Third Crusade(1189-1192) was initiated by 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. Accounts of eyewitnesses to the siege of Jerusalem read:

There were about 20 thousand of us. We walked straight to the holy city in order to take the ark from the infidels and hand it over to the power of the Pope. We came close to the holy city and already saw its walls. A detachment of three hundred warriors appeared before us. All of them were dressed in snow-white clothes, and the captions were closed their faces to their noses. We laughed at the army of 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. They fought like demons, easily jumped over 2 or even three 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 enough to survive in that terrible battle. When we delivered the prisoner to the camp and told the commander about our defeat, he wished to immediately talk to the prisoner. The prisoner said only a few words in an unfamiliar language on my tongue, after which bloody stains appeared on his clothes. When we realized that he was dead, the commander ordered to undress him and examine the weapon. On his right wrist we found a secret blade, and on his body there was a leather vest, similar to a brace. It was attached to 5 knives. 4 struck the prisoner in the heart, and the fifth stabbed into the throat. The next morning we discovered that only a few dozen people were alive. We did not find any traces leading to the city. The soldiers began to fear this land and begged the commander to retreat. But the commander was strict and ordered to wait for the troops who were coming to help. We spent another 2 weeks on this terrible land, but did not lose anyone, everyone was alive and well. A detachment of 5 thousand soldiers joined us and we again went to the walls 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 horses. We entered the city fort and set up camp there. In the morning, only 500 survived Human. Our commander was also killed. Panic set in among 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 an artistic style.

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

Meanwhile, in the Christian states of Palestine themselves, internal decay is noticed, which the neighboring Muslim rulers take advantage of. The laxity of morals in the principalities of Antioch and Jerusalem was revealed especially sharply after the end of the Second Crusade. Unfortunately, in both the Jerusalem and Antioch states, women are at the head of the government: in Jerusalem - Queen Melisinda, mother of Baldwin III; in Antioch from 1149 - Constance, widow of Prince Raymond. Court intrigues begin, the throne is surrounded by temporary workers who lacked either the desire or ability to rise above the interests of the party. The Muslims, seeing the futility of the attempts of European Christians to liberate the Holy Land, began to attack Jerusalem and Antioch with greater determination; Nuredin, the emir of Aleppo and Mossul, who stood much higher than Christian sovereigns in character, intelligence and understanding of the historical tasks of the Muslim world, acquired particular 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 between Raymond of Antioch and Nuredin, which was fought during 1147-1149, the Antiochians were completely defeated more than once; in 1149, Raymond himself fell in one of the battles. Since then, the situation in Antioch has become no better than in Jerusalem. All events of the second half of the 12th century in the East are grouped mainly around the majestic, imposing figure of Nuredin, who is then replaced by the no less majestic Saladin. Owning Aleppo and Mossul, Nuredin does not limit himself to oppressing the Principality of Antioch, he also pays attention to the situation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Back in 1148, the king of Jerusalem, having sent Conrad to Damascus, made a big mistake, which is making itself felt immediately after the Second Crusade. It entailed a very sad outcome: Damascus, pressed by the Jerusalem crusaders, entered into an agreement with Nuredin, who became the ruler of all the largest cities and main regions belonging to Muslims. When Nuredin captured Damascus and when the Muslim world saw in Nuredin its greatest representative, the position of Jerusalem and Antioch constantly hung in the balance. From this one can see how precarious the position of Eastern Christians was and how it constantly necessitated the need for assistance from the West. While Palestine gradually passed into the hands of Nuredin, in the north the claims on the part 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 implement the policy of restoring the Roman Empire within its old borders. 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 evident, among other things, from the fact that after the death of his first wife, the sister of King Conrad III, Manuel married one of the Antioch princesses. The resulting relations were eventually to bring Antioch under Byzantine rule. 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 were threatened with a near end in the second half of the 12th century. 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, hostile voices were increasingly 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 possessed all the qualities needed to achieve the ideal goals 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 Christians. He began his activities during the Second Crusade; he participated in the wars of Zengi and Nuredin against Christians. After the end of the Second Crusade, he went to Egypt, where he acquired great importance and influence on affairs and soon took control senior management in the caliphate, while maintaining connections and relations with the Baghdad caliphate. After Nuredin's death, his sons started an internecine struggle. Saladin took advantage of these discords, came to Syria with troops and laid down his claims to Aleppo and Mossul. The enemy of Christians, who glorified himself as a conqueror, Saladin combined with extensive possessions and formidable military forces energy, intelligence and a deep understanding of political circumstances. The eyes of the entire Muslim world turned to him; The hopes of the Muslims rested on him, as a person who could restore the political dominance lost by the Muslims and return the possessions taken by the Christians. The lands conquered by Christians were equally sacred to both Egyptian and Asian 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 strength of Islam in 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 captured Aleppo and Mossul in 1183, it was a very important moment for Christians in which they had to resolve 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: not only was there no solidarity between the individual principalities, but they were in extreme demoralization; nowhere was there such scope for intrigue, ambition, and murder as in the eastern principalities. An example of immorality is the Patriarch of Jerusalem Heraclius, who not only resembled the worst Roman popes, but in many ways surpassed them: he lived openly with his mistresses and squandered all his means and income on them; but he was no worse than others; princes, barons, knights and clergy were no better. Let us recall the noble Templar Robert of St. Albany, who, having converted to Islam, went into the service of Saladin and took a high position in his army. Complete debauchery of morals prevailed among those people who had very serious tasks in view of the advancing formidable enemy. Barons and knights who pursued their personal selfish interests did not consider it at all shameful in the most important points, during the battle, leave the ranks of Christian troops and go over to the Muslim side. This absolute misunderstanding 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 their importance.
If treason and deceit could be expected among knights and barons, then the main leaders, princes and kings, were no better than them. In Jerusalem sat Baldouin IV, a man devoid of any political meaning and energy, who wanted to renounce his reign and intended to crown his young son Baudouin V in his place; at the same time, a dispute arose over custody: Guido Lusignan, son-in-law of Baudouin IV, and Raymond, Count of Tripoli, argued. A representative of complete arbitrariness is Renaud de Chatillon, who carried out predatory raids on Muslim trade caravans coming from Egypt; Not only did Rainald incite Muslims against Christians with his raids, but he caused significant harm to the Christian principalities themselves, which lived in these caravans, and undermined at the very root the trade of Tire, Sidon, Ascalon, Antioch and other coastal Christian cities. During one of these excursions that Rainald made from his castle, he robbed a caravan in which Saladin's mother was also present. This circumstance can be considered the immediate motive that caused the clash between the Muslim ruler and the Christian princes. Saladin had previously pointed out to the king of Jerusalem the unworthy actions of Renaud de Chatillon, but the king did not have the means to curb the baron. Now that Saladin had been insulted by honor and family feeling, he, despite the truce that had been concluded between him and the Christian princes, declared war on the Christians not to the life, 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 supported the shadow of an independent ruler. His troops moved from Aleppo and Mossul and were very significant compared to the forces of the Christians. In Jerusalem it was possible to recruit only 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 being decided, the Christian army was not without disgusting treason. Near the city of Tiberias, when two hostile armies stood against each other, ready to enter into 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, ran over to the side of Saladin, including and Raymund. It goes without saying that in this state of affairs the Christians could not win the battle; the entire Christian army was destroyed; the king of Jerusalem and the prince of Antioch were captured. All prisoners were doomed to death by Saladin; one king of Jerusalem was given life. The insignificant handful of Christians who escaped from an unfortunate fate, some 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 shores of the Mediterranean Sea. So far, only Jerusalem remained in the hands of Christians, which, as an internal principality, was not such an important point politically that Saladin could value it very much; Saladin's deep political mind clearly understood the importance of coastal trading fortified points. Having captured these points (Beirut, Sidon, Jaffa, Askalon), cutting off Christians from communication with Western Europe, Saladin could also take possession of internal points without obstacles. Taking away coastal cities, Saladin destroyed 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 of resisting, so they responded evasively to Saladin’s proposal to surrender the city under the condition of granting freedom to the besieged. But when a close siege of the city began, 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, women - 5, children - 2. Jerusalem was captured by Saladin on October 2. After the capture of Jerusalem, he could no longer encounter obstacles to the conquest of the remaining Christian lands. Tire held out only because it was defended by Count Conrad, who arrived from Constantinople from the house of the Dukes of Montferrat, and was distinguished by his intelligence and energy.

