men while retreating. The exhausted captives were brought to Saladin's tent, where Guy was given a goblet of iced water as a si ...

See also:

Battle of Hattin, Battle of Hattin - Location, Battle of Hattin - Background, Battle of Hattin - Siege of Tiberias, Battle of Hattin - The battle, Battle of Hattin - Aftermath, Battle of Hattin - Legends and fiction, Battle of Hattin - Sources

Read more here: » Battle of Hattin: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Hattin - Aftermath

According to the chronicler Ernoul, news of the defeat caused Pope Urban III to die of shock. The battle, and much of the background of the conflict, is depicted in the novel The Brethren by Sir Henry Rider Haggard. Although the battle itself was not shown, the aftermath, including the execution of Raynald, was depicted in the 2005 movie Kingdom of Heaven. ...

See also:

Battle of Hattin, Battle of Hattin - Location, Battle of Hattin - Background, Battle of Hattin - Siege of Tiberias, Battle of Hattin - The battle, Battle of Hattin - Aftermath, Battle of Hattin - Legends and fiction, Battle of Hattin - Sources

Read more here: » Battle of Hattin: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Hattin - Legends and fiction

The crusaders began their march from Sephoria on July 3, with Raymond leading the vanguard, Guy the main army, and Balian, Raynald, and the military orders the rearguard. They were almost immediately under harassment from the Muslim skirmishers on horseback. By noon on that day Saladin had joined his forces at Cafarsett and sent his army to engage the exhausted and depleted Crusaders. The rearguard was forced to a halt by continuous attacks, thus halting the whole army. The crusaders, after a day with no fresh water, were forced to make camp in the middle of the plain, surrounded by the Muslim army. Saladin's forces set fire ...

See also:

Battle of Hattin, Battle of Hattin - Location, Battle of Hattin - Background, Battle of Hattin - Siege of Tiberias, Battle of Hattin - The battle, Battle of Hattin - Aftermath, Battle of Hattin - Legends and fiction, Battle of Hattin - Sources

Read more here: » Battle of Hattin: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Hattin - The battle

When Balian arrived in the city, the inhabitants begged him to stay, and he was absolved of his oath to Saladin by Patriarch Heraclius, who argued that a Christian could not make an oath to an infidel. Balian was recruited to lead the defense of the city, but he found that there were only two other knights there, so he created sixty new knights from the ranks of the burgesses. With Queen Sibylla and Heraclius, he prepared for the inevitable siege by storing food and money. Saladin indeed arrived to besiege the city in September, after he had ...

See also:

Balian of Ibelin, Balian of Ibelin - Early life, Balian of Ibelin - The nobles' faction, Balian of Ibelin - Dispute between Raymond and Guy, Balian of Ibelin - The Battle of Hattin, Balian of Ibelin - Defense of Jerusalem, Balian of Ibelin - Third Crusade, Balian of Ibelin - Legacy, Balian of Ibelin - Balian in fiction, Balian of Ibelin - Sources

Read more here: » Balian of Ibelin: Encyclopedia II - Balian of Ibelin - Defense of Jerusalem

In 1174 Amalric died and was succeeded by his son Baldwin IV, who was still too young to rule on his own and furthermore was suffering from leprosy; Miles of Plancy, seneschal of the kingdom, claimed the regency, but Raymond soon arrived and demanded to be named regent as the closest male relative of the king (he was a first cousin of Amalric). In this he was supported by the major barons of the kingdom, including Humphrey II of Toron, Balian of Ibelin, and Reginald of Sidon. Soon Mile ...

See also:

Raymond III of Tripoli, Raymond III of Tripoli - Early life, Raymond III of Tripoli - Regent of Jerusalem, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond and the nobles' party, Raymond III of Tripoli - Battle of Hattin and death, Raymond III of Tripoli - Physical characteristics, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond in fiction, Raymond III of Tripoli - Sources

Read more here: » Raymond III of Tripoli: Encyclopedia II - Raymond III of Tripoli - Regent of Jerusalem

Raymond succeeded his father Raymond II, who had been killed by the Hashshashin, and Hodierna of Jerusalem, who ruled as regent until Raymond came of age. He was also known as Raymond the Younger to distinguish him from his father. In 1160, Byzantine emperor Manuel Comnenus was seeking a wife from the crusader states. The two candidates presented to him were Raymond's sister Melisende, and Princess Maria of Antioch. At first, Melisende was chosen, and Raymond collected an enormous dowry, while negotiations continued for over a year. H ...

