(1187) plunged Christendom into sorrow. Pope Urban III wrote to all the princes, inviting them to unite against the infidels and launch a third crusade. He instituted fasts and solemn services, promised complete remission of sins to anyone who would take up the cross, and proclaimed universal peace for seven years.

Crusader states (the Principality of Antioch and the County of Tripoli - highlighted in green) at the beginning of the Third Crusade

This time the cross was accepted by three sovereigns. The German emperor summoned all the German princes to a diet in Mainz; the third crusade was preached here: "Frederick could not resist the breath of the Holy Spirit and accepted the cross." To avoid overflowing the army with useless elements, which proved so disastrous for the second crusade of Emperor Conrad, it was forbidden to accept into the army people who did not own at least three marks of silver (150 francs). The German army (about 100 thousand people) went the way of the first crusade - along the Danube and through Bulgaria. She moved almost in perfect order; Frederick Barbarossa divided it into battalions of 500 men, each with a special chief at the head; in addition, he formed a military council of 60 dignitaries.

Frederick Barbarossa - crusader

The Germans in the third crusade first of all had to endure the struggle with the Byzantines. Finally, the Germans received ships, crossed the Hellespont and, having entered the mountains of Asia Minor, began to deepen into a country devastated by wars. Soon they had neither fodder nor supplies; the horses began to fall. Finally, exhausted and exhausted by the incessant attacks of the Turkish horsemen, the crusaders arrived at Iconium. They divided into two detachments: one broke into the city through the gates, the other, led by the emperor himself, defeated the Turks with shouts of “Christ reigns! Christ wins! For several days, the German crusaders of the third campaign rested in the city. Then the army crossed the Taurus along the mountain paths. Finally, she arrived in Syria, in the valley of Seleph, and settled down here to rest; In the evening, Friedrich, having dined on the banks of the river, wanted to bathe in it and was carried away by the current. The Germans were seized with despair and dispersed; most returned to their homeland, the rest went to Antioch, where they were destroyed by an epidemic (June 1190). Thus ended the third crusade for the German army.

The kings of France and England, who fought each other during the crusade, in January 1188 gathered under the Gisors elm, embraced and accepted the cross. They ordered a crusade to be preached in their states and, in order to cover the costs of the war, decided to tax everyone who remained at home with a tax equal to one tenth of his income (this tax was called Saladin's tithe). However, the war resumed. Both kings launched a third crusade only in 1190.

They decided to make a trip by sea. french king Philip August went to Genoa to board ships there. The monarch of England, Richard the Lionheart, went through France and Italy. Both armies joined in Messina. Discord immediately began. The Sicilians looked at these strangers with hatred. Once an English soldier started a quarrel with a merchant over the cost of bread; the people of Messina beat him, rebelled, and locked the gates of the city. Richard took Messina and gave it to the army for robbery (according to legend, it was then that the frightened Sicilians called him the Lionheart). Philip demanded his share of the booty and secretly wrote to the Sicilian king offering him help against the English.

All winter the French and English armies of the third crusade quarreled among themselves, and the knights spent their money. In the spring of 1191 the French crossed into Syria. Part of the English army that followed them was blown to the coast of Cyprus, which was then ruled by the usurper Isaac Komnenos. He robbed several ships; Richard landed on the island, defeated the Greek army located on the coast, and in 25 days conquered the entire island. He took away half of the lands from the population, distributed them to the knights as fief, and placed garrisons in all the fortresses.

When Philip and Richard arrived in Syria, participants in the third crusade from all over Europe had been besieging Saint-Jean d'Acre there for two years. They undertook this siege on the advice of the Jerusalem king Hugo Lusignan, who considered it most necessary to acquire the harbor. Jean d'Acre, built on a rock, was surrounded by a strong wall; the crusaders, having settled down on the plain, surrounded their camp with a moat; their ships blockaded the port. Saladin, who had arrived with his army, camped on a hill on the other side of the city; he communicated with the besieged with carrier pigeons and divers. From time to time, Muslim ships managed to bring provisions to the city.

Siege of Acre - the main military enterprise of the Third Crusade

The siege progressed slowly. The participants of the third crusade, having brought wood from Italy, with difficulty built three siege engines, each five stories high, but the besieged set them on fire. Then the winter rains began, and an epidemic appeared in the camp. In the end, the French arrived with Philip Augustus and the Germans with the Austrian Duke Leopold. Skirmishes continued for several more months. Finally, after a siege of two years, the garrison surrendered; he was allowed to leave on the condition that Saladin pay 200 thousand gold coins, return the Life-Giving Cross and release the Christian captives within 40 days; to secure the treaty, the besieged gave 2,000 hostages (July 1191).

French king Philip Augustus enters Acre, taken by the crusaders (1191)

Skirmishes near Saint-Jean d "Acre brought Richard the glory of the bravest of the leaders of the third crusade. When he returned to the camp, his shield, according to legend, was stung with arrows, like a pillow with needles. He was a monster for Muslims; mothers scared their children: " Be quiet, or I will call King Richard!” When the horse was frightened, the rider asked: "Did you see King Richard?" This ideal knight was rude and cruel. Having entered Saint-Jean d "Acre, he ordered the Austrian banner to be torn off the wall and thrown into the mud. When Saladin was unable to collect the agreed amount within 40 days after the surrender, Richard ordered that 2,000 hostages be taken outside the city walls and executed. Saladin did not give up any money, or captives, or the Life-Giving Cross.

Philip Augustus was in a hurry to return from the third crusade to France and left immediately after the end of the siege, swearing to Richard that he would not attack his possessions. Richard spent his time on small expeditions along the coast. When he finally decided to march on Jerusalem, winter was already approaching; he was overtaken by cold rains and returned to the coast (1192). He rebuilt the fortress of Ascalon; then he went to rescue Saint-Jean d "Acre, which both applicants for the Jerusalem crown disputed with each other (on the one hand, Conrad of Montferrat, supported by the French and Genoese, on the other, Hugo Lusignan with the British and Pisans). Here he learned that his brother John entered into an agreement with the French king, in order to take away his possessions from him; this news prompted him to stop the third crusade and return to Europe. Conrad made an alliance with Saladin, but was suddenly killed by two assassins sent by the Mountain Elder (1192). Saladin died in 1193.

Results of the Third Crusade. Crusader states by 1200. Map

The new German crusading army, which arrived from Italy by sea (1197), helped the Syrian Christians again to seize all the seaside cities; but when the news of the emperor's death was received HenryVI, the Germans scattered, and Jerusalem remained in the power of the Muslims.

At the end of the XII century. Christian possessions in the Levant are being moved. Christians before the third crusade lost their conquests inland and were driven back to the coast. The Kingdom of Jerusalem is limited to Phoenicia alone. Its capital becomes Saint-Jean d "Acre, where the Templars and hospitallers transfer their main abode. The county of Tripoli and the Principality of Antioch are united under the rule of one prince. Edessa is irretrievably lost. Four crusading states of the 12th century. reduced to two.

But in the West, Christians acquired two new states. The island of Cyprus, which Richard conquered during the third crusade and gave to Hugh Lusignan, becomes the Kingdom of Cyprus. On the mainland, the Armenian prince Leo II, who received the title of king from Emperor Henry VI, subjugated all the small Armenian regions of Cilicia; he extended his power beyond the Taurus Mountains: to the west - to the entire coast to the Pamphylian Gulf, to the east - to the plain of the Euphrates. He called European knights and merchants and gave them castles and quarters in cities to live. He turned the Armenian leaders into vassals, their possessions into fiefs. Despite the resistance of the clergy and the lower classes, he adopted the customs and laws of the Frankish crusaders (Assizes of Antioch); he forced his people to recognize the supremacy of the pope. The papal legate arrived in Tarsus to crown Leo king of Armenia. Thus, a new kingdom of Lesser Armenia arose, where a French aristocracy is formed above the lower stratum of the population, retaining its Armenian nationality, and which can be considered as a Frankish state.

Third crusade(1189-1192) was initiated by the popes Gregory VIII and (after the death of Gregory VIII) Clement III. Four of the most powerful European monarchs took part in the Crusade - the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, the French king Philip II Augustus, the Austrian duke - Leopold V (Duke of Austria) and the English king Richard I the Lionheart. The Third Crusade was preceded by Saladin's capture of Jerusalem in October 1187. Records of eyewitnesses of the siege of Jerusalem say:

There were about 20 thousand of us. We went straight to the holy city in order to take the ark from the infidels and hand it over to the authority of the Pope. We came close to the holy city and already saw its walls. Before us appeared a detachment of three hundred warriors. their faces to the nose. We laughed at the army of the infidels and boldly went into battle. but our hypocrisy was dispelled when the first ranks of our troops fell, and the snow-white wars did not receive even a scratch. ranks, killing people with just a touch of the palm. When the seventh part of our army was killed in battle, they drew their sabers. None of us had ever seen such soldiers. With difficulty we managed to kill five, and we captured the sixth during the retreat. Of the 20 thousand most only 5 thousand of the best warriors returned to the camp. I am grateful to the Almighty that I was lucky to survive in that terrible battle. When we brought the prisoner to the camp and told the commander about our defeat, he wished to immediately The prisoner said only a few words in a language I did not know, after which blood stains appeared on his clothes. When we realized that he was dead, the commander ordered to undress him and inspect the weapon. there was a leather vest, similar to a carset. Five knives were attached to it. The soldiers began to be afraid of this land and begged the commander to retreat. But the commander was strict and ordered to wait for the troops who were going to help. We spent another 2 weeks on this terrible land, but did not lose anyone, everyone was alive and well. We were joined a detachment of 5 thousand warriors and we again went to the walls of the city. This time we did not meet those snow-white warriors and entered the city without hindrance. There was not a single person in the city, the warehouses were full of food, the stables were full of lo We entered the city fort and set up camp there. In the morning, only 500 people survived. Our commander was also killed. There was a panic in the army and we retreated from the holy land, swearing to ourselves not to come here again.

For ease of reading, the text has been translated in artistic style.

The position of Christian states in the East. War with Saladin

Meanwhile, in themselves Christian states Palestine notices internal decay, which is used by neighboring Muslim rulers. The licentiousness of morals in the principalities of Antioch and Jerusalem is revealed especially sharply after the end of the Second Crusade. Unfortunately, both in Jerusalem and in Antioch, women are at the head of government: in Jerusalem - Queen Melisinda, mother of Balduen III; in Antioch since 1149 - Constance, widow of Prince Raymond. Court intrigues begin, the throne is surrounded by temporary workers who lacked neither the desire nor the ability to become above the interests of the party. The Muslims, seeing the failure of the attempts of European Christians to liberate the Holy Land, began to advance on Jerusalem and Antioch with greater determination; From the middle of the 12th century, Nuredin, the emir of Aleppo and Mosul, who stood much higher than the Christian sovereigns in his character, mind and understanding of the historical tasks of the Muslim world, acquired special fame and fatal significance for Christians from the middle of the 12th century.

Nuredin turned all his forces against the Principality of Antioch. In the war of Raymond of Antioch with Nuredin, which was fought during 1147-1149, the Antiochians were defeated more than once, in 1149 Raymond himself fell in one of the battles. Since then, things have been no better in Antioch than in Jerusalem. All the events of the second half of the 12th century in the East are mainly grouped around the majestic imposing figure of Nuredin, who is then replaced by the no less majestic Saladin. Possessing Aleppo and Mossul, Nuredin does not confine himself to restricting the Principality of Antioch, he also draws attention to the position of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Back in 1148, the Jerusalem king, sending Conrad to Damascus, made a big mistake, which makes itself felt immediately after the Second Crusade. It entailed a very sad outcome: Damascus, pressed by the Jerusalem crusaders, enters into an agreement with Nuredin, who becomes the ruler of all the largest cities and the main regions belonging to the Muslims. When Nuredin seized Damascus and when the Muslim world saw Nuredin as its most important representative, the position of Jerusalem and Antioch constantly hung in the balance. From this one can see how precarious the position of the Eastern Christians was and how it constantly called for assistance from the West. While Palestine gradually passed into the hands of Nuredin, in the north, the claims of the Byzantine king Manuel Komnenos increased, who did not lose sight of the centuries-old Byzantine policy and used all measures to reward himself at the expense of the weakened Christian principalities. A knight at heart, a highly energetic man who loved glory, King Manuel was ready to carry out the policy of restoring the Roman Empire within its old boundaries. He repeatedly undertook campaigns to the East, which were very successful for him. His policy tended to gradually unite the Principality of Antioch with Byzantium. This is seen, among other things, from the fact that after the death of his first wife, the sister of King Conrad III, Manuel marries one of the princesses of Antioch. The relations that flowed from this were to eventually bring Antioch under the rule of Byzantium. Thus, both in the south, due to the successes of Nuredin, and in the north, due to the claims of the Byzantine king, the Christian principalities in the second half of the 12th century were threatened with an imminent end. It goes without saying that the difficult situation of the Christian East did not remain unknown in the West, and the attitude of the Byzantine king towards Christians could not but arouse hatred towards him on the part of Western Europeans. Thus, more and more hostile voices were heard in the West against Byzantium.