Preparing for the hike

The news of what happened in the East was not immediately received in Europe, and the movement began in the West no earlier than 1188. The first news of events in the Holy Land came to Italy. There was no room for hesitation at that time for the Pope. All church policies in the 12th century turned out to be false; all the means used by Christians to retain the Holy Land were in vain. It was necessary to maintain 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 goal of spreading the idea of ​​​​a crusade throughout all Western states. The cardinals, amazed by the events in the East, gave the pope their word to take part in raising the campaign and preaching that he should 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 classes. To this end, an order was made to stop internal wars, the sale of fiefs was made easier for the knights, the collection of debts was postponed, and it was announced that any assistance in the liberation of the Christian East would be accompanied by the remission of sins.
It is known that the Third Campaign took place under circumstances more favorable than the first two. Three crowned heads took part in it - the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, the French King Philip II Augustus and the English King Richard the Lionheart. The only thing missing in the campaign was a general guiding idea. 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 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. A significant issue that for a long time prevented the French and English kings from coming to an agreement on the campaign depended on the mutual relations of France and England in the 12th century. The fact is that on the English throne sat the Plantagenets, the counts of Anjou and Mena, who received the English throne as a result of the marriage of one of them to the heiress of William the Conqueror. Every English king, while remaining at the same time the Count of Anjou and Maine, the Duke of Aquitaine and Guienne, which was also annexed here, had to give the French king an oath of fealty 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 an opportunity to harm each other 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 regions. Philip entered into an alliance with them, armed them against his father and more than once put Henry of England in a very difficult position. Richard was wooed by the French king's sister Alice, who then lived in England. Rumors spread that Henry II had an affair with his son's fiancée; it is clear that this kind of rumor should have influenced Richard’s disposition towards Henry II. The French king took advantage of this circumstance and began to fan hostility between son and father. He incited Richard, and the latter betrayed his father by taking an oath of fealty to the French king; this fact only contributed to the greater development of enmity between the French and English kings. There was one more circumstance that prevented both kings from providing possible immediate help to the Eastern Christians. The French king, wanting to stock up on significant funds for the upcoming campaign, declared a special tax in his state under the name of “Saladin's tithe.” This tax applied to the possessions of the king himself, secular princes and even the clergy; no one, due to the importance of the enterprise, was exempt from paying the “Saladin tithe”. The imposition of tithes on the church, which had never paid any taxes, and which itself still enjoyed the collection of tithes, aroused discontent among the clergy, who began to put an obstacle to this measure and make it difficult for royal officials to collect the “Saladin tithe.” Nevertheless, this measure was carried out quite successfully in both France and England and provided a lot of funds for the Third Crusade.
Meanwhile, during the gathering, disrupted by war and internal uprisings, 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. The success of the Third Crusade was greatly influenced by 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, and sought first of all knightly deeds and glory. His very preparations for the campaign reflected his character traits too clearly. Richard surrounded himself with a brilliant retinue and knights; for his army, according to contemporaries, he spent as much in one day as other kings spent in a month. When getting ready to go on a campaign, he transferred everything into money; he either leased out his possessions, or mortgaged them and sold them. Thus he actually raised enormous funds; his army was well-armed. It would seem that good funds and a large armed army should have ensured the success of the enterprise. Part of the English army left England on ships, while Richard himself crossed the English Channel to connect with 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 during the delivery of food and fodder forced them to separate. The French king led the way and in September 1190 arrived in Sicily and stopped in Messina, waiting for his ally. When the English king arrived here, the movement of the allied army was delayed by the considerations that it was inconvenient to begin a campaign by sea in the fall; Thus, both troops spent the autumn and winter in Sicily until the spring of 1191.