See also:

Raymond III of Tripoli, Raymond III of Tripoli - Early life, Raymond III of Tripoli - Regent of Jerusalem, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond and the nobles' party, Raymond III of Tripoli - Battle of Hattin and death, Raymond III of Tripoli - Physical characteristics, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond in fiction, Raymond III of Tripoli - Sources

Read more here: » Raymond III of Tripoli: Encyclopedia II - Raymond III of Tripoli - Early life

Balian died in 1193. With Maria he had two sons: John of Ibelin was Lord of Beirut and constable of Jerusalem, and Philip of Ibelin acted as Regent of Cyprus. Balian's squire Ernoul, who was with him on the embassy to Tripoli in 1187, wrote an Old French continuation of the Latin chronicle of William of Tyre. William had died in 1186, before the fall of Jerusalem, and Ernoul's chronicle is an important source of information for this period, despite its heavy bias in favour of the Ibelin family and the nobles' faction. Western chronicl ...

See also:

Balian of Ibelin, Balian of Ibelin - Early life, Balian of Ibelin - The nobles' faction, Balian of Ibelin - Dispute between Raymond and Guy, Balian of Ibelin - The Battle of Hattin, Balian of Ibelin - Defense of Jerusalem, Balian of Ibelin - Third Crusade, Balian of Ibelin - Legacy, Balian of Ibelin - Balian in fiction, Balian of Ibelin - Sources

Read more here: » Balian of Ibelin: Encyclopedia II - Balian of Ibelin - Legacy

In Tripoli Raymond made peace with Saladin, perhaps hoping to ally with him against their common enemy Guy. At the end of 1186 Saladin, with his army stationed at Raymond's fief of Tiberias, threatened an invasion of the kingdom when Raynald continued to attack Muslim caravans. An embassy, led by Balian of Ibelin, was sent by Guy to negotiate with Raymond, but Saladin’s troops ambushed them at the Battle of Cresson in May of 1187. Raymond reluctantly made peace with Guy after this, and Saladin immediately besieged Tiberias, rather than pil ...

See also:

Raymond III of Tripoli, Raymond III of Tripoli - Early life, Raymond III of Tripoli - Regent of Jerusalem, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond and the nobles' party, Raymond III of Tripoli - Battle of Hattin and death, Raymond III of Tripoli - Physical characteristics, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond in fiction, Raymond III of Tripoli - Sources

Read more here: » Raymond III of Tripoli: Encyclopedia II - Raymond III of Tripoli - Battle of Hattin and death

William of Tyre described Raymond as: "...a man of slender build, extremely spare, of medium height and swarthy complexion. His hair was straight and rather dark in color. He had piercing eyes and carried his shoulders very erect. He was prompt and vigorous in action, gifted with equanimity and foresight, and temperate in his use of both food and drink, far more than the average man. He showed munificence towards strangers, but towards his own people he was not so lavish. He was fairly well-lettered, an accomplishment which he had acq ...

See also:

Raymond III of Tripoli, Raymond III of Tripoli - Early life, Raymond III of Tripoli - Regent of Jerusalem, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond and the nobles' party, Raymond III of Tripoli - Battle of Hattin and death, Raymond III of Tripoli - Physical characteristics, Raymond III of Tripoli - Raymond in fiction, Raymond III of Tripoli - Sources

Read more here: » Raymond III of Tripoli: Encyclopedia II - Raymond III of Tripoli - Physical characteristics

The Ibelins were partisans of the nobles' faction in the kingdom, made up of the lower nobility and older families who had lived there for generations; this faction was opposed to the new families of recently arrived crusaders, who tended to ally with the royal family. Balian and Baldwin supported Raymond III of Tripoli over Miles of Plancy as regent for King Baldwin IV in 1174, and in 1177 the brothers were present at the Battle of Montgisard, leading the vanguard victoriously against the strongest point of the Muslim line. That year Balian ...

See also:

Balian of Ibelin, Balian of Ibelin - Early life, Balian of Ibelin - The nobles' faction, Balian of Ibelin - Dispute between Raymond and Guy, Balian of Ibelin - The Battle of Hattin, Balian of Ibelin - Defense of Jerusalem, Balian of Ibelin - Third Crusade, Balian of Ibelin - Legacy, Balian of Ibelin - Balian in fiction, Balian of Ibelin - Sources

Read more here: » Balian of Ibelin: Encyclopedia II - Balian of Ibelin - The nobles' faction

The battle is mentioned in a number of contemporary chronicles. These accounts differ considerably, and have never been fully reconciled by historians. Instead historical accounts tend to be dominated by the early interpretations of the Latin De expugnatione Terrae Sanctae libellus. The aforementioned Latin Itinerarium was probably written around 1191 or 1192 by a crusader who had served under Richard I during the unsuccessful Third Crusader. Variations in style and some disorder (especially in the early chapters) indica ...

See also:

Battle of Cresson, Battle of Cresson - Background, Battle of Cresson - The battle, Battle of Cresson - The problem of the sources, Battle of Cresson - Bibliography

Read more here: » Battle of Cresson: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Cresson - The problem of the sources