Saladin gave a new direction to affairs in the East; under him, the Egyptian caliphate was united with the Baghdad caliphate. Saladin had all the qualities needed to carry out the ideal tasks of the Muslim world and restore the predominance of Islam. The character of Saladin is revealed from the history of the Third Crusade, from his relationship with the English King Richard the Lionheart. Saladin resembles the traits of a knightly character, and in his political acumen he stood far above his European enemies. Not for the first time during the Third Crusade, Saladin is an enemy of the Christians. He began his activities during the Second Crusade; he participated in the wars of Zengi and Nuredin against the Christians. After the end of the Second Crusade, he went to Egypt, where he acquired great importance and influence on affairs, and soon seized the supreme administration in the Caliphate, while at the same time maintaining ties and relations with the Baghdad Caliphate. After the death of Nuredin, his sons started an internecine struggle. Saladin took advantage of these strife, came to Syria with troops and presented his claims to Aleppo and Mossul. The enemy of Christians, who glorified himself as a conqueror, Saladin combined energy, intelligence and a deep understanding of political circumstances with vast possessions and formidable military forces. The eyes of the whole Muslim world turned to him; Muslim hopes rested on him as a person who could restore the political predominance lost by the Muslims and return the possessions taken by the Christians. The lands conquered by the Christians were equally sacred to both Egyptian and Asiatic Muslims. The religious idea was as deep and real in the East as in the West. On the other hand, Saladin deeply understood that the return of these lands to the Muslims and the restoration of the forces of the Muslims of Asia Minor would raise his authority in the eyes of the entire Muslim world and give a solid foundation to his dynasty in Egypt. Thus, when Saladin seized Aleppo and Mossul in 1183, a very important moment came for the Christians, in which they had to solve very serious problems. But the Christian princes were far below their role and their tasks. At a time when they were surrounded on all sides by a hostile element, they were in the most unfavorable conditions in order to resist their enemies: there was not only no solidarity between the individual principalities, but they were in extreme demoralization; nowhere was there such room for intrigue, ambition, and murder as in the eastern principalities. An example of immorality is the Jerusalem Patriarch Heraclius, who not only resembled the worst popes of Rome, but in many ways surpassed them: he openly lived with his mistresses and squandered all his means and income on them; but he was no worse than the others; no better were princes, barons, knights and clerics. Let us recall the noble Templar Robert of St. Albany, who, having converted to Islam, went to the service of Saladin and took a high position in his army. Complete licentiousness of morals prevailed among those people who had very serious tasks in view of the advancing formidable enemy. The barons and knights, pursuing their personal selfish interests, did not consider it at all shameful at the most important moments, during the battle, to leave the ranks of the Christian troops and go over to the side of the Muslims. This absolute lack of understanding of events played into the hands of such a far-sighted and intelligent politician as Saladin, who fully understood the state of affairs and appreciated all their importance.
If treason and treachery could be expected among the knights and barons, then the main leaders, princes and kings, were no better than them. In Jerusalem sat Baldwin IV, a man devoid of any political sense and energy, who wanted to give up his reign and instead of himself intended to crown his infant son Baudouin V; at the same time, a dispute arose over guardianship: Guido Lusignan, son-in-law of Baudouin IV, and Raymond, count of Tripoli argued. The representative of complete arbitrariness is Renaud de Chatillon, who carried out robbery raids on the Muslim trade caravans coming from Egypt; not only did Raynald incite Muslims against Christians with his raids, but he caused significant harm to the Christian principalities themselves, who lived in these caravans, and undermined the trade of Tyre, Sidon, Ascalon, Antioch and other coastal Christian cities at the very root. During one of these excursions that Raynald made from his castle, he robbed a caravan in which Saladin's mother was also. This circumstance can be considered the closest motive that caused a clash between the Muslim ruler and the Christian princes. Saladin had previously pointed out to the King of Jerusalem the unworthy deeds of Renaud de Chatillon, but the king had no means to curb the baron. Now that an insult to honor and kindred feelings had been inflicted on Saladin, he, despite the truce that had been concluded between him and the Christian princes, declared war on the Christians not to the stomach, but to death. The events that accompanied this war date back to 1187. Saladin decided to punish the King of Jerusalem, both for the misdeeds of Renaud de Chatillon, and in general for the fact that he still supports the shadow of an independent ruler. His troops moved from Aleppo and Mosul and were very significant in comparison with the forces of the Christians. In Jerusalem, it was possible to recruit up to 2 thousand knights and up to 15 thousand infantry, but even these insignificant forces were not local, but were made up of visiting Europeans.
In the battle of July 5, 1187, when the fate of all Christianity was decided, the Christian army did not do without disgusting treason. Near the city of Tiberias, when two hostile troops stood one against the other, ready to join the battle, many of the princes, seeing that the Muslim army outnumbered them, and considering the success of the battle doubtful and even impossible for themselves, defected to the side of Saladin, including and Raymond. It goes without saying that in this state of affairs the Christians could not win battles; the entire Christian army was destroyed; The king of Jerusalem and the prince of Antioch were taken captive. All the prisoners were doomed by Saladin to death; One king of Jerusalem was given life. An insignificant handful of Christians, who escaped from an unfortunate fate by flight, part of the townspeople and ordinary knights, could not take upon themselves the defense of Christian lands. Saladin in a short time managed to take possession of all the coastal castles and fortresses owned by Christians on the coast. mediterranean sea. Only Jerusalem remained in the hands of the Christians, which, as an inland principality, was not such an important political point that Saladin could highly value it; the deep political mind of Saladin clearly understood the importance of seaside trading strongholds. Having taken possession of these points (Beirut, Sidon, Jaffa, Ascalon), cutting off Christians from communication with Western Europe, Saladin could take possession without obstacles and domestic points. Taking the coastal cities, Saladin destroyed the Christian garrisons everywhere and replaced them with Muslim ones. In addition to Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli and Tire remained in the hands of Christians.
In September 1187, Saladin approached Jerusalem. The townspeople thought to resist, so they responded evasively to Saladin's proposal to surrender the city under the condition of granting the besieged freedom. But when a close siege of the city began, the Christians, deprived of organizing forces, saw the impossibility of resistance and turned to Saladin with peace negotiations. Saladin agreed to give them freedom and life for a ransom, and men paid 10 gold coins each, women - 5 each, children - 2 each. Jerusalem was taken by Saladin on October 2. After the capture of Jerusalem, he could no longer meet with obstacles to the conquest of the rest of the Christian lands. Tire survived only due to the fact that it was defended by Count Conrad, who arrived from Constantinople from the house of the Montferrat dukes, distinguished by intelligence and energy.

Preparing for a hike

The news of what had happened in the East was not immediately received in Europe, and the movement began in the West not earlier than 1188. The first news of events in the Holy Land came to Italy. For the pope at that time, there was no room for hesitation. All church policy in the 12th century turned out to be false, all the means used by Christians to hold on to the Holy Land were in vain. It was necessary to uphold both the honor of the church and the spirit of all Western Christianity. Despite any difficulties and obstacles, the pope took under his protection the idea of ​​raising the Third Crusade. In the near future, several definitions were drawn up, with the aim of spreading the idea of ​​a crusade throughout all Western states. The cardinals, amazed by the events in the East, gave the pope the word to take part in raising the campaign and preaching it to go barefoot through Germany, France and England. The pope decided to use all church means to facilitate participation in the campaign, if possible, for all estates. For this, an order was made to stop internal wars, the sale of fiefs was made easier for the knights, the collection of debts was postponed, it was announced that any assistance in the liberation of the Christian East would be accompanied by absolution.
It is known that the Third campaign was carried out under circumstances more favorable than the first two. Three crowned persons took part in it - the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, the French king Philip II Augustus and the English king Richard the Lionheart. There was only a general guiding idea in the campaign. The movement of the crusaders to the Holy Land was directed in different ways, and the very goals of the leaders who participated in the campaign were far from being the same. As a result, the history of the Third Campaign breaks up into separate episodes: the Anglo-French movement, the German movement, and the siege of Acre. The essential question which for a long time prevented the French and English kings from reaching agreement on a campaign depended on the mutual relations of France and England in the twelfth century. The fact is that the Plantagenets, Counts of Anjou and Maine, who received the English throne as a result of the marriage of one of them to the heiress of William the Conqueror, sat on the English throne. Every English king, while remaining at the same time the Count of Anjou and Maine, the Duke of Aquitaine and Guyenne attached here, had to give the French king a fief oath to these lands. By the time of the Third Campaign, the English king was Henry II Plantagenet, and the French king was Philip II Augustus. Both kings found it possible to harm one another due to the fact that their lands in France were adjacent. The English king had his two sons, John and Richard, as rulers of his French provinces. Philip made an alliance with them, armed them against their father, and more than once put Henry of England in a very difficult position. Richard was married to the sister of the French king, Alice, who then lived in England. A rumor spread that Henry II was having an affair with his son's fiancée; it is clear that this kind of rumor must have influenced Richard's disposition towards Henry II. The French king took advantage of this circumstance and began to fan the enmity between his son and father. He incited Richard, and the latter betrayed his father, having sworn an oath to the French king; this fact only contributed to the greater development of enmity between the French and English kings. There was another circumstance that prevented both kings from giving possible first aid to the Eastern Christians. The French king, wanting to stock up on significant funds for the upcoming campaign, announced a special tax in his state under the name of "Saladin's tithe". This tax extended to the possessions of the king himself, secular princes, and even to the clergy; no one, in view of the importance of the enterprise, was exempted from paying "Saladin's tithe". The imposition of tithes on the church, which never paid any taxes, and itself still enjoyed the collection of tithes, aroused discontent among the clergy, which began to put up a barrier to this measure and make it difficult for royal officials to collect Saladin's tithes. But nevertheless this measure was quite successfully carried out both in France and in England and gave a lot of money for the Third Crusade.
Meanwhile, during the collections, disturbed by war and internal rebellions, the English king Henry II died (1189), and the inheritance of the English crown passed into the hands of Richard, a friend of the French king. Now both kings could boldly and amicably begin to implement the ideas of the Third Crusade. In 1190, the kings set out on a campaign. To the success of the Third Crusade big influence had the participation of the English king. Richard, a highly energetic, lively, irritable man, acting under the influence of passion, was far from the idea of ​​​​a general plan, he was looking primarily for chivalrous deeds and glory. In his very preparations for the campaign, the traits of his character were too clearly reflected. Richard surrounded himself with a brilliant retinue and knights, on his army, according to contemporaries, he spent in one day as much as other kings spent in a month. Going on a campaign, he translated everything into money; he either leased his possessions or mortgaged and sold them. Thus, he did indeed raise enormous funds; his army was well armed. It would seem that good cash and a large armed army were to ensure the success of the enterprise. Part of the English army set off from England on ships, while Richard himself crossed the English Channel to join the French king and direct his way through Italy. This movement began in the summer of 1190. Both kings intended to go together, but the large number of troops and the difficulties that arose in the delivery of food and fodder forced them to separate. The French king went ahead and in September 1190 arrived in Sicily and stopped at Messina, waiting for his ally. When the English king also arrived here, the movement of the allied army was delayed by the considerations that it was inconvenient to start a campaign in the autumn by sea; thus both armies spent the autumn and winter in Sicily until the spring of 1191.