Start of the hike

The presence of the allied troops in Sicily was supposed to show both the kings themselves and those 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 placed himself in a false position in relation to the Normans. He wanted to rule as the sovereign ruler of the country, and the English knights allowed themselves violence and arbitrariness. A movement was not slow to break out in the city, which threatened both kings; Philip barely managed to put out the uprising, appearing as 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, his claims to the Norman crown. The heir to the Norman crown, daughter of Roger and aunt of William II, Constance, married Frederick Barbarossa's son Henry VI, the future German emperor; Thus, the German emperors legitimized their claims to the Norman crown with this marriage alliance.
Meanwhile, Richard, upon arrival in Sicily, declared his claims to the Norman possessions. In fact, he justified his right by the fact that the deceased William II was married to Joanna, the daughter of the English king Henry II and the sister of Richard himself. The temporary usurper of the Norman crown, Tancred, held William's widow in honorable custody. Richard demanded that his sister be given 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 entire subsequent fate of Richard.
All this clearly showed the French king that he would not be able to act according to 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 strove for 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 directed to this city, on the other, 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 especially cooled after the French king refused to marry his sister. Richard's fleet, sailing from Sicily in April 1191, was captured by 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 this time in the power of Isaac Komnenos, who revolted from the Byzantine emperor of the same name. Isaac Comnenus, the usurper of Cyprus, did not distinguish between friends and enemies of the emperor, but pursued his own selfish interests; he declared the bride of the English king his captive. Thus, Richard had to start a war with Cyprus, which was unexpected and unexpected for him and which required a lot of time and effort from him. Having taken possession of the island, Richard chained Isaac Comnenus in silver chains; a series of celebrations began that accompanied the triumph of the English king. This was the first time that the English nation acquired territorial possession in the Mediterranean. But it goes without saying that Richard could not count on long-term possession of Cyprus, which was located at such a great distance from Britain. While Richard was celebrating his victory in Cyprus, when he was organizing celebration after celebration, the titular king of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, arrived in Cyprus; we call him a titular king because de facto he was no longer the king of Jerusalem, he did not have any territorial possessions, but bore only the name of a king. Guy de Lusignan, who arrived in Cyprus to declare signs of devotion to the English king, increased the brilliance and influence of Richard, who gave him the island of Cyprus.
Encouraged 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 the useless siege of the city. The very idea of ​​besieging Acre was highly impractical and downright useless. The coastal cities of Antioch, Tripoli and Tire were also in the hands of Christians, 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. It aroused envy in him that Antioch had its own prince, Tripoli was ruled by another, Conrad from the house of the Dukes of Montferrat sat in Tire, 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 devotion to Richard and tried to win over the English king in his favor. The siege of Acre constituted a fatal mistake on the part of the leaders of the Third Crusade; they fought, wasted time and effort over a small piece of land, essentially useless to anyone, completely useless, which they wanted to reward Guy de Lusignan with.

Start of the movement of Frederick Barbarossa

The great misfortune for the entire crusade was that the old tactician and clever politician Frederick Barbarossa could not take part in it, along with the English and French kings. Having learned about the state of affairs in the East, Frederick I began to prepare for a crusade; but he started the business differently from others. He sent embassies to the Byzantine emperor, to the Iconian sultan and to Saladin himself. Favorable responses were received from everywhere, vouching for the success of the enterprise. If Frederick Barbarossa had participated in the siege of Acre, the mistake on the part of the Christians would have been eliminated by him. The fact is that Saladin had an excellent fleet, which delivered all supplies to him from Egypt, and troops came 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 a seaside city. That is why all the structures of Western engineers, towers and battering rams, all the effort of strength, tactics and intelligence of Western kings - everything went to waste, turned out to be untenable in the siege of Acre. Frederick Barbarossa would have introduced the idea of ​​practice into the crusade and, in all likelihood, would have sent his forces where they should have been: the war had to be waged inside Asia, to weaken Saladin’s forces inside the country, where the very source of replenishment of his troops was located.
Frederick Barbarossa's crusade was undertaken with all precautions to ensure the least possible loss of strength on the way through the Byzantine possessions. Frederick previously concluded an 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 ensured 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 strict compliance with the treaty. The crusaders had not yet set out on a campaign when Byzantium received a secret report from Genoa about preparations for a campaign to the East. “I have already been informed about this,” Isaac wrote in response, “and have taken my measures.” Having thanked Baudouin Guerzo for this news, the emperor continues: “And in the future, be diligent in bringing to our attention what you learn and what is important for us to know.” It goes without saying that, despite outwardly friendly relations, Isaac did not trust the sincerity of the crusaders, and he cannot be blamed for this. The Serbs and Bulgarians were not only at that time on the way to liberation from Byzantine rule, but were already threatening the Byzantine provinces; Frederick's open relations with them were in any case a violation of this fidelity, although they were not provided for by the Nuremberg conditions. For Byzantium, Frederick's intentions to take possession of the Dalmatian coast and connect it with the lands of the Sicilian crown were very well known. Although Frederick allegedly rejected the proposals of the Slavs to lead him safely 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 Slavs’ proposals were completely rejected, as will be seen from what follows.
On May 24, 1189, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa entered Hungary. Although King Bela III personally did not decide to participate in the crusade, he showed Frederick signs of sincere affection. Not to mention the valuable gifts offered to the emperor, he equipped a detachment of 2 thousand people, who provided considerable benefit to the crusaders with their knowledge of local conditions and the choice of routes. Five weeks later, the crusaders were already on the border of the possessions of the Byzantine emperor. Arriving in Branichev on July 2, they for the first time entered into direct relations with the emperor’s officials, which at first seemed, however, satisfactory. From Branichev best road to Constantinople it went along the Morava valley to Nis, then to Sofia and Philippopolis. The Greeks allegedly did not want to lead the Latins this way and deliberately spoiled it; but people from the Ugric detachment, who knew the routes of communication well, convinced the crusaders to insist on choosing this particular road, which they undertook to correct and make passable against the wishes of the Greeks. Noting here, first of all, that the crusaders were traveling through lands that then hardly fully belonged to Byzantium. The course of the Morava, most likely, was already controversial between the Greeks and Serbs, in other words, there was no Byzantine or other administration here at that time. Gangs of robbers, at their own peril, attacked small detachments of crusaders and without the instigation of the Byzantine government. It is necessary, on the other hand, to keep in mind that the crusaders themselves did not stand on ceremony with those who fell into their hands: to the fear of others, they subjected those captured with weapons in their hands to terrible torture.
Around the 25th of July, ambassadors from Stefan Nemanja came to Frederick, and upon arrival in Niš 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 Niš, otherwise they would not have allowed Stefan Nemanja to have personal explanations with the German emperor, which in any case did not lean in favor of Byzantium. And if the crusaders on the way from Branichev to Niš and then to Sofia were subjected to unexpected attacks and suffered losses in people and convoys, then, in fairness, the Byzantine government should hardly bear responsibility for this. One only has 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. The Serbs and Bulgarians offered the crusaders essentially the same thing - an alliance against the Byzantine emperor, but as a reward they demanded recognition of the 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 for the Serbs the conquests they had made at the expense of Byzantium and annex Dalmatia, and if the Asenians were given Bulgaria as their undisputed possession. In particular, the Grand Jupan of Serbia asked the emperor's consent for the marriage of his son with the daughter of Duke Berthold, ruler of Dalmatia. Although it was no secret that this marriage project included plans to transfer sovereign rights over Dalmatia to Nemanja’s house, nevertheless, Frederick’s consent was obtained. This circumstance, combined with new negotiations that took place between the German emperor and the Slavic leaders, allows us to raise some doubts against Ansbert's testimony that Frederick's response in Nis was definitely negative. Having a real goal of a crusade, Frederick, perhaps out of caution and unwillingness to get involved in new complex relationships, avoided a direct and decisive response to the proposals of the Slavs. But we will see further 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 on Byzantine territory. Death of Frederick

There is no reason not to trust the words of Niketas Acominatus, who accuses the then logothete of the drome (John Ducas) and Andronikos Cantacuzenus, whose responsibility it was to lead the crusading militia, of short-sightedness and ordinary negligence. Mutual distrust and suspicion 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 Gate), leading through the Balkan Mountains to Sofia to Philippopolis, was occupied by an armed detachment. Of course, one cannot help but see a violation of the Nuremberg Treaty in the measures taken by the Byzantine government 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 Niš, Alexei the Guide appeared to them, who expressed strict reproach to the governor of Branichev and promised to arrange everything according to Frederick’s wishes, if only he himself forbade the troops to plunder the surrounding villages, adding that the Germans should not have any suspicions regarding the armed detachment guarding the passes, for this is a precautionary measure against the Zhupan of Serbia. When the crusaders advanced to the main pass leading to the Philippopolis plain, the difficulties of the journey increased for them more and more. Small detachments harassed them with unexpected attacks in the most dangerous places, as a result of which the crusader militia moved slowly and in battle formation. The German embassy sent to Constantinople, according to rumors, was received in the most undignified manner. The closer the crusaders came to Macedonia, the stronger their displeasure against the Greeks grew. They walked for a month and a half 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, neither the Byzantine officials nor the promised supplies were there. 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 pave the 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 attacked cities and villages and behaved completely like enemies in Greek soil. If the government of Isaac Angelus cannot be justified for distrust of the crusaders, then the actions of the latter cannot be called plausible. Not trusting the Greeks, Frederick used the services of Ugric guides and a Serbian detachment. No matter how much the crusaders wanted to prove that they were right, we must 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 transition through Bulgaria, although he could not help but know that this fed the suspicion of Isaac Angel.
In the autumn of 1189, from the time of the occupation of Philippopolis by the crusaders, mutual irritation should have intensified 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, 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 precise and faithful promises from the Greek emperor. To clarify relations, a new embassy was sent to Constantinople, which was instructed to say approximately the following: “It is in vain that the Greek emperor does not allow us to go forward; Never, neither now nor before, have we plotted evil against the empire. We never gave Bulgaria or any other land subject to the Greeks as a beneficiary to the Serbian prince, the enemy of the Greek emperor, who came to us in Nis, and we never plotted anything with any king or prince against the Greek empire.” This second embassy managed to rescue, not without great trouble, however, the first one, previously sent to Constantinople. All ambassadors returned to Philippopolis on October 28. The next day, in a solemn meeting of the leaders, the ambassadors made a report about what they had experienced in Constantinople, and told about everything that they had seen and heard. “The Emperor not only treated us very badly, but without any hesitation received an ambassador from Saladin and concluded an alliance with him. And the patriarch in his sermons, spoken according to holidays, called the soldiers of Christ “dogs” and inspired his listeners that the most evil criminal, accused of even ten murders, would receive absolution from all sins if he killed a hundred crusaders.” The assembly heard such a report before the ambassadors of the Byzantine emperor were introduced. It is not surprising that the negotiations could not be friendly; the Greek ambassadors refused to respond to the arrogant demands of the crusaders. The lengths to which the Greeks and the Crusaders could go in a sense of mutual irritation and suspicion is shown, by the way, by the following incident. A significant detachment of crusaders, having attacked Gradec, was amazed by the 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, killed the population and devastated the entire area without regret. In all likelihood, the Latins became furious when they looked at the paintings of the Last Judgment, in which local painters, for certain purposes, could use Western types. The custom is, in any case, 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 very 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 Philippopolitan garrison to Adrianople.
Chroniclers mention many times the ambassadors of the Serbian Great Zupan and the relations of the Crusaders with the Slavs. It is known that the most difficult thing was to satisfy the claims of Stefan Nemanja to Dalmatia - a circumstance that could involve Frederick in unpleasant clashes with the Normans and Ugrians. It is not without significance that each time Duke Berthold, the same one whose daughter was promised for Stefan Nemanja’s son, comes forward in negotiations with the Serbs. In difficult moments, 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 case of a final break with the Greeks. But since there were still some signs that the Greek emperor also feared a rupture, the Slavic embassies were listened to graciously as usual, small detachments of Serbs were accepted into service, but Frederick was afraid to resort to decisive measures throughout his stay on the Balkan Peninsula and the most minute facts and indications of this kind are very interesting. At the beginning of November, when the crusaders were approaching Adrianople, King Bela III demanded the return of his detachment back, 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, other than dissatisfaction with the negotiations with the Slavs. It is clear that Frederick, having arrived in Bulgaria, set out on new plans and that his relations with the Slavic leaders were not at all included in the considerations of the Hungarian king, who, regarding the Slavic issue, stood, of course, on the side of Byzantium. The then state of affairs is shed light by 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. 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 contents of the letter with personal observations and give it a completely new explanation: “The king,” he said, “is very embarrassed and amazed by the victorious successes of the crusaders and the devastation they brought to the Greek land. When news was received of the devastation of the Dimotiki district by the crusaders, the king completely changed in his treatment of the ambassador. From then on, he was no longer as kind and merciful as before: the ambassador no longer received either food or pocket money from the royal chamber.” Among other news, the same cleric Eberhard reported that, while traveling through Bulgaria, he found all the graves of the crusaders who died along the way dug up, and that the corpses were pulled out of the coffins and lying on the ground.
By the beginning of 1190, the crusaders continued to exchange embassies with the Greek emperor, but could not reach any agreement. Frederick, it seems, seriously thought about using the services of Peter, the leader of the Bulgarians, who proposed to field 40 thousand Bulgarians and Cumans by spring, with which reinforcements an attempt could be made to pave the way to Asia Minor and without the consent of the Greeks. But the German emperor had to not only recognize the freedom of Bulgaria for this, but also ensure that Peter received the imperial title. Understanding the importance of the position and the responsibility for such a step, Frederick still did not refuse Peter’s offer and tried to first evaluate all the means that the Slavs could provide him. So, on January 21, 1190, on the one hand, he negotiated with the ambassadors of the Byzantine emperor, on the other, he inquired through the Duke of Dalmatia about the intentions and disposition of Stefan Nemanja. One could not place much hope on the latter, since at that time he began to wage war on his own and was busy with enterprises on the border of Serbia and Bulgaria. It is possible to explain to some extent the motives why Frederick, even in January 1190, still hesitated to take upon himself the task of resolving the Slavic question, which his circumstances prompted. There was still hope for him, having eliminated the help of the Slavs, which was associated with unpleasant and difficult obligations, to receive help from Europe by spring. In these considerations, he wrote to his son Henry: “Since I do not hope to cross the Bosporus, unless I receive the most chosen and noble hostages from Emperor Isaac or subjugate all of Romania to my power, I ask your royal majesty to send special ambassadors to Genoa and Venice , Antioch and Pisa and other places and send auxiliary detachments on ships so that they, arriving at Constantinople in March, begin the siege of the city from the sea, when we surround it from the land.” By mid-February, relations, however, had settled: on February 14, in Adrianople, Frederick signed the terms under which the Byzantine emperor agreed to allow the crusaders to cross into Asia Minor.
Frederick I's stay in Bulgaria was, in any case, not useless for the Bulgarians and Serbs. The first, encouraged by the German emperor, violated the peace previously concluded with the Greeks, and, although they were deceived in the hope of pushing the Greeks together with the Germans, nevertheless, not without benefit for themselves, they took advantage of the confusion in Constantinople and in the subsequent struggle with Byzantium they took decisively offensive actions. The Serbs, having at the same time significantly expanded their possessions to the northeast of the Morava and southwest to Sofia, came to realize the importance of simultaneous actions with the Bulgarians: they entered into an alliance with Peter and Asen and have been doing the same thing ever since it's their business. No matter how evasive the promises of Frederick I were, he still did not interrupt negotiations with the Slavs and nurtured in them a mood hostile to Byzantium. Let him not conclude an agreement with either the Bulgarians or the Serbs, which would oblige both of them to field 60 thousand troops by spring (40 thousand from the Bulgarians and 20 thousand from the Serbs); but the troops were gathered and, without the participation of the crusaders, began to recapture cities and regions from Byzantium. The passage of the crusaders was accompanied by all the consequences of an enemy invasion, causing new discontent in Bulgaria with the Byzantine government: fugitive, hungry, deprived of homes and income, the villagers had to stick to the Bulgarian or Serbian leaders.
The crossing of the Crusaders across the Bosphorus began on March 25, 1190. Frederick’s path went through the western regions of Asia Minor, partly devastated as a result of wars with the Seljuks, partly occupied by these latter. Turkic troops harassed the crusaders and forced them to be constantly on guard. Christians in particular suffered from a lack of food and feed 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. On June 9, while crossing the mountain river Salef, Frederick was carried away by the stream and pulled out of the water lifeless.
Saladin fully appreciated the importance of Frederick and awaited his arrival in Syria with fear. 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 abandoned the continuation of the campaign and returned by sea to Europe, part, under the leadership of Duke Frederick of Swabia, entered the Principality of Antioch, and then in the fall of 1190 the pitiful remnants of the Germans united with the Christian army near Acre, where they did not have to play an important role.

Siege of Acre

From 1188 to 1191, 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 concentrated here at one time. Some of the Christians who arrived near Acre died under the blows of the Muslims, from disease and hunger; she was replaced by another detachment and, in turn, suffered the same fate. In addition, Christians faced a host of other difficulties that weighed heavily on the course of the entire matter. The Christians besieged the city from the sea - the only part of the city on which they could direct their siege weapons. The interior was occupied by the troops of Saladin, who had convenient and easy communication with Mesopotamia, which served as a source for him to replenish his military forces. Thus, the Christians came to 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 defend Acre for a long time and vigorously. In addition, for the siege of the city, scaffolding was needed; Christians could not get it anywhere nearby, but had to get building material from Italy.
In the war, the Italians, especially the coastal cities of Venice, Genoa and Pisa, whose trade interests in the East forced them to take a large part in the crusades, alternately gained an advantage, then the French, then the Germans, then the British - depending on which people in at the moment there were more significant numbers. Adding to this awkward situation was the rivalry of the eastern leaders. Guy de Lusignan was at enmity with Conrad of Montferrat. Their rivalry divided the crusader camp into two hostile parties: the Italian peoples concentrated around the Tyrian prince, the British took the side of Guy. Thus, the case at Acre, not only in its purpose, but also in the relationship between 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, famine and pestilence weakened the Christian army. In the summer of 1191, the French and English kings came to Acre, on whom Eastern Christians had high hopes. In addition to these two kings, another crowned person came - Duke of Austria Leopold V. Now one could expect that things would go the right way, according to a certain plan. But, unfortunately, such a plan was not developed by representatives of Christian nations. The personal relations of the French and English kings, the most important persons in terms of their military forces, became clear 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 according to which both kings pledged to divide among themselves equally all the lands that they would conquer in the East. Richard did not recognize the French king's rights to Cyprus: “The agreement,” he said, “concerned only with the lands that would be conquered from the Muslims.” At Acre, the misunderstandings between 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 gained the sympathies of the French king with his heroic defense of Tire, but perhaps in this case Philip was motivated by personal enmity towards Richard. Thus, neither the French nor the English king were able to combine their forces and act according to the same plan. The personal characters of the kings also separated them. Richard's chivalrous character was very sympathetic to Saladin; sympathy was immediately revealed between the Muslim ruler and the English king, they began to exchange embassies and show each other signs of attention. This behavior of Richard had an unfavorable effect on his authority among Christians; The idea became firmly established in the army that Richard was ready to change. Thus in Richard all his strength, all his power and energy was paralyzed; at the same time, the French king did not have enough personal energy to take over the main direction of the siege. Thus, all the advantages, all the favorable conditions were on Saladin’s side.
In July, Acre was reduced to exhaustion, and the garrison began to negotiate a surrender. Saladin was not averse to making peace, but Christians offered too harsh conditions: 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 Christians; in addition, Saladin had to give 2 thousand hostages from noble Muslims. Saladin apparently agreed to all these conditions. The Christian princes, in view of the imminent surrender of the city, began to vigilantly ensure that food supplies were not delivered to the city. On July 12, 1191, Acre was surrendered to Christians. The fulfillment of the preconditions for peace soon met with obstacles. Meanwhile, during the occupation of Acre, very serious misunderstandings took place among Christians. Duke Leopold V of Austria, having taken possession of one of the walls of the city, put up an Austrian banner: Richard I ordered it to be torn down and replaced with his own; this was a great insult to the entire German army; from that time on, Richard acquired an irreconcilable enemy in the person of Leopold V. In addition, the Western princes placed 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 city population consisted of Christians, who, under Muslim rule, 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 the Muslims fulfilled other points of the agreement. The French king reached extreme irritation; Philip's hostility towards Richard fueled 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. Irritated, Philip left Acre and went home. It goes without saying that the premature return of the French king caused significant damage to the cause of the crusade. The main role remained with Richard, who, with his ardent knightly character, devoid of political flair, 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, established a brotherhood at their own expense, which aimed to help the poor and sick Germans. Duke Frederick of Swabia took this brotherhood under his protection and petitioned for a papal charter in its favor. 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, aimed at harming Richard, were a direct violation of the agreement they concluded during 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’s return from the campaign. Needless to say, Philip's violation of the treaty and his encroachments on Richard's French possessions must have had a harmful 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 return Jerusalem, did not release captives and did not pay military costs. Then Richard took one step that frightened all Muslims and which must be considered most characteristic of the sad fame that Richard acquired in the East. Richard ordered the slaughter of up to 2 thousand noble Muslims who were in his hands as hostages. Facts of this kind were an unusual occurrence in the East and only caused 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 minor attacks. These raids for the purpose of robbery, it is true, characterize the time of knighthood, but when applied to the head of the crusader militia, who represented the interests of all Christian Europe, they exposed only the inability to get down to business. Since Saladin sacrificed Acre, the Christians should not have allowed him to strengthen himself in another place, but should have immediately marched on Jerusalem. But Guido Lusignan, this nominal king without a kingdom, whose enmity towards Conrad of Montferrat can only be explained by envy, persuaded Richard to clear the Muslims, first of all, from the coastal strip; Guido Lusignan was also supported by the Venetians, who pursued trade goals: it was more convenient for them for the coastal cities to be owned by Christians rather than 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 step on Richard's part; he decided on an emergency remedy; ordered to tear down the strong walls of Ascalon and turn the city itself into a pile of stones. Throughout the autumn of 1191 and the spring of 1192, Richard stood at the head of the crusader militia. He lost all this time in 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 presented itself quite clearly to Richard - to go straight to Jerusalem; his army itself was aware that it had not yet completed its task and urged the king to do the same. Three times he was already on the way to Jerusalem, three times extravagant ideas forced him to stop the march and move back.
By the beginning of 1192, news from France arrived in Asia, which greatly affected Richard. At the same time, one fact took place in the East that made Richard fearful about the outcome of the enterprise. Conrad of Montferrat understood that given Richard’s tactlessness, it was unlikely that Christians would be able to defeat Saladin, he went over to the latter’s side, reprimanded him for Tire and Acre and promised for this to unite with him and destroy Richard with one blow. Then Richard, placed in a highly difficult situation by affairs in the East and worried about his English possessions, threatened by the French king, used all means to enter into a relationship with Saladin. In dreamy self-deception, he drew up a completely impracticable plan. He invited Saladin to unite with him by kinship: he offered to marry his sister Joanna to Saladin’s brother Malek-Adel. The idea is highly dreamy and cannot satisfy anyone. Even if this kind of marriage could take place, it would not satisfy Christians; the lands sacred to them would still remain in Muslim hands.
"Finally, Richard, who, by remaining longer in Asia, risked losing his crown, concluded an agreement with Saladin on September 1, 1192. This peace, shameful for the honor of Richard, left for Christians a small coastal strip from Jaffa to Tire, Jerusalem remained in the power of Muslims, the Holy Cross was not returned." Saladin granted peace to Christians for three years. At this time, they could freely come to worship holy places. Three years later, Christians pledged to enter into new agreements with Saladin, which, of course, had to be worse than the previous ones. This inglorious world fell heavily on 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 get to England." But in Europe he was guarded by all his enemies, of whom Richard I had many (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 did he gain freedom. For his freedom, England paid Leopold V up to 23 tons of silver.

Transition to Ascalon

Battle of Arsuf

The army of the crusaders under the command of Richard marched south along the coast of Syria to the city of Arsuf. Coming out of the forest that served them as cover, the Latins had to somehow cover a distance of 10 km in one day, which is a lot, considering the fact that they were under constant enemy attacks. In an effort to protect his forces as much as possible from the "fire" of Muslim horse archers, Richard formed them in a "box" formation. The knights and their horses were covered by a barrier of infantry. Only riders of military orders were at risk. The Templars walked in the vanguard, while the Hospitallers had the role of bringing up the rear in the column. Under the scorching heat and under the rain of arrows from the Muslim horse archers, the crusaders slowly advanced towards the goal. At some point, the Hospitallers could not stand it - they were losing too many horses - and attacked the advancing enemy. Richard was able to respond correctly to the changing situation in a timely manner, moved the remaining 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 - German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, France - King Philip II Augustus, Austria - Duke Leopold V. Having started the campaign, they stopped in Mesina - a port overlooking the holy land. Richard, anticipating victory, organized a feast. Setting off across the Mediterranean Sea, they landed in Cyprus, which was on the way to Jerusalem. Cyprus, brilliantly taken by the army of Christians, strengthened the influence of Richard. The English king gave the island to one of the revered heads of the Templar Order, Guy de Luzenian, who swore allegiance to him. But he was incognito with his detachment and with a vassal (who had a castle in Palestine, more specifically in the Principality of Antioch) with Rene de Chatignon they destroyed Saracen caravans, which greatly undermined the truce with Saladin. The army carrying the cross continued on its way to Jerusalem. While crossing the river, Frederick I Barbarossa fell from his horse and choked, this was a bad sign - Richard’s nobles decided, but the king did not pay attention. Having passed the

Crusades Nesterov Vadim

Third Crusade (1189–1192)

Third Crusade

Meanwhile, the forces of the Muslim world continued to grow, threatening the very existence of Christian states in Palestine. Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia became part of Saladin's state. In July 1187, he inflicted a terrible defeat on the crusaders at Tiberias, many knights were captured. Among them was the Jerusalem king Guido de Lusignan and his brother Amalric. Acre, Beirut, Sidon, Caesarea, Ascalon fell under the blows of the Sultan's troops.

Finally, a terrible event for the entire Christian world happened - on October 2 of the same year, Saladin entered Jerusalem. Christians were allowed to leave the city under ransom conditions. 16 thousand people who did not find enough funds were sold into slavery. Having received the news that the Holy Sepulcher was again conquered by the Muslims, Pope Urban III died suddenly.

Siege of Acre. Unknown artist

Gregory VIII, who replaced him, proclaimed the Third Crusade. The German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, the French King Philip II Augustus and the English King Henry II Plantagenet, who was succeeded by his son Richard the Lionheart after his death, responded to the call. Such a representative composition did not save the campaign from failure. Failures haunted the hundred thousandth German army from the very beginning: while crossing the Selif River (Salef, Hexu) in June 1190, Frederick I drowned; The Duke of Swabia, Frederick VI, who replaced him, soon died of malaria.

Acre capitulates to Philip Augustus and Richard the Lionheart. Artist Merry-Joseph Blondel

The British achieved the greatest success in this campaign - King Richard captured the island of Cyprus. Subsequently, the island was sold, and the Kingdom of Cyprus was formed there, which existed from 1192 to 1489.

Richard I the Lionheart. Unknown master of the British school of painting, before 1626 Dulwich Art Gallery, London

English and French troops jointly besieged Acre. However, due to infighting between the besiegers, it was possible to take it only two years later, in July 1191. Philip, who had quarreled with Richard, left for his homeland, and soon a war began between England and France. Richard, who remained in Palestine, however, was in no hurry to go to war and tried unsuccessfully to storm Jerusalem three times. In the end, on September 2, 1192, a truce was concluded with Saladin, according to which the city remained with the Muslims, but Christian pilgrims could visit the holy places for three years. The crusaders retained the coast from Tire to Jaffa. Acre became the capital of the remnants of their power. The failure of the campaign is explained both by the uncoordinated (and sometimes hostile) actions of the crusaders towards each other, and by the position of Byzantium, which concluded an agreement with Saladin.

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From the book Glory of the Byzantine Empire author Vasiliev Alexander Alexandrovich

The Third Crusade and Byzantium After the inconclusive Second Crusade, the position of Christian possessions in the East continued to raise serious concerns: internal strife between princes, court intrigues, disputes between spiritual knightly orders,

(1096-1099) knights from Western Europe settled in Muslim Palestine and created several Christian states on its lands. Chief among them was the Kingdom of Jerusalem, centered in Jerusalem. However, the Muslim world did not accept the loss. He began to fiercely resist, trying to return the captured territories back. In the second half of the 12th century, Salah ad-Din Yusuf (1137-1193), whom Europeans called Saladin, entered the political arena. This man united Egypt and Syria under his leadership, became the sultan and founded the Ayyubid dynasty.

Saladin led the fight against the crusaders and on July 4, 1187, completely defeated the soldiers of Christ in the Battle of Hattin. At the same time, the king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, and many noble knights were captured. Then such fortresses as Acre, Sidon, Caesarea, Beirut fell, and on October 2, 1187, after a short siege, Jerusalem fell.

Three European monarchs who led the Third Crusade

When the Catholic world learned of this, it fell into a state of deep sorrow. It was said that upon receiving the news of the loss of Jerusalem, Pope Urban III fell to the ground dead. After this, the new Pope Gregory VIII called on the noble knights to begin the Third Crusade (1189-1192). But the servant of God died on December 17, 1187, so the new pontiff Clement III took the entire initiative (he was pope until March 20, 1191).

The most powerful rulers of Europe responded to the call of the Catholic Church: King of England Richard I the Lionheart, French King Philip II and German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (Redbeard). These rulers were supported by the Austrian Duke Leopold V, and the first king of Cilician Armenia, Levon I, was an ally. Apparently, the military forces were meant to be powerful. But there was no unity among them. Each monarch was guided by his own political interests and had little interest in the interests of other crowned persons.

The route of European monarchs to Palestine on the map. The red line shows the path of the British, the blue line the path of the French and the green line overland the path of the German crusaders

Campaign of the German Crusaders

The first to enter the Holy Land was the German Emperor Barbarossa. This was an elderly man. He was born in 1122, and set out on the Third Crusade at the age of 66. But first, on March 27, 1188, he took the crusader vow in Mainz Cathedral. After this, the emperor gathered an army, which, according to chroniclers, numbered 100 thousand people. Of this mass of people, 20 thousand were knightly cavalry.

The German army moved to Palestine in May 1189. But such a powerful force frightened the Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angel. He even entered into a secret alliance with Saladin, but the Sultanate of Rum, on the contrary, promised Frederick I all support. That is, each ruler tried to protect himself, seeing the strength and numbers of the German army.

In March 1190, Barbarossa and his army crossed into Asia Minor, moved in a south-easterly direction and by the beginning of June reached the coastal Taurus Mountains, from which it was already a stone's throw to Palestine. But apparently God turned away from the Germans, because on June 10, 1190, while crossing the Salef River, the emperor’s horse slipped on the rocks and threw its rider into the water. Dressed in armor, Frederick immediately drowned.

After this tragic event, part of the beheaded German army turned back, and the other part reached Antioch. This army was led by the emperor's son, Duke Frederick of Swabia. In Antioch, the body of the deceased emperor was buried in the Church of St. Peter. As for the crusaders, their number decreased even more. Many boarded ships and sailed to their native lands, and the remaining 5 thousand knights reached Tripoli, where most of them fell ill with malaria.

With only a small detachment, Duke Frederick of Swabia arrived in October 1190 at Acre, besieged by the crusaders. Here he founded the Teutonic Order and died of malaria on January 20, 1191. After his death, all the German crusaders went home. This is how the German army ended the Third Crusade ingloriously. As for the British and French, here events developed completely differently.

There was no unity of opinion between the English and French kings

Campaign of the French and English crusaders

The French and British went to Palestine not by land, but by sea. Richard I the Lionheart sent his crusaders on ships in April 1190, and he himself went to France to see the French king Philip II. The two monarchs met in Lyon in July. After this, Richard I went to Marseilles to meet his ships, and Philip II went to Genoa to hire a fleet to transport his army.

But upon arriving in Marseille, Richard saw that his ships were not yet there. Then he hired a ship and sailed to Sicily to Messina. His ships soon arrived there, and a little later the ships of Philip II. Thus, in September 1190, both kings and their troops found themselves in Sicily. Winter was approaching, and the crusaders decided to wait it out on the fertile island, and in the spring of 1191 set sail for the shores of Palestine.

In Messina, political differences between the French and the British were clearly manifested. During the period described, Sicily was conquered by the Normans, and Richard I declared his claims to the Norman crown. This statement cooled the relations between the kings, and Philip II departed for the shores of Palestine in March 1191. And Richard I was mired in dynastic strife and left Sicily only in April of the same year.

The British fleet was caught in a storm, and the ship on which the king's bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, was sailing, was thrown onto the reefs near the island of Cyprus. This ship contained money collected for the Third Crusade. They were taken possession of by the local ruler Isaac Komnenos. He also announced that the bride of the English king was now his prisoner.

It is not known where this ruler was thinking when challenging Richard the Lionheart, but it all ended in his complete defeat. The English king took possession of the island within a few days, put Isaac Comnenus in chains and held celebrations in honor of the English crown. At this time, the former king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, arrived in Cyprus. Richard I immediately sold him the conquered island and sailed to Palestine.

There at that time the crusaders tried to retake the fortress of Acre, captured by the Muslims. The siege was attended by Philip II, the Austrian Duke Leopold V and Richard I, who joined them after Cyprus. In general, the siege lasted 2 years from 1188 to 1191, and Saladin’s troops constantly attacked the besiegers. The European rulers, joining the crusaders of Palestine, became bogged down in this siege and brought to naught the entire Third Crusade.

Acre surrendered to the Christians on July 12, 1191. After this, the French king sailed with part of his knights to his homeland, and the English king remained, since the main task was the liberation of Jerusalem. But all the military attempts of the crusaders turned out to be extremely unsuccessful. In skirmishes with Muslims, Richard the Lionheart began using spearmen and crossbowmen against Mohammedan horsemen. This provided cover for the knights who were expecting an attack. However, this tactical innovation did not improve the situation.

The Crusaders returