Battle of Hattin
The Battle of Hattin, fought on July 4, 1187, was a pivotal conflict during the Crusades between the forces of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Muslim army led by Sultan Saladin. Following Saladin's advance threatening the crusader stronghold of Tiberias, King Guy de Lusignan mobilized a contingent of about 20,000 crusaders to confront him. However, the crusaders faced considerable challenges, including extreme summer heat and persistent harassment from Saladin's horse archers, which ultimately forced them to camp on a hill near Hattin. As the battle progressed, the crusaders struggled to find water, leading to desperation as they attempted to breach enemy lines to access the nearby Sea of Galilee. Despite their efforts, they were overwhelmed and forced to surrender, with significant casualties including the loss of many horses. The defeat at Hattin marked a critical tactical and strategic blow to the crusader states, leading to the loss of Jerusalem shortly thereafter and prompting Europe to respond with new crusades. This battle is remembered as a significant event in the history of the Crusades, illustrating the complex dynamics between Christian and Muslim forces during this era.
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Subject Terms
Battle of Hattin
Type of action: Ground battle in the Third Crusade
Date: July 4, 1187
Location: Hattin in Galilee, seven miles west of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee
Combatants: 20,000 crusaders vs. 30,000 Turks
Principal commanders:Crusader, King Guy de Lusignan (1129–1194); Turkish, Sultan Saladin (1138–1193)
Result: The crusader loss of Jerusalem and most of the Latin kingdom
On June 26, 1187, Sultan Saladin crossed the Jordan River with an army of more than 30,000 troops and threatened the crusader stronghold of Tiberias. Guy de Lusignan, the Latin king of Jerusalem, decided to challenge Saladin’s act of war and led the crusader army of some 20,000 soldiers toward Tiberias on July 3. The summer heat and the harassment of their line of march by Saladin’s horse archers, however, forced the crusaders to take a stand on a hill near the village of Hattin.
What had begun as a mission to relieve Tiberias now became a desperate effort just to find water. On July 4, the crusader army made several furious but unsuccessful attempts to break through the enemy lines to reach the nearby waters of the Sea of Galilee. In the end, with many of their horses dead or dying from lack of water and from the constant hail of enemy arrows, the remaining force of more than 10,000 crusaders was forced to surrender.
Significance
Hattin was both a tactical and a strategic defeat for the crusaders. The crusader states lost the heart of their military at this battle and were thus soon conquered by Saladin’s army. The loss in particular of Jerusalem led Europe to launch a new series of crusades.
Bibliography
The Crusades. Documentary. A&E Home Video, 1995.
Dahmus, Joseph. Seven Decisive Battles of the Middle Ages. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1983.
France, John. Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades, 1000–1300. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1999.
Gore, Terry L. Neglected Heroes: Leadership and War in the Early Medieval Period. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1995.