Start of the hike

The stay of the allied troops in Sicily was supposed to show both the kings themselves and the people around them the impossibility of joint actions aimed at the same goal. In Messina, Richard began a series of celebrations and holidays, and by his actions put himself in a false position in relation to the Normans. He wanted to dispose of as the sovereign ruler of the country, and the English knights allowed themselves violence and arbitrariness. It was not long before a movement broke out in the city, which threatened both kings; Philip barely had time to put out the uprising, being a reconciling mediator between the two hostile parties. There was another circumstance that put Richard in a false position in relation to both the French and German kings, this was his claim to the Norman crown. The heiress of the Norman crown, daughter of Roger and aunt of William II, Constance, married the son of Frederick Barbarossa Henry VI, the future German emperor; thus the German emperors, by this marriage union, legitimized their claim to the Norman crown.
Meanwhile, Richard, upon his arrival in Sicily, declared his claims to the Norman possessions. In fact, he justified his right by the fact that Joanna, the daughter of the English king Henry II and the sister of Richard himself, was married to the deceased William II. The temporary usurper of the Norman crown, Tancred, held William's widow in honorary custody. Richard demanded that his sister be handed over to him and forced Tancred to give him a ransom for the fact that the English king left him the actual possession of the Norman crown. This fact, which aroused enmity between the English king and the German emperor, was of great importance for the whole subsequent fate of Richard.
All this clearly showed the French king that he would not be able to act on the same plan as the English king. Philip considered it impossible, in view of the critical state of affairs in the East, to remain further in Sicily and wait for the English king; in March 1191 he boarded ships and crossed over to Syria. The main goal that the French king aspired to was the city of Ptolemais (French and German form - Accon, Russian - Acre). This city during the time from 1187-1191. was the main point on which the views and hopes of all Christians were concentrated. On the one hand, all the forces of Christians were sent to this city, on the other hand, Muslim hordes were drawn here. The entire Third campaign focused on the siege of this city; when the French king arrived here in the spring of 1191, it seemed that the French would give the main direction of affairs.
King Richard did not hide the fact that he did not want to act in concert with Philip, relations with whom became especially cool after the French king refused to marry his sister. Richard's fleet, which sailed from Sicily in April 1191, was caught in a storm, and the ship carrying Richard's new bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, was thrown onto the island of Cyprus. The island of Cyprus was at that time in the power of Isaac Komnenos, who had seceded from the Byzantine emperor of the same name. Isaac Komnenos, the usurper of Cyprus, did not distinguish between friends and enemies of the emperor, but pursued his personal selfish interests; he declared his captive the bride of the English king. Thus, Richard had to start a war with Cyprus, which was unforeseen and unexpected for him and which required a lot of time and effort from him. Having taken possession of the island, Richard chained Isaac Komnenos in silver chains; began a series of celebrations that accompanied the triumph of the English king. This was the first time that the English nation had acquired territorial possession in the Mediterranean. But it goes without saying that Richard could not count on a long possession of Cyprus, which was at such a great distance from Britain. At the time when Richard was celebrating his victory in Cyprus, when he was arranging celebration after celebration, Guy de Lusignan, the titular king of Jerusalem, arrived in Cyprus; we call him titular king because de facto he was no longer the king of Jerusalem, he had no territorial possessions, but bore only the name of the king. Guy de Lusignan, who arrived in Cyprus to declare allegiance to the English king, increased the brilliance and influence of Richard, who gave him the island of Cyprus.
Prompted by Guy de Lusignan, Richard finally left Cyprus and arrived at Acre, where for two years, together with other Christian princes, he took part in a useless siege of the city. The very idea of ​​a siege of Acre was highly impractical and downright useless. In the hands of the Christians were also the coastal cities of Antioch, Tripoli and Tire, which could provide them with communication with the West. This idea of ​​a useless siege was inspired by the selfish feeling of such intriguers as Guy de Lusignan. He was envious that Antioch had its own prince, Tripoli had another, Conrad from the house of the Dukes of Montferrat was in Tyre, and he, the king of Jerusalem, had nothing but one name. This purely selfish goal explains his visit to the English king on the island of Cyprus, where he generously lavished declarations of feelings of devotion to Richard and tried to win over the English king. The siege of Acre constitutes a fatal mistake on the part of the leaders of the Third Crusade; they fought, wasted time and energy over a small piece of land, in essence useless to anyone, completely useless, with which they wanted to reward Guy de Lusignan.

The beginning of the Friedrich Barbarossa movement

It was a great misfortune for the whole crusade that, together with the English and French king, the old tactician and clever politician Frederick Barbarossa could not take part in it. Having learned about the state of affairs in the East, Frederick I began to prepare for a crusade; but he started the business differently than the others. He sent embassies to the Byzantine emperor, to the Iconian sultan, and to Saladin himself. Favorable responses were received from everywhere, guaranteeing the success of the enterprise. If Frederick Barbarossa had participated in the siege of Acre, the error on the part of the Christians would have been eliminated by him. The fact is that Saladin had an excellent fleet, which brought him all the supplies from Egypt, and the troops went to him from the middle of Asia - from Mesopotamia; it goes without saying that under such conditions Saladin could successfully withstand the longest siege of the seaside city. That is why all the buildings of Western engineers, towers and battering rams, all the exertion of forces, tactics and mind of Western kings - everything went to dust, turned out to be untenable in the siege of Acre. Frederick Barbarossa would have brought the idea of ​​practice into the crusade and, in all likelihood, would have directed his forces where he should: the war would have to be waged inside Asia, weakening the forces of Saladin inside the country, where there was the very source of replenishment of his troops.
The crusade of Frederick Barbarossa was undertaken with all the precautions that ensured the least possible loss of strength on the way through the Byzantine possessions. Frederick concluded a preliminary agreement with the Byzantine emperor in Nuremberg, as a result of which he was given free passage through the imperial lands and the delivery of food supplies was provided at predetermined prices. There is no doubt that the new movement of the Latin West to the East worried the Byzantine government a lot; in view of the turbulent state of the Balkan Peninsula, Isaac Angel was interested in the exact observance of the agreement. The crusaders had not yet set off on a campaign, when a secret report was received in Byzantium from Genoa about preparations for a campaign to the East. "I have already been informed of this," Isaac wrote in response, "and have taken my own measures." Thanking Baudouin Gvertso for this news, the emperor continues: "And for the future, have the joy of bringing to our attention what you learn and what is important for us to know." Needless to say, despite outward friendly relations, Isaac did not trust the sincerity of the crusaders, and this cannot be blamed on him. The Serbs and Bulgarians were not only at that time on their way to liberation from the power of Byzantium, but were already threatening the Byzantine provinces; Friedrich's undisguised relationship with them was in any case a violation of this fidelity, although the Nuremberg conditions were not provided for. For Byzantium, the intentions of Frederick were very well known to take possession of the Dalmatian coast and connect it with the lands of the Sicilian crown. Although Frederick allegedly rejected the proposals of the Slavs to safely lead him through Bulgaria and did not enter into an offensive alliance with them against Byzantium, it was quite natural for the Byzantines to doubt the purity of his intentions; moreover, it is hardly fair that the proposals of the Slavs were completely rejected, as will be seen from what follows.
May 24, 1189 Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa entered the borders of Hungary. Although King Bela III personally did not dare to participate in the crusade, he showed signs of sincere favor to Frederick. Not to mention the valuable gifts offered to the emperor, he equipped a detachment of 2 thousand people, which was of considerable benefit to the crusaders by their knowledge of local conditions and the choice of paths. Five weeks later, the crusaders were already on the border of the possessions of the Byzantine emperor. Arriving in Branichev on July 2, they entered into direct relations with the emperor's officials for the first time, which at first seemed, however, satisfactory. From Branichev the best road to Constantinople went along the Morava valley to Nis, then to Sofia and Philippopolis. The Greeks, as it were, did not want to lead the Latins in this way and deliberately spoiled it; but people from the Ugric detachment, who knew the routes of communication well, persuaded the crusaders to insist on choosing this particular road, which they undertook to correct and make it passable against the wishes of the Greeks. Noticing here, first of all, that the crusaders were on their way through lands that hardly belonged to Byzantium at that time. The current of the Morava, most likely, was already controversial between the Greeks and Serbs, in other words, there was then neither Byzantine nor any other administration. Gangs of robbers, at their own risk, attacked small groups of crusaders and without the instigation of the Byzantine government. On the other hand, it must be borne in mind that the crusaders themselves did not stand on ceremony with those who fell into their hands: at the fear of others, they subjected those captured with weapons in their hands to terrible tortures.
Around the 25th of July, the ambassadors of Stefan Nemanja came to Frederick, and upon arrival in Nis on the 27th, the emperor received the greatest župan of Serbia. Here, in Nis, negotiations were held with the Bulgarians. It is clear that there were no Byzantine authorities left in Nis, otherwise they would not have allowed Stefan Nemanya to personal explanations with the German emperor, which, in any case, did not tilt in favor of Byzantium. And if the crusaders on the way from Branichev to Nis and then to Sofia were subjected to unexpected attacks and suffered losses in people and trains, then, in fairness, the Byzantine government should hardly be held responsible for this. One only needs to wonder why it never made a corresponding statement to Frederick I and did not draw his attention to the state of affairs on the peninsula. Serbs and Bulgarians offered the crusaders essentially the same thing - an alliance against the Byzantine emperor, but in return they demanded the recognition of a new order on the Balkan Peninsula. Moreover, the Slavs were ready to recognize the protectorate of the Western emperor over themselves if he agreed to secure the conquests made by them at the expense of Byzantium and annex Dalmatia to the Serbs, and if Bulgaria was given to the Asenians in undisputed possession. In particular, the great župan of Serbia asked the consent of the emperor for the marriage of his son with the daughter of Duke Berthold, ruler of Dalmatia. Although it was no secret that this marriage project was connected with plans for the transfer of ownership rights over Dalmatia to the Nemanja house, Friedrich's consent was nonetheless obtained. This circumstance, in conjunction with the new negotiations that took place between the German emperor and the Slavic leaders, makes it possible to raise some doubts against Ansbert's testimony that Frederick's answer in Nis was definitely negative property. With the real goal of the crusade, Frederick, perhaps out of caution and unwillingness to get involved in new complex relations, evaded a direct and decisive answer to the proposals of the Slavs. But we will see later that the Slavic question more than once made him think and hesitate. If Robert Guiscard, Bohemond or Roger had been in Frederick's place, events would have taken a completely different turn and the proposals of the Slavic princes would probably have been appreciated.

Frederick Barbarossa in Byzantine territory. Death of Friedrich

There is no reason not to trust the words of Nikita Acominatus, who accuses of short-sightedness and usual negligence of the then Droma Logothete (John Doukas) and Andronicus Cantacuzenus, who were responsible for conducting the crusading militia. Mutual distrust and suspicions were fueled not only by the fact that the crusaders sometimes did not receive supplies, but also by rumors that the most dangerous passage (the so-called Trajan's Gate), leading through the Balkan Mountains to Sofia to Philippopolis, was occupied by an armed detachment. Of course, it is impossible not to see a violation of the Nuremberg Treaty in the measures that the Byzantine government took to delay the movement of the crusaders: damage to roads, blockade of passes and equipment of an observation detachment; but it tried to explain its precautions and expressed open dissatisfaction with Frederick's relations with the indignant Serbs and Bulgarians. So, when the crusaders were still near Nis, Alexei Guide appeared to them, who expressed a severe reprimand to the governor of Branichev and promised to arrange everything at the request of Frederick, if only he himself forbade the troops to rob the surrounding villages, adding that the Germans should not have any suspicions about the armed a detachment guarding the passes, for this is a precautionary measure against the Župan of Serbia. As the crusaders advanced towards the main pass leading to the Philippopolis plain, the difficulties of the journey increased more and more for them. Small detachments disturbed them with unexpected attacks in the most dangerous places, as a result of which the crusader militia moved slowly and in battle order. The German embassy sent to Constantinople, according to rumors, was received in the most unworthy manner. The closer the crusaders came to Macedonia, the stronger their displeasure against the Greeks grew. For a month and a half they walked from Branichev to Sofia (Sredets); how strained relations were between the Greeks and Germans can be judged from the fact that when the latter reached Sofia on August 13, they found the city abandoned by the inhabitants; needless to say, there were no Byzantine officials here, nor the promised supplies. On August 20, the crusaders made their way through the last pass, which was occupied by a Greek detachment; the latter, however, retreated when the crusaders discovered an attempt to build a road with weapons in their hands. The crusaders approached Philippopolis as enemies of the empire, and from then until the end of October, individual leaders made attacks on cities and villages and behaved in Greek soil just like enemies. If it is impossible to justify the government of Isaac Angelos for distrust of the crusaders, then the actions of the latter cannot be called plausible. Not trusting the Greeks, Friedrich used the services of Ugric guides and a Serbian detachment. No matter how much the crusaders wanted to prove their case, one should not lose sight of the testimony of persons for whom there was no reason to hide the real state of affairs. Frederick did not break off relations with the Slavs, who served him throughout the passage through Bulgaria, although he could not help but know that this fueled the suspicion of Isaac Angel.
In the autumn of 1189, from the time the crusaders occupied Philippopolis, mutual irritation should have increased even more, since the Byzantine observation detachment repeatedly had clashes with the crusaders, and the latter occupied cities and villages with an armed hand. Nevertheless, even by the end of autumn the situation had not been clarified, meanwhile it was dangerous for Frederick to embark on a further journey through Asia Minor without securing accurate and faithful promises from the Greek emperor. To clarify relations, a new embassy was sent to Constantinople, which was instructed to say something like the following: “In vain the Greek emperor does not allow us to go forward; never, now or before, have we plotted evil against the empire. To the Serbian prince, the enemy of the Greek emperor, who came to us in Nis, we never gave either Bulgaria or any other land subject to the Greeks as a beneficiary, and we did not plot anything against the Greek empire with any king or prince. This second embassy managed to help out, however, not without great trouble, the first one, which had previously been sent to Constantinople. All ambassadors returned to Philippopolis on 28 October. The next day, in a solemn assembly of the leaders, the ambassadors reported on what they had experienced in Constantinople, and recounted all that they had seen and heard. “The Emperor not only treated us very badly, but without any hesitation received the ambassador from Saladin and made an alliance with him. And the patriarch, in his sermons, spoken on holidays, called the soldiers of Christ the dogs and inspired his listeners that the most evil criminal, accused of even ten murders, would receive permission from all sins if he killed a hundred crusaders. The assembly listened to such a report before the ambassadors of the Byzantine emperor were brought in. It is not surprising that the negotiations could not be friendly; the Greek ambassadors refused to respond to the arrogant demands of the crusaders. How far the Greeks and crusaders could go in a sense of mutual irritation and suspicion, shows, by the way, the following case. A significant detachment of crusaders, having attacked Hradec, was struck by strange images found in churches and in private houses: the paintings depicted Latins with Greeks sitting on their backs. This embittered the crusaders so much that they set fire to both churches and houses, slaughtered the population and devastated the whole area without regret. In all likelihood, the Latins became furious at the sight of the Doomsday paintings, in which local painters, for certain purposes, could also use Western types. In any case, the custom is excusable, if the hatred and intolerance of the Latins towards the Greeks had not already reached extreme limits. The Byzantine government had every reason to believe that the Serbian prince was acting in alliance with Frederick, and it would be very difficult to prove that Frederick did not encourage Stefan Nemanja in his ambitious plans. At a time when the crusaders were already threatening the capital of the Greek Empire (Adrianople and Dimotika were in the hands of the crusaders), their rear, protected by Serbian troops, was completely safe, so they found it possible to transfer the Philippopolis garrison to Adrianople.
The chroniclers mention many times the ambassadors of the Serbian great župan and the relations between the crusaders and the Slavs. It is known that the most difficult thing was to satisfy the claims of Stefan Nemanya to Dalmatia - a circumstance that could involve Friedrich in unpleasant clashes with the Normans and Ugrians. It is not unimportant that every time Duke Berthold is nominated in negotiations with the Serbs, the same one whose daughter was promised for the son of Stefan Nemanja. In difficult times, when all hope of an agreement with the Byzantine emperor was lost, the help of the Slavs was a true blessing for the crusaders, which they could not neglect in the event of a final break with the Greeks. But since there were still some signs that the Greek emperor was also afraid of a break, the Slavic embassies were listened to, as usual, graciously, small detachments from the Serbs were accepted into the service, but Frederick was afraid to resort to decisive measures during the entire time of his stay on the Balkan Peninsula and the most petty facts and indications of this kind are very curious. In early November, when the crusaders were approaching Adrianople, King Bela III demanded the return of his detachment, and on November 19 the Hungarians decisively declared that they could no longer remain with the crusaders. There is no need to look for other explanations for this act on the part of the Hungarian king, except for dissatisfaction with negotiations with the Slavs. It is clear that Frederick, having got to Bulgaria, set out with new plans and that his relations with the Slavic leaders were not at all included in the considerations of the Hungarian king, who, of course, was on the side of Byzantium regarding the Slavic question. The report of the cleric Eberhard, the ambassador of Emperor Frederick to the Hungarian king, who returned, by the way, with a letter from the latter for Isaac, sheds light on the state of affairs at that time. The letter, however, did not contain anything important: in it, Bela exposed to Isaac what dangers his obstinacy with the crusaders could bring to the empire. But the ambassador could illustrate the content of the letter with personal observations and give it a completely new explanation: “The king,” he said, “is very embarrassed and amazed at the victorious successes of the crusaders and the devastation they brought to the Greek land. When the news was received of the devastation of the Dimotiki region by the crusaders, the king completely changed in his treatment of the ambassador. Since then, he was no longer as kind and merciful as before: the ambassador did not receive any more fodder or pocket money from the royal chamber. Between other news, the same cleric Eberhard reported that, while traveling through Bulgaria, he found all the graves of the crusaders who died on the way dug up, and that the corpses were pulled out of the coffins and were lying on the ground.
By the beginning of 1190, the crusaders were still exchanging embassies with the Greek emperor, but they could not reach any agreement. Frederick, it seems, was seriously considering using the services of Peter, the leader of the Bulgarians, who offered to field 40,000 Bulgarians and Cumans by the spring, with which reinforcements it would be possible to make an attempt to pave the way to Asia Minor, and in addition to the consent of the Greeks. But the German emperor had for this not only to recognize the freedom of Bulgaria, but also to secure the imperial title for Peter. Understanding the importance of the position and the responsibility for such a step, Frederick nevertheless did not refuse Peter's proposal and tried to preliminarily evaluate all the means that the Slavs could deliver to him. So, on January 21, 1190, on the one hand, he negotiated with the ambassadors of the Byzantine emperor, on the other hand, he inquired through the Duke of Dalmatia about the intentions and location of Stefan Nemanya. Many hopes could not be placed on the latter, since at that time he began to wage war on his own fear and was busy with enterprises on the border of Serbia and Bulgaria. It is possible to explain to some extent the motives for which Frederick, even in January 1190, still hesitated to take on the task of resolving the Slavic question, to which circumstances prompted him. For him, there was still hope, having eliminated the help of the Slavs, which was associated with unpleasant and difficult obligations, to receive help from Europe by the spring. In these considerations, he wrote to his son Heinrich: “Since I do not hope to make a crossing over the Bosphorus, unless I receive the most chosen and noble hostages from Emperor Isaac or subjugate all of Romania to my authority, then I ask your royal majesty to send deliberate ambassadors to Genoa, Venice , Antioch and Pisa and other places and send auxiliary detachments on ships so that, having arrived in time for Tsaregrad in the month of March, they began to lay siege to the city from the sea when we surround it from land. By mid-February, however, relations were settled: on February 14, in Adrianople, Frederick signed the terms on which the Byzantine emperor agreed to allow the crusaders to cross into Asia Minor.
The stay of Frederick I in Bulgaria, in any case, was not useless for the Bulgarians and Serbs. The former, encouraged by the German emperor, violated the peace that had previously been concluded with the Greeks, and although they were deceived in the hope of pushing the Greeks along with the Germans, they nevertheless took advantage of the confusion in Constantinople not without profit and, in the subsequent struggle against Byzantium, took decisive offensive actions. The Serbs, having at the same time considerably expanded their possessions to the northeast of Morava and southwest to Sofia, came to realize the importance of simultaneous actions with the Bulgarians: they made an alliance with Peter and Asen and since then have been doing the same thing with them business. No matter how evasive the promises of Frederick I were, he nevertheless did not interrupt negotiations with the Slavs and nourished in them a mood hostile to Byzantium. Let him not conclude either with the Bulgarians or with the Serbs an agreement that would oblige both of them to put up 60 thousand troops by the spring (from the Bulgarians 40 and from the Serbs 20 thousand); but the troops were gathered and, without the participation of the crusaders, they began to conquer cities and regions from Byzantium. The march of the crusaders was accompanied by all the consequences of the enemy invasion, causing new dissatisfaction with the Byzantine government in Bulgaria: fugitive, hungry, deprived of homes and prosperity, the settlers had to stick to the Bulgarian or Serbian leaders.
The crossing of the Crusaders across the Bosporus began on March 25, 1190. The path of Frederick went through the western regions of Asia Minor, partly devastated due to wars with the Seljuks, partly occupied by these latter. The Turkic detachments disturbed the crusaders and forced them to be constantly on their guard. Christians in particular suffered from a lack of food and fodder for beasts of burden. In May, they approached Iconium, won a significant victory over the Seljuks and forced them to give provisions and hostages. But in Cilicia, the German army suffered a misfortune that ruined their entire enterprise. June 9, when crossing mountain river Salef, Friedrich was carried away by the stream and pulled out of the water lifeless.
The significance of Frederick was fully appreciated by Saladin and fearfully awaited his arrival in Syria. In fact, Germany seemed ready to correct all the mistakes of previous campaigns and restore the dignity of the German name in the East, when an unexpected blow destroyed all good hopes. Part of the German detachment refused to continue the campaign and returned by sea to Europe, part, led by Duke Frederick of Swabia, entered the Principality of Antioch, and then in the autumn of 1190 the miserable remnants of the Germans joined the Christian army near Acre, where they did not have to play an important role.

Siege of Acre

From 1188 to 1191 the Christian princes came under the walls of Acre one by one; there was not a single time when all the available forces of Christians coming from the West were concentrated here at the same time. Part of the Christians who arrived near Acre died under the blows of the Muslims, from disease and hunger; it was replaced by another detachment and in turn suffered the same fate. In addition, for Christians, there were a lot of other difficulties that weighed heavily on the course of the whole thing. The Christians besieged the city from the sea - the only part of the city on which they could direct their siege weapons. Inner part was occupied by the troops of Saladin, who communicated conveniently and easily with Mesopotamia, which served for him as a source of replenishment of his military forces. Thus the Christians come under Acre one by one, exposing themselves to the blows of the Muslims, never joining their forces, while Saladin constantly renewed his troops with fresh influxes of Muslims from Mesopotamia. It is clear that the Christians were in very unfavorable conditions, Saladin could long and vigorously defend Acre. In addition, timber was needed for the siege of the city; near the Christians could not get it anywhere, but had to get it construction material from Italy.
In the war, the Italians, especially the coastal cities - Venice, Genoa and Pisa, whose trading interests in the East forced them to take a large part in the Crusades, alternately gained the upper hand, then the French, then the Germans, then the British - depending on what kind of people in this moment was in greater numbers. This uncomfortable position was joined by the rivalry of the Eastern leaders. Guy de Lusignan was at enmity with Conrad of Montferrat. Their rivalry also divided the crusader camp into two hostile parties: the Italian peoples concentrated around the prince of Tyre, the British took the side of Guy. Thus, the case under Acre, not only in its purpose, but also in relation to the peoples participating in it, could not end in a favorable way for Christians. Inconveniences in the delivery of timber slowed down the enterprise, and untimely delivery, and sometimes a lack of food supplies, hunger and pestilence weakened the Christian army. In the summer of 1191, the French and English kings came near Acre, on whom Eastern Christians placed great hopes. In addition to these two kings, another crowned person came - the Duke of Austria Leopold V. Now it was to be expected that things would go in the right way, according to a certain plan. But, unfortunately, no such plan was worked out by the representatives of the Christian nations. The personal relations of the French and English kings, the most important persons in terms of their military forces, became clear back in Messina: they parted, if not enemies, then not friends. When Richard took possession of Cyprus, the French king laid claim to part of the conquered island by virtue of an agreement concluded between them during the preparations for the campaign - an agreement by which both kings undertook to equally divide among themselves all the lands that they conquer in the East. Richard did not recognize the rights of the French king to Cyprus: "The agreement, - he said, - concerned only the lands that would be conquered from the Muslims." Under Acre, the misunderstandings of the two kings became more acute. We have seen that Richard, while in Cyprus, spoke in favor of Guy de Lusignan; Philip Augustus took the side of [[Conrad of Montferrat|Conrad of Montferrat, who may have won the sympathy of the French king for the heroic defense of Tyre, but perhaps in this case Philip was led by a personal dislike of Richard. Thus, neither the French nor the English king was able to combine their forces and act according to one plan. The personal characters of the kings also separated them. Richard's chivalrous nature was highly sympathetic to Saladin; sympathy was immediately revealed between the Muslim ruler and the English king, they began to exchange embassies, show signs of attention to each other. This behavior of Richard had an unfavorable effect on his authority among Christians; the idea was established in the army that Richard was ready to change. Thus, in Richard, all his strength, all power and energy was paralyzed; at the same time, the French king did not have enough personal energy to transfer the main line of the siege to himself. So all the benefits, all favorable conditions were on the side of Saladin.
In July, Acre was brought to exhaustion and the garrison began negotiating surrender. Saladin was not averse to making peace, but too harsh conditions were proposed by the Christians: the Christians demanded the surrender of Acre, the Muslim garrison of the city would receive freedom only when Jerusalem and other areas conquered by Saladin were returned to the Christians; in addition, Saladin had to give 2,000 hostages from noble Muslims. Saladin apparently agreed to all these conditions. Christian princes, in view of the imminent surrender of the city, began to vigilantly ensure that provisions were not delivered to the city. On July 12, 1191, Acre was surrendered to the Christians. The fulfillment of the preliminary conditions of peace soon met with an obstacle. Meanwhile, during the occupation of Acre, very serious misunderstandings took place among the Christians. The Duke of Austria Leopold V, having taken possession of one of the walls of the city, put up the Austrian banner: Richard I ordered to tear it down and replace it with his own; this was a strong insult to the entire German army; from that time on, Richard acquired an implacable enemy in the person of Leopold V. In addition, the Western princes put themselves in a false relationship with the native population of the city. During the occupation of Acre, it turned out that a significant part of the urban population consisted of Christians, who, under the rule of the Muslims, enjoyed various kinds of privileges. After the liberation of Acre from the Muslims, both the French and the British wanted to seize more power in the city and began to oppress the population; the kings did not care that other points of the agreement were executed by the Muslims. The French king reached the point of extreme irritation; Philip's dislike of Richard fanned rumors that the English king was plotting to sell the entire Christian army to the Muslims and was even preparing to encroach on Philip's life. Annoyed, Philip left Acre and went home. It goes without saying that the untimely return of the French king caused a significant damage to the cause of the crusade. The main role remained with Richard, who, with his ardent knightly character, devoid of political instinct, was a weak rival to Saladin, an intelligent and cunning politician.
During the siege of Acre, the Bremen and Lübeck merchants, following the example of other military-religious orders that arose during the First Crusade, arranged a brotherhood at their own expense, which had the goal of helping the poor and sick Germans. Duke Friedrich of Swabia accepted this brotherhood under his protection and interceded in favor of his papal charter. This institution subsequently acquired a military character and is known under the name of the Teutonic Order.

End of the hike

Philip, who arrived in France, began to take revenge on the English king in his French possessions. The English kingdom was then ruled by Richard's brother John (the future English king John the Landless), with whom Philip entered into a relationship. Philip's actions to harm Richard were in direct violation of the agreement they had made during the preparations for the crusade. According to this agreement, the French king, during the absence of the English king, did not have the right to attack his possessions and could declare war on him only 40 days after Richard returned from the campaign. Needless to say, Philip's breach of treaty and his encroachment on Richard's French dominions must have had a detrimental effect on the spirit of the English king.
Richard, remaining in Acre, expected Saladin to fulfill the remaining points of the peace treaty. Saladin refused to recapture Jerusalem, did not release the captives, and did not pay the military costs. Then Richard took one step which frightened all Muslims and which must be considered the most characteristic of the sad fame that Richard acquired in the East. Richard ordered to kill up to 2 thousand noble Muslims who were in his hands as hostages. Such facts were an unusual phenomenon in the East and caused only anger on the part of Saladin. Saladin was not slow to respond in kind.
Richard did not take any decisive and correct action against Saladin, but limited himself to small attacks. These raids for the purpose of robbery characterize, it is true, the time of chivalry, but in addition to the head of the crusader militia, which represents the interests of all Christian Europe, they denounced only the inability to get down to business. Since Saladin sacrificed Acre, the Christians should not have allowed him to fortify elsewhere, but should have immediately marched on Jerusalem. But Guido Lusignan, that nominal king without a kingdom, whose enmity towards Conrad of Montferrat can only be explained by envy, persuaded Richard to clear the coastal strip of Muslims first of all; Guido Lusignan was also supported by the Venetians, who pursued commercial goals: it was more convenient for them that the coastal cities were owned by Christians, and not by Muslims. Richard, succumbing to this influence, moved from Acre to Ascalon - an enterprise completely useless, which was inspired by the commercial interests of the Italian cities and the ambition of Guido.
Saladin himself did not expect such a senseless move on the part of Richard; he decided on an emergency remedy; ordered to tear down the strong walls of Ascalon and turn the city itself into a heap of stones. Throughout the autumn of 1191 and the spring of 1192, Richard stood at the head of the crusader militia. All this time he lost in the pursuit of false plans and unnecessary tasks and made it clear to his talented opponent that he was dealing with a very short-sighted person. More than once, the task seemed quite clear to Richard - to go straight to Jerusalem; his army itself was aware that it had not yet fulfilled its task and urged the king to do the same. Three times he was already on his way to Jerusalem, three times wild ideas forced him to stop the march and move back.
By the beginning of 1192, news had come to Asia from France, which had a strong effect on Richard. At the same time, a fact was taking place in the East which made Richard apprehensive about the outcome of the undertaking. Conrad of Montferrat understood that with Richard's tactlessness, the Christians would hardly be able to defeat Saladin, went over to the side of the latter, reprimanded Tire and Acre for himself and promised to unite with him and destroy Richard with one blow. Then Richard, placed in the highest degree of embarrassment by affairs in the East, and worrying about his English possessions, which were threatened by the French king, used all means to enter into relations with Saladin. In dreamy self-deception, he drew up a completely unworkable plan. He invited Saladin to connect with him by ties of kinship: he offered to marry his sister Joanna to Saladin's brother Malek-Adel. The idea is dreamy in the highest degree and cannot satisfy anyone. Even if such a marriage could take place, it would not satisfy Christians; the lands sacred to them would still remain in the hands of the Muslims.
"Finally, Richard, who, by staying longer in Asia, risked losing his crown, concluded a treaty with Saladin on September 1, 1192. This world, shameful for the honor of Richard, left behind the Christians a small coastal strip from Jaffa to Tire, Jerusalem remained in the power of the Muslims, the Holy Cross was not returned. Saladin gave the Christians peace for three years. At this time, they could freely come to worship holy places. Three years later, the Christians were obliged to enter into new agreements with Saladin, which, of course, were supposed to be worse than the previous ones. This inglorious world was a heavy accusation against Richard. Contemporaries even suspected him of treason and betrayal; Muslims reproached him for excessive cruelty. In October 1192 Richard I left Syria. For him, however, returning to Europe presented considerable difficulties, since he had enemies everywhere. After much hesitation, he decided to land in Italy, from where he planned to make his way to England. But in Europe, all the enemies guarded him, of whom Richard I had a lot (he was in a quarrel with the French, German kings and the Austrian duke, because he insulted the Austrian banner in Acre). "" Near Vienna in the Duchy of Austria, he was recognized, captured and imprisoned by Duke Leopold V, where he was kept for about two years. Only under the influence of the pope and the strong excitement of the English nation, he received freedom. For his freedom, England paid Leopold V up to 23 tons of silver.

Transition to Ascalon

Battle of Arsuf

The crusader army under the command of Richard undertook a march south along the coast of Syria to the city of Arsuf. Coming out of the forest that served them as a cover, the Latins had to somehow cover a distance of 10 km in one day, which is quite a lot, given the fact that they were under constant enemy attacks. In an effort to protect his forces as much as possible from the "fire" of the Muslim horse archers, Richard arranged them in a "box" formation. The knights and their horses were covered by a barrier of foot soldiers. Only riders of military orders were at risk. The Templars marched in the vanguard, while the Hospitallers had the role of closing in the column. Under the scorching heat and under the rain of arrows from the mounted archers of the Muslims, the crusaders slowly advanced towards the goal. At some point, the hospitallers could not stand it - they were losing too many horses - and hit the pressing enemy. Richard managed to respond correctly to the changing situation in a timely manner, moved the rest of the forces into battle and completed the day with a victory over the enemy.

Attack on Jerusalem

The main action was performed by the English king Richard I the Lionheart, because he undertook to capture Jerusalem. He was joined by Germany - the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, France - King Philip II Augustus, Austria - Duke Leopold V. Having started the campaign, they stopped in Messina - a port overlooking the holy land. Richard, looking forward to victory, organized a feast. Having set off across the Mediterranean Sea, they landed in Cyprus, standing on the way to Jerusalem. Cyprus, brilliantly taken by the Christian army, strengthened the influence of Richard. The English king gave the island to one of the revered heads of the Templar Order, Guius de Luzenyan, who swore allegiance to him. Saracen caravans were destroyed with Rene de Châtinenon, which greatly undermined the truce with Saladin. The army bearing the cross continued on its way to Jerusalem. When crossing the river Frederick I, Barbarossa fell off his horse and choked, it was a bad sign - Richard's nobles decided, but the king did not pay attention.

Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, commander and Muslim leader of the 12th century, is perhaps the only Muslim ruler who has been compared with the Prophet Muhammad. Saddam Hussein, having captured Kuwait, was pleased to call himself "the new Saladin."

most brief description this ruler, perhaps, will become one of his habits: in the saddle he read the Koran.

Saladin (or rather, Yusuf ibn Ayyub, and Saladin, Salah ad-Din is just an honorary nickname meaning “Right of Faith”) was born in Tikrit (now Iraq) in 1138 in a Kurdish family. His father Nayyim ad-Din Ayyub was the ruler of Baalbek. In Damascus, young Saladin received a versatile education (including theological) and was introduced at the court of the then caliph Hyp ad-Din (Nureddin), where many of his relatives served.

Under the leadership of one uncle Shirkah, Saladin went to war with the Fatimid Caliphate, where he learned martial arts. In 1164 Saladin, already right hand commander Nurad-Din in the war, participated in the liberation of Egypt from the crusaders.

After the death of Nurad-Din, Salah-ad-Din led the Arab army and fought with the crusaders and their states in the Holy Land. Together with the title of commander-in-chief of the Muslim army, Salah ad-Din received in 1169 the title of vizier of Egypt conquered by the Muslims.

Sunni Saladin could not greatly influence the Egyptian army, where the Shiite caliph al-Adid ruled. But when he died in September 1171, Saladin ordered the name of al-Mustadi, the Caliph of Baghdad, to be proclaimed before Friday prayers. In fact, it was the taking of all power and the removal of the former rulers. Officially, Saladin was the governor of the Seljuk Sultan Hyp ad-Din, but he ruled himself. He revived the economy, reformed the army. But being a wise man, in every possible way he avoided any conflicts with Hyp ad-Din, his nominal overlord. It was only after his death in 1174 that Saladin proclaimed himself Sultan of Egypt and became the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. For ten years, Saladin annexed lands to Egypt, in 1174 he captured Hama and Damascus, in 1175 - Aleppo. In October 1187, Saladin occupied Jerusalem.

King Baudouin IV of Jerusalem was a weak politician, and realizing that he did not fit such a position, he decided to crown his infant son Baudouin V, but a dispute arose over guardianship. It was claimed by Guido Lusignan, son-in-law of Baudouin IV, and Raymond, Count of Tripoli.

Renaud de Châtillon, a Jerusalem aristocrat, regularly plundered Muslim caravans coming from Egypt, although this caused discontent not only among Muslims, but also among Christians, whose trade he indirectly undermined. Once Renault robbed a caravan in which Saladin's mother was. This was hardly such a strong reason for Saladin's attack on the Christian kingdom, but it undoubtedly served as some additional impetus for such a decision. Despite the existing truce, he declared war, and his powerful army moved from Aleppo and Mosul. In Jerusalem, only about 2 thousand knights and 15 thousand infantry were recruited, and the army advanced to the city of Tiberias to meet Saladin. Several Christian princes, including Count Raymond, seeing the size of the Muslim army, without hesitation went over to the side of Saladin. The Christian army was destroyed, the king of Jerusalem and the prince of Antioch were captured. All prisoners, except the king, were executed. In a short time, Saladin took possession of all the Christian coastal castles and fortresses on the Mediterranean coast. Saladin was well aware of the value of seaside trade fortified points, and therefore, having taken them, he was in no hurry to conquer further Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli and Tyre.

In September 1187, Saladin approached Jerusalem and offered to surrender the city under the condition of granting freedom to the inhabitants, but they refused. But when the siege of the city began, the Christians, seeing the impossibility of resistance, decided to surrender, but Saladin had already demanded a ransom for each life: 10 gold coins from a man, 5 from a woman, and 2 gold coins from children.

On October 2, the defeated city, having prepared a generous ransom, opened the gates. Soon the remaining Christian cities, except for Tire, who came to defend from Constantinople Count Conrad from the house of the Montferrat dukes.

For the liberation of Jerusalem, the third Crusade was assembled. And it was after the battles of Saladin with the participants of this campaign that he became a terrible monster for the Europeans, who scare children.

The Third Crusade, which took place in 1189-1192, was initiated by Pope Gregory VIII and supported by Clement III after his death. Four of the most powerful European monarchs took part in the Crusade - the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, the French King Philip II Augustus, the Austrian Duke Leopold V (Duke of Austria) and the English King Richard I the Lionheart.

In the summer of 1190, the kings set out on a campaign. Richard, a man of passions, surrounded himself with a brilliant retinue and knights, and, according to his contemporaries, spent on his army as much in a day as other kings spent in a month. Going on a campaign, he either leased his possessions, or mortgaged, or sold, and his army was distinguished by the best weapons. Part of the English army went to Asia on ships, Richard himself crossed the English Channel to connect with the French king and go through Italy. Both kings thought to go together, but the large number of troops and the difficulties encountered in supplying food and fodder forced them to separate. The French king went ahead and in September 1190 arrived in Sicily and stopped in Messina. Richard approached in the autumn, and it was decided to postpone the campaign until spring.

Friedrich Barbarossa

Richard the Lionheart

Leopold V. Painting by Hans Part (1489 - 1492)

Joint wintering did not benefit the kings. Richard declared his claims to the Norman possessions, to which he really had some kind of vague right, but which the German king also claimed, citing his strong arguments. This quarrel later affected the campaign not in the best way. As well as the behavior of the English knights in Sicily: the local population refused to tolerate their violent behavior, and it almost came to an uprising, which Philip calmed down by acting as an intermediary. By spring, the French king realized that he was not on the way with the British, and in March 1191 he crossed to Syria, from where he marched to the city of Ptolemais (in Russian - Acre). Both Christian and Muslim forces were already drawn here.

Richard did not hide the fact that he did not want to have anything to do with Philip, after property disputes, and especially after he refused to marry his sister. Richard's fleet departed from Sicily in April 1191, but got into a storm, and the ship on which Richard's new bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, rode, was thrown onto the island of Cyprus, which was at that time in the power of Isaac Komnenos. Isaac declared the bride of the English king his prisoner, and Richard was forced to start a war with Cyprus, which required a lot of time and effort. Having taken possession of the island, Richard chained Isaac Comnenus in silver chains and began to celebrate the acquisition of England's first possession in the Mediterranean. Soon the titular king of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, arrived there, and Richard from the breadth of his soul ... gave him the conquered island. However, there was nothing extravagant in this: England still would not have been able to keep the territory so far from it.

After that, Richard arrived at Acre, where for two years, together with other kings, he took part in the siege of the city. Acre, in fact, would not add anything to the strategic position of the Christians, and it was a waste of time, money, effort and lives, only for the sake of Guy de Lusignan, who was left without the throne.

Meanwhile, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa also decided to take part in the campaign. On May 4, 1189, intending to go through Byzantium, he entered the borders of Hungary. Having been bogged down in diplomatic squabbles in Europe for a long time, Frederick crossed the Bosporus only on March 25, 1190. Frederick's path continued through the western regions of Asia Minor, partly devastated by the Seljuks, partly occupied by them. In May, Frederick approached Iconium and defeated the Seljuks, forcing them to give him provisions and hostages. But in Cilicia, on June 9, while crossing the mountain river Salef, Friedrich was carried away by the stream and drowned. Part of the German detachment returned by sea to Europe, and part, under the leadership of Duke Frederick of Swabia, went to Acre, where they arrived in the autumn.

Saladin, constantly renewing his forces from Mesopotamia, steadfastly held the line, while Christians died by the thousands. But at last, in July, Acre was brought to exhaustion, and Saladin began negotiations for surrender. He wanted to conclude a mutually beneficial peace, but the Christians demanded the surrender of Acre, the return of Jerusalem and other areas conquered by Saladin, as well as 2,000 hostages from noble Muslims.

On July 12, 1191, Acre was surrendered to the Christians. The Duke of Austria, entering the city, raised the German flag, but Richard ordered it to be torn down and replaced with his own. The insult to the entire German army was very strong. Quarrels began again between the kings, and Philip left Acre and went home. Once in France, he began to take revenge on the English king in his French possessions. Meanwhile, according to the agreement concluded before the campaign, the kings did not have the right to attack each other in someone's absence and not earlier than forty days after the return of the one on whose land the troops were to enter from the campaign. All these acts of optimism did not add to Richard. In addition, Saladin refused to return Jerusalem, did not release the captives and did not pay military costs. And Richard did an act that frightened and shocked the enemy army. He ordered to slaughter 2,000 noble Muslims who were in his hands as hostages. It cannot be said that Muslims always kept their word, look at the same Saladin, but this act was still out of the ordinary in their understanding. And Saladin was not slow to respond in kind: there were many Christian prisoners in his hands. After that, the inconsistent Richard did not take decisive action against Saladin, but limited himself to minor skirmishes. And then, in general, instead of storming Jerusalem, he went to liberate the coastal cities, in particular Ascalon. He ordered to tear down the walls of Ascalon and turned the whole city into a heap of stones. He did not forget about the task of the Crusade and even advanced towards Jerusalem three times, but each time something distracted him. According to historians, things distracted him, to put it mildly, very insignificant.

For example, Richard was visited by one amazing idea from the same area: he proposed to Saladin to intermarry: he wanted to marry his sister Joanna to Saladin's brother Malek-Adel. Not taking into account the general unrealizability of the idea, if we assume that the marriage would take place, the lands of the Christians would still remain under the Muslims.

Finally, on September 1, 1192, Richard concluded a shameful treaty with Saladin, according to which the Christians had a small coastal strip from Jaffa to Tyre, and Jerusalem was given to the Muslims. Saladin allowed Christians to freely make pilgrimages to holy places for three years, and after that a new treaty was to be signed, even tougher than the previous one. In October 1192, despised by Muslims and Christians alike, Richard left Syria. He landed in Italy, from where he wanted to make his way to England. But near Vienna, he was recognized, captured and imprisoned by Duke Leopold, where he was kept for about two years and was released only under strong pressure from the Pope.

Of the hundred thousand warriors who went on this completely mediocre campaign, thanks to Richard the Lionheart, only five thousand returned to Europe.

The Ayyubid dynasty founded by Saladin ruled until 1250. All immigrants from the Ayub clan had separate provinces under independent rule, and in 1238 the state broke up into appanages.

In 1250, the Mamluks killed the last Ayyubid sultan and seized power.

In 1198, Innocent III became Pope, who decided to become the head of the next Crusade and thereby restore the authority of Rome. The Pope sent legates to all Catholic countries demanding that the fortieth part of the state property be given for a new campaign, and he promised all the knights who would participate in the war for the Holy Land to be exempted from tax duty, the cancellation of all debts, the safety and inviolability of property. This attracted a huge number of poor people and debtors who planned to improve their financial affairs at the expense of the campaign.

Crusader troops gathered by the summer of 1200 in France. In 1201, the Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, signed an agreement with the crusader ambassadors, according to which Venice joined the Crusade and was obliged to transport 4,500 knights, 9,000 squires and 20,000 infantry, subject to the payment of 85 thousand silver marks. In June 1202, the ships were ready, but by that time only a third of the troops had reached Venice, and besides, the crusaders could not collect the amount necessary to pay for the crossing.

Dream of Innocent III. Painting by Giotto (1297 - 1299)

The Doge offered the leader of the campaign, the Marquis of Montferrat Boniface, a reprieve if the crusaders helped Venice capture the Dalmatian port of Zadar, which had shortly before passed under the rule of the Hungarian king, a Christian. Despite the prohibition of the Pope and part of the crusaders, who simply left the camp and went home, on November 24, 1202, Zadar was taken by storm and plundered. It was already too late to undertake the crossing, and the expedition decided to spend the winter in Zadar. Three days later, a real battle broke out between the Franks and the Venetians, resulting in many casualties. Innocent III excommunicated all the participants in the sack of Christian Zadar from the Church, but soon left the excommunication only for the Venetians, although he allowed the crusaders to use the Venetian fleet to send their troops to conquer Jerusalem.

But the Venetians suggested that the crusaders once again deviate from the route and landed them in Byzantium, not far from Constantinople.

The pretext for the attack on Constantinople was the struggle for the Byzantine throne, and the crusaders were going to restore on the throne the legitimate, in their opinion, Emperor Isaac II Angel. Constantinople was taken. Isaac II Angel promised a reward for his accession, which would be enough to get to Jerusalem without much hardship, but, once on the throne, he changed his mind. Soon an uprising took place in Constantinople, the emperor and his son were deposed. It was already clear that there would be no compensation. The crusaders were very offended and, having captured Constantinople for the second time, they plundered it for three days, starting on April 13, 1204. Part of the population died, many Christian relics were plundered, Orthodox churches were devastated, many monuments of ancient art destroyed.

Second conquest of Constantinople

Another crusading state arose - the so-called Latin Empire, the crusaders themselves called it the Roman Empire. Part of the land went to Venice, the power of the Orthodox emperor was preserved in Asia Minor in the so-called Empire of Nicaea.

The Byzantines, having enlisted the support of the Turks and the rival of Venice - Genoa, began to conquer territory beyond the territory from the Latin Empire and in 1261 again captured Constantinople. The Latin Empire fell, but Byzantium never recovered from the shock.

The Fourth Crusade, which turned from a “road to the Holy Sepulcher” into a Venetian commercial enterprise, not only destroyed the Christian empire of Byzantium, which held back the Muslim conquests with its power, but also brought a deep split into Christianity.

Third crusade(1189 - 1192) was initiated by the Roman popes Gregory VIII and (after the death of Gregory VIII) Clement III.
In this crusade holy land Four of the most powerful European monarchs took part - the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, the French King Philip II Augustus, the Austrian Duke Leopold V and the English King Richard I the Lionheart.
The position of Christian states on holy land after Second crusade remained in the same condition in which it was before 1147.
In the Christian states of Palestine themselves, internal decay is noticed, which is used by the neighboring Muslim rulers. The licentiousness of morals in the principalities of Antioch and Jerusalem is revealed especially sharply after the end of Second crusade .
In the early 80s of the XII century in the Kingdom of Jerusalem on holy land 40,000-50,000 people lived, of which no more than 12,000 were Latins (Christians with Western European roots). The rest were the indigenous inhabitants of this country: "Eastern" Christians, Muslims, Jews, Samaritans. 5

On the holy land the power and influence of the military-monastic orders (Templars and Hospitallers) increased, at their disposal was the vast majority of Christian castles and fortresses, which only they could effectively defend.
Theoretically, the defense of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was the duty of all Western European Christianity, but in reality, after the failure Second crusade in 1148, the Latin states had to rely only on their own strength. Their rulers needed a large number of professional warriors and financial support, and not alien hordes of warlike crusaders, which were removed home, agitating the Muslim world. 5

While Palestine gradually passed into the hands of Nuredin, in the north, the claims of the Byzantine king Manuel I Komnenos increased, who did not lose sight of the centuries-old Byzantine policy and used all measures to reward himself at the expense of the weakened Christian principalities.
Knight in his soul, a man of the highest energy, who loves glory, Tsar Manuel was ready to carry out the policy of restoring the Roman Empire within its old boundaries. He repeatedly undertook campaigns to the East, which were very successful for him.
His policy tended to gradually unite the Principality of Antioch with Byzantium. This is seen, among other things, from the fact that after the death of his first wife, the sister of King Conrad III, Manuel marries one of the princesses of Antioch. The relations that flowed from this were to eventually bring Antioch under the rule of Byzantium. four
Thus, both in the south, due to the successes of the Muslims, and in the north, due to the claims of the Byzantine king, the Christian principalities holy land in the second half of the twelfth century, a close end threatened.
The self-confidence of the military elite of the Latin states was still fed by the experience of easy victories First crusade, which, on the one hand, had a positive effect on the morale of Christians, but on the other hand, became one of the main reasons for the military catastrophe that broke out soon.
After power over Egypt passed to Saladin, the Islamic rulers began a targeted struggle against the "Franks" (as all Europeans living in the Middle East were called here).
An important change in the Middle East was the revival of the concept of "jihad" (jihad), "war with the infidels", long dormant, but again called to life by Sunni Muslim theologians of the 12th century. "Jihad" has become an organized campaign to reconquer holy land, as well as crusade set out to conquer it.
Muslims, however, did not seek to convert an enemy with the sword, as Islam never approved of forced conversion. Nevertheless, the 12th century was a time of toughening of the religious position of Islam, greater intolerance and increased pressure on local Eastern Christians. The same principles were applied by Sunni Muslims to the Muslim minority, the Shiites. 5
Saladin was a wise tactician and politician. He was aware of the strength of his enemies, as he was aware of his own weaknesses. were strong when held together, but as there were endless struggles for power between them, Saladin managed to win over some of the barons to his side, and then began to set them against each other.
Little by little he plunged the states crusaders into complete isolation, uniting first with the Seljuks, and then with Byzantium. It was in his hands that crusaders don't get along with each other.
The then king of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV, was a weak and sick ruler, he suffered from leprosy, that is, leprosy, which is very common in the East.
The military threat was growing, but the terms of the truce between Christians and Muslims had not yet expired. In 1184-1185. crusaders sent envoys to Europe to explain the seriousness of the situation there. In the West, they have already begun to raise money, but until the Muslims used weapons, there were no calls for a new crusade on the holy land.
In the spring of 1187, before the end of the truce, one of the Frankish barons Renaud of Châtillon (Reynald de Châtillon) treacherously attacked a Muslim caravan carrying goods from Damascus to Egypt. He had previously robbed Muslim pilgrims going to Mecca and ravaged port cities on the Red Sea. And since Renault did not want to make amends, Saladin declared war.

Prior to the significant loss of territory that followed the Battle of Hattin, the Kingdom of Jerusalem had a fairly significant army. According to the registers of the times of King Baudouin IV, the feudal militia of the kingdom numbered 675 knights and 5025 sergeants, not counting the turcopoles and mercenaries.
In total, the kingdom could field over 1000 knights, including contingents sent from the county of Tripoli (200 knights) and the Principality of Antioch (700 knights). A certain number of knights could always be recruited from among those who arrived in holy land pilgrims.
In addition, the Templars kept in holy land a permanent order contingent of over 300 knights and several hundred sergeants and turkopols. Also, the Hospitallers, who, back in 1168, promised to give 500 knights and 500 turcopoles to help the king invade Egypt (although it remains unclear where they could gather such forces, since their order contingent in the Middle East also consisted of no more than 300 knight brothers) . The number of troops could also be increased by the local native militia. 5
Saladin bet on a full-scale battle before the Christians get out of the waterless plateau and reach Lake Tiberias. The proposed site of the battle, of course, had already been inspected by Saladin's scouts. His plan of action was quite simple: the enemy should not reach the water, the infantry should be separated from the cavalry, and both parts of the troops should be completely destroyed.
Further events proceeded almost in full accordance with Saladin's plans, except for the fact that a significantly larger number of Christians escaped from the battlefield than he expected. 5
On July 3 (4), 1187, a fierce battle broke out near the village of Hattin (Khyttin) (the Battle of Hattin or the Battle of Tiberias) between crusaders and Muslims. The Muslim army of Saladin outnumbered the forces of the Christians.
The Christian army left the camp in the usual order: the cavalry was covered by infantry ranks, as well as archers and crossbowmen, ready to push back the presumptuous Muslims with counterattacks.
The first attacks of Saladin's army were repulsed by her, but many horses were lost. But, more importantly, the Christian infantry faltered and began to leave their formations in large numbers and retreat in an easterly direction. Muslim sources claim that the thirsty foot soldiers fled towards the Lake of Tiberias, despite the fact that it was much further than the source in Hattin, and therefore it was not necessary to make such a long journey to get drunk. Christian chroniclers explain this movement of the masses Crusader infantry by her desire to find refuge from the enemy on the Horns of Hattin.
The morale of the foot soldiers was so depressed that they only stared blankly at the battle, which continued to be fought by the Christian cavalry around the three pitched tents at the foot of the Horns. Despite repeated orders from King Guido and exhortations from the bishops to protect the Holy Cross, they stubbornly refused to go down, replying: "We will not go down and fight, because we are dying of thirst." 5
Meanwhile, the unprotected horses knights-crusaders were struck by enemy arrows, and already most of knights fought on foot.
It remains unknown when the Holy Cross was captured by the Saracens, but the fact that this was done by the warriors of Taqi ad-Din is beyond doubt. Some sources indicate that Taqi ad-Din launched a powerful attack on the Christians after he allowed Count Raymond to break through the line of Muslim troops. During this attack, the bishop of Acre holding the Cross was killed, but before the holy relic fell into the hands of Taqi ad-Din, it was intercepted by the bishop of Lydda.
Other sources believe that after the death of the Bishop of Acre, the Bishop of Lydda moved the shrine to the southern Horn, where it was eventually captured during one of the last attacks carried out by the troops of Taqi al-Din. However, whenever this happened, with the loss of the relic, the spirit of the Christian troops was finally crushed. 5
At the Battle of Hattin crusaders suffered a crushing defeat. Countless of them were killed in battle, and the survivors were taken prisoner.
Among the captured Christians were King Guido de Lusignan, his brothers Geoffroy de Lusignan and constable Amalrich (Amory) de Lusignan, Margrave Guillelmo de Montferrat, Reynald de Châtillon, Humphred de Toron, Master of the Knights Templar Gerard de Ridefort, Master of the Order of Hospitallers Garnes ( Gardner) de Naplus (apparently temporarily head of the Order after the death of Roger de Moulin until the election of a new master, Garnier himself officially took this post only three years later, in 1190), Bishop of Lydda, many other barons, as well as Renaud of Châtillon.
Even before the battle, Saladin swore to cut off the head of this violator of the truce with his own hand. So, apparently, it happened. 2
All captured Turkopols, as having betrayed the Muslim faith, were executed right on the battlefield. The rest of the captives arrived in Damascus on July 6, where Saladin made a decision that left a bloody stain on his vaunted humanity.
All captured Templars and Hospitallers were given the choice of either converting to Islam or
die.
Conversion under pain of death was contrary to Muslim law, but, in this case, the knights of the spiritual orders seemed to Saladin something like Christian assassins and thus too dangerous to be pardoned.
Therefore, 250 knights who refused to convert to Islam were slaughtered. Only a few warrior-monks committed an act of apostasy...
The remaining barons and knights were released for ransom, and most crusaders of humble origin and foot soldiers were sold into slavery.
The battle of Hattin was won as a result of the tactical superiority of the Muslim side, since Saladin forced his opponent to fight in a favorable place, at a favorable time and in favorable conditions for him. 5
The defeat at the Battle of Hattin had fatal consequences for the states crusaders. They no longer had a combat-ready army, and Saladin was now able to operate freely in Palestine.
According to an Arab chronicler, he captured 52 cities and fortresses.
On July 10, 1187, the important port of Akkon was taken by Saladin's troops, Ascalon fell on September 4, and two weeks later the siege of Jerusalem began, which surrendered in early October.
In contrast crusaders Saladin did not massacre the conquered city and let the Christians out of it for a ransom. As ransom, Saladin took 10 gold dinars for a man, 5 gold dinars for a woman, and 1 gold dinars for a child.
Those who did not pay the ransom were enslaved by Saladin. So don't a hundred years have passed since crusaders captured Jerusalem, and it was already lost by them. This testified, first of all, to the hatred that crusaders inspired in the East. 6
Muslim warriors again took possession of their shrine - the al-Aqsa mosque. Saladin's triumph was boundless. Even such impregnable fortresses, like Krak and Krak-de-Montreal, could not withstand the onslaught of the Muslims.
In Krak, the French even traded their wives and children for food in the end, but this did not help them either. Only a few powerful fortresses in the north remained in the hands of Christians: Krak-de-Chevalier, Châtel Blanc and Margat...
In order to save the remaining territories on holy land and recapture Jerusalem, the third, most famous crusade .
It was necessary to uphold both the honor of the church and the spirit of all Western Christianity. Despite any difficulties and obstacles, the pope took under his protection the idea of ​​raising the Third crusade. In the near future, several definitions were drawn up, with the aim of spreading the idea of crusade in all Western countries.
Cardinals stricken by events on holy land, gave the Pope the word to take part in raising the campaign and preaching it, to walk barefoot through Germany, France and England. The pope decided to use all church means to facilitate participation in the campaign, if possible, for all estates. For this, an order was made to stop internal wars, knights the sale of fiefs was facilitated, the collection of debts was postponed, it was announced that any assistance in the liberation of the Christian East would be accompanied by the remission of sins. 2
Mandatory tax directly related to the Third crusade, was the famous Saladin's tithe (1188). This tax was also introduced in France and England, and it was distinguished by the fact that it was much higher than the previous ones, namely, one tenth of the annual income and movable property of all subjects, both laymen and clerics and monks. Didn't pay tax crusaders who received a tithe from each of their vassals who did not go on a campaign.
Saladin's tithe brought a colossal income - one of the chroniclers writes that 70,000 pounds were collected in England alone, although he may be exaggerating. In France, the introduction of this tax met with resistance, which prevented Philip II from receiving an equally significant amount. Moreover, Philip even had to promise that neither he nor his successors would again impose such a tax on their subjects, and, apparently, they kept this promise. 7
And yet funds for the third crusade collected quite a few...
In the spring of 1188, the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa decided to participate in the Third crusade to the Holy Land.
There were not enough ships, so it was decided not to go by sea. Most of the army moved on land, despite the fact that this path was not easy. Treaties were previously concluded with the Balkan states to ensure crusaders unhindered passage through their territories. This greatly annoyed the Byzantine emperor.
On May 11, 1189, the army left Regensburg, it was huge, up to 100,000 people, although this figure may be overestimated. It was headed by the 67-year-old Emperor Frederick I.
And Frederick's son Heinrich sailed with the Italian fleet, which was supposed to help crusaders cross the Dardanelles to Asia Minor.
In Anatolia crusaders entered the lands of the Seljuks. Before that, they concluded an agreement with the Turkish ruler of Konya on free passage through his lands. But in the meantime, the Sultan of Konya was overthrown by his own son, and the former treaty was no longer valid.
Due to Seljuk attacks and unbearable heat crusaders moved forward very slowly. Among them, epidemic diseases began.
The significance of Frederick I Barbarossa was fully appreciated by Saladin and fearfully awaited his arrival in Syria. In fact, Germany seemed ready to correct all the mistakes of the previous crusades and restore the dignity of the German name in the East, as an unexpected blow destroyed all good hopes ...
On June 10, 1190, Emperor Barbarossa drowned while crossing the mountain river Salef. His death was a heavy blow to the German crusaders.
Special confidence in Frederick, the eldest son of Barbarossa, among the German crusaders was not, but because many turned back. Only a small number of faithful knights continued its journey under the leadership of Duke Frederick. On October 7, they approached Akkon (Acre) and laid siege to it. 2
In the winter of 1190-1191. famine began to rage in the besieged city ...

For the success of the third crusade the participation of the English king Richard I the Lionheart had a great influence. Richard, a highly energetic, lively, irritable man, acting under the influence of passion, was far from the idea of ​​​​a general plan, he was looking primarily chivalrous deeds and glory. In the very preparations for the campaign, his character traits were too clearly reflected.
Richard surrounded himself with a brilliant retinue and knights, on his army, according to contemporaries, he spent in one day as much as other kings spent in a month. Going on a campaign, he translated everything into money; he either leased his possessions or mortgaged and sold them. Thus, he did indeed raise enormous funds; his Crusader The army was well armed. It would seem that good money and a large armed army should have ensured the success of the enterprise ...
Part of the English army set off from England on ships, while Richard himself crossed the English Channel to connect with the French king Philip II Augustus and direct his way through Italy. This movement began in the summer of 1190.
Both kings intended to go together, but the large number of troops and the difficulties that arose in the delivery of food and fodder forced them to separate.
The French king went ahead and in September 1190 arrived in Sicily and stopped at Messina, waiting for his ally. When the English king also arrived here, the movement of the allied army was delayed by the considerations that it was inconvenient to start a campaign in the autumn by sea; thus both armies spent the autumn and winter in Sicily until the spring of 1191. 2
Meanwhile, Richard, upon his arrival in Sicily, declared his claims to the Norman possessions. In fact, he justified his right by the fact that Joanna, the daughter of the English king Henry II and the sister of Richard himself, was married to the deceased William II. The temporary usurper of the Norman crown, Tancred, held William's widow in honorary custody.
Richard demanded that his sister be handed over to him and forced Tancred to give him a ransom for the fact that the English king left him the actual possession of the Norman crown. This fact, which aroused enmity between the English king and the German emperor, was of great importance for all that followed.
All this clearly showed the French king that he would not be able to act on the same plan as the English king. Philip considered it impossible, in view of the critical state of affairs in the East, to remain further in Sicily; in March 1191 he boarded ships and crossed over to Syria.
The main goal that the French king aspired to was the city of Ptolemais (French and German form - Accon, Russian - Acre). This city during the time from 1187-1191 was the main point on which the views and hopes of all Christians were concentrated. On the one hand, all the forces of Christians were sent to this city, on the other hand, Muslim hordes were drawn here.
All Third crusade concentrated on the siege of this city; when the French king arrived here in the spring of 1191, it seemed that the French would give the main direction of affairs.
King Richard did not hide the fact that he did not want to act in concert with Philip, relations with whom became especially cool after the French king refused to marry his sister.
The fleet>, which sailed from Sicily in April 1191, was captured by a storm, and the ship on which the new bride was going,> Princess Berengaria of Navarre, was thrown onto the island of Cyprus.
The island of Cyprus was at that time in the power of Isaac Komnenos, who had seceded from the Byzantine emperor of the same name. Isaac Komnenos, the usurper of Cyprus, did not distinguish between friends and enemies of the emperor, but pursued his personal selfish interests; he declared his captive the bride of the English king. Thus, Richard had to start a war with Cyprus, which was unforeseen and unexpected for him and which required a lot of time and effort from him.
Having taken possession of the island, Richard chained Isaac Komnenos in silver chains; began a series of celebrations that accompanied the triumph of the English king: for the first time, the British acquired territorial possession in the Mediterranean. But it goes without saying that Richard could not count on a long possession of Cyprus, which was at such a great distance from Britain.
At the time when Richard was celebrating his victory in Cyprus, when he was arranging celebration after celebration, Guy de Lusignan, the titular king of Jerusalem, arrived in Cyprus; we call him a titular king because he was no longer actually the king of Jerusalem, he had no territorial possessions, but bore only the name of the king. Guy de Lusignan, who arrived in Cyprus to declare signs of devotion to the English king, increased his brilliance and influence>, who presented (according to other sources - sold) the island of Cyprus to him.
In April 1191, to Akkon (Acre), besieged by the German crusaders, the French fleet arrived in time, followed by the English.
After the arrival of Richard I the Lionheart (June 8) all crusaders tacitly acknowledged his leadership. He drove off the army of Salah ad-Din, who was marching to the rescue of the besieged, after which he led the siege so energetically that the Muslim garrison capitulated. 6
Saladin did his best to avoid a predetermined ransom, and then the English king Richard I the Lionheart did not hesitate to order the killing of 2,700 captive Muslims. Saladin had to ask for a truce...
During the occupation of Acre, a very unpleasant incident took place among the Christians. The Duke of Austria Leopold V, having taken possession of one of the walls of the city, put up the Austrian banner: Richard I> ordered to tear it down and replace it with his own; this was a strong insult to the entire German army; from that time on, Richard acquired an implacable enemy in the person of Leopold V.
The French king reached the point of extreme irritation; Philip's dislike of Richard fanned rumors that the English king was plotting to sell the entire Christian army to the Muslims and was even preparing to encroach on Philip's life. Annoyed, Philip left Acre and went home...
withdrew to the south and headed through Jaffa towards Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was restored, although Jerusalem itself remained in Muslim hands. The capital of the kingdom was now Akkon. Power crusaders It was limited mainly to a strip of coast that began just north of Tire and stretched to Jaffa, and in the east did not even reach the Jordan River.
Since Philip II had previously returned to France, the army > unity of command reigned, and his further actions against Saladin, as well as the respect that these two warriors had for each other, constituted the most famous episode in history. crusades on the holy land. 1
After a skillfully prepared throw along the coast (one of his flanks was protected by the sea), Richarddal fought and defeated Saladin at Arsuf (1191).
In general, this clash served as the apotheosis of a two-week confrontation between the Turks and crusaders, who on August 24 marched south from the recently liberated Acre. The main goal of the campaign of the Franks was Jerusalem, the road to which lay from the coast from Jaffa.
Almost immediately, the rearguard, which consisted of French knights Duke Hugh of Burgundy, was attacked by the Muslims, mixed up and surrounded by them, but Richard managed to rescue the tail of the column.
As a result, in the most dangerous areas - in the vanguard and in the rearguard - he placed the brothers-knights of the military-monastic orders - the Templars and the Hospitallers. Bound by strict rules and disciplined far more than their secular counterparts, the armored monks were more suited to such tasks than others.
Although crusaders in general, and Richard in particular, are associated in the popular mind with the cavalry, the king understood the vital importance of the infantry. Holding shields in their hands, dressed over chain mail in thick felt robes, spearmen covered the small knights and especially their horses on the march, and archers and crossbowmen compensated " firepower» mounted archers of the enemy.
The main load in the defense of the column on the route fell on the infantry. Numbering up to 10,000 people, it was divided approximately in two so that the cavalry (up to 2000 people in total) and the convoy were between the two echelons. Because the crusaders moved in a southerly direction, the sea covered their right flank. In addition, from the sea they received supplies from Crusader fleet all the way where the coastline allowed the ships to come close to the shore.
Richard ordered that both echelons change places daily, one day holding back the Muslim attacks, and the other walking in relative safety along the coast.
Saladin had no less than 30,000 soldiers, who were divided in a ratio of 2: 1 into cavalry and infantry. The infantry of his chroniclers are called "black", although they are also described as Bedouin "with bows, quivers and round shields." It is possible that we can talk about Sudanese warriors, whom the rulers of Egypt often took on their troops as skilled archers.
However, it was not they, but the mounted archers, who were the source of the greatest anxiety for crusaders. Ambroise, poet and crusader, says this about the threat of the th side of the enemy:
“The Turks have one advantage, which served as a source of great damage to us. heavily armed, while the Saracens have a bow, club, sword or spear with a steel tip.
If they have to leave, they cannot be kept up - their horses are so good that there are no similar ones anywhere in the world, it seems as if they do not jump, but fly like swallows. They are like stinging wasps: if you chase them, they run away, and if you turn around, they catch up. eight
Only when the enemy was disorganized by losses and exhausted did Richard give knights an order to finish the job with a crushing throw.
On the coast near Arsuf, Salah ad-Din ambushed and then organized a powerful attack on the rear of the column of Richard I to force the rearguard crusaders get into a fight.
At first, Richard I> forbade any resistance, and the column stubbornly continued to march. Then, when the Turks were completely bolder, and the pressure on the rearguard became completely unbearable, Richard ordered the prearranged signal to attack to be blown.
The well-coordinated counter-attack took the unsuspecting Turks by surprise.
The battle was over in just a few minutes...
Obeying the orders > crusaders overcame the temptation to rush to pursue the defeated enemy. The Turks lost about 7 thousand people, the rest turned into a disorderly flight. Losses crusaders amounted to 700 people.
After that, Salah ad-Din never once dared to engage in open battle with Richard I. 6 The Turks were forced to go on the defensive, but the inconsistency of actions did not crusaders develop success.
In 1192, Richard I> marched on Jerusalem, pursuing Salah ad-Din, who, retreating, used the scorched earth tactics - destroyed all crops, pastures and poisoned wells. The lack of water, the lack of fodder for the horses, and the growing discontent in the ranks of his multinational army forced Richard willy-nilly to conclude that he was not in a position to lay siege to Jerusalem if he did not want to risk the almost inevitable death of the entire army.

He reluctantly retreated to the coast. Until the end of the year, there were many small skirmishes in which Richard I proved himself valiant. knight and talented tactician.
The staff service and the organization of the supply of his army were an order of magnitude superior to those typical of the Middle Ages. Richard I even provided a laundry service to keep clothes clean, in order to prevent the spread of epidemics. 6
Giving up hope of taking Jerusalem, on September 1, 1192, Richard signed an agreement with Saladin. This world, shameful for the honor of Richard, left behind the Christians a small coastal strip from Jaffa to Tire, Jerusalem remained in the power of the Muslims, the Holy Cross was not returned.
Saladin gave the Christians peace for three years. At this time, they could freely come to worship holy places.
Three years later, the Christians were obliged to enter into new agreements with Saladin, which, of course, were supposed to be worse than the previous ones.
This inglorious world was a heavy accusation against Richard. Contemporaries even suspected him of treason and betrayal; Muslims reproached him for excessive cruelty ...
October 9, 1192 Richard left holy land...
Richard I the Lionheart was on the throne for ten years, but spent no more than a year in England. He died during the siege of one of the French castles on April 6, 1199, wounded by an arrow in the shoulder... 4
The siege of Acre constitutes a fatal mistake on the part of the leaders of the Third crusade ; crusaders fought, wasted time and energy over a small piece of land, in essence useless to anyone, completely useless, with which they wanted to reward the Jerusalem king Guy de Lusignan.
With the departure of Richard the Lionheart, the heroic era crusades in holy land came to an end... 1

Sources of information:
one. " Crusades"(magazine "Tree of Knowledge" No. 21 / 2002)
2. Uspensky F. "History crusades »
3. Wikipedia site
4. Vazold M. " »
5. Donets I. "Battle of Hattin"
6. "All the wars of world history" (according to the Harper Encyclopedia military history Dupuy)
7. Riley-Smith J. History crusades »
8. Bennet M., Bradbury J., De-Fry K., Dicky Y., Jestyce F. "Wars and battles of the Middle Ages"

THE THIRD CRUSAISE

Map of the Third Crusade

If you can imagine an all-star match in the Middle Ages, then it could well be called the Third Crusade. Almost all the bright characters of that time, all the most powerful rulers of Europe and the Middle East took a direct part in it. Richard the Lionheart, Philip II August, Friedrich Barbarossa, Saladin. Everyone is a personality, everyone is an era, everyone is a hero of his time.

Friedrich Barbarossa

After the Second Crusade, the affairs of Christians in the East went even worse. The outstanding statesman and talented commander Sultan Saladin became the leader and hope of the Muslim world. At first he became the ruler of Egypt, then he subjugated Syria and other territories in the east. In 1187 Saladin took Jerusalem. The news of this was the signal for the start of the next Crusade. The Roman legates were able to convince the powerful sovereigns of France, England and Germany - Philip, Richard and Frederick, to move east.

The German emperor chose the already well-known route through Hungary and the Balkan Peninsula for movement. His crusaders, led by the wise experience and practical 67-year-old Barbarossa, were the first to set off on a campaign in the spring of 1189. Naturally, relations between the Germans and the Byzantines traditionally deteriorated as soon as the Latins found themselves on the territory of Byzantium. Skirmishes began, a diplomatic scandal erupted. Frederick seriously thought about the siege of Constantinople, but, in the end, everything was more or less resolved, and the German army crossed into Asia Minor. She was slowly but surely moving south when the unthinkable happened. The emperor drowned while crossing the Salef River. This event made a depressing impression on the pilgrims. Many of them returned home. The rest moved to Antioch.

"Death of Friedrich of Germany". G. Dore

The French and British agreed to act together. Cunning and subtle Philip from the time of the war against Henry II Plantagenet was on friendly terms with the young English king Richard I . The latter was the complete opposite of Philip. State affairs interested him insofar as. He was much more interested in war, exploits, glory. The first knight of his time, physically strong, courageous, Richard the Lionheart was a short-sighted politician and a bad diplomat. But so far, before the campaign, the friendship of the monarchs seemed unshakable. They spent some time preparing, within the framework of which a special tax was established in their countries for all segments of the population - the so-called Saladin's tithe. Richard was generally very zealous in collecting money. It was said that the king would sell London if there was a buyer for it. As a result, a sizable army gathered under his command.

Philip Augustus and Richard set out on a campaign in the spring of 1190. Their path lay through Sicily. Here the fragility of their union was revealed. Richard laid claim to this island. He began hostilities against the Sicilians (more precisely, the Normans who owned the kingdom), during which he quarreled with the more peaceful Philip. Finally the British and French moved on. Philip's troops safely reached the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and the British were overtaken by a storm that nailed them to the shores of Cyprus. Richard conquered the island from the usurper Isaac Komnenos and declared it his possession. Soon he will pawn it to the Templars. Only in June 1191 did he arrive at Acre.

Guido Lusignan

The main events were unfolding near this seaside Syrian city. Actually, the fortress was not supposed to be of strategic value to Christians. At first (back in 1189), the ruler of Jerusalem, Guido Lusignan, got involved in the struggle for it, deprived of his city. Gradually, all detachments from Europe, who came one by one, joined him. One by one, they were crushed by Muslims. The siege dragged on, near Acre grew, in fact, a Christian knightly city. Acre was well defended, with food and reinforcements coming in by sea from Egypt and by land from Mesopotamia. Saladin was outside the city and constantly raided the besiegers. The crusader troops suffered from disease and heat. The arrival of the French, and especially Richard, inspired the Crusaders to fight more energetically. Undermines were dug, siege towers were built ... Finally, in July 1191, the fortress was taken.

Siege of Acre

The usual strife prevented the crusaders from developing success in the east. A dispute arose over the candidacy of the new king of Jerusalem. Philip supported the hero of the defense of Tyre, Conrad of Montferatt. Richard played for Guido Lusignan. There were problems with the division of production. The episode with Leopold of Austria was evidence of fierce contradictions. He hoisted his banner over one of the towers of Acre, and Richard ordered it to be torn down. Miraculously, it was then possible to avoid a bloody clash of Christians among themselves. Philip, dissatisfied and annoyed by the actions of Richard, and simply considered his mission accomplished, departed for France. The English king remained the only leader of the crusader host. He did not receive full confidence and approval for his actions. His relationship with Saladin was inconsistent. The Sultan was distinguished by great political tact and many truly chivalrous qualities that Europeans appreciated in him. He willingly negotiated, but when Richard was nice to the enemy, he was suspected of treason. When he took more drastic steps, the Christians had every reason to be dissatisfied. So, after the capture of Acre, the knights presented Saladin with excessively difficult conditions for him to ransom the Muslim hostages: the return of all the occupied territories, money, the Tree of the Cross ... Saladin hesitated. Then the enraged Richard ordered the death of two thousand Muslims - an action that horrified their fellow believers. In response, the Sultan ordered the killing of Christian captives.

From Acre, Richard moved not to Jerusalem, but to Jaffa. This path was very difficult. Saladin constantly disturbed the knightly columns. A great battle took place at Arzuf; here Richard showed himself both as an amazingly brave warrior and as a good commander. The knights utterly defeated the numerically superior enemy. But the king failed to take advantage of the results of this victory. The English king and sultan in 1192 concluded a peace that did not meet the goals of the campaign at all. Jerusalem ended up in the hands of the Muslims, although it was open to peaceful Christian pilgrims. Only a narrow coastal strip remained in the hands of the crusaders, starting north of Tire and reaching Jaffa. Richard, returning home, in Austria was captured by Leopold, who held a grudge against him, and spent two years in prison. It was a very proper end to a wrong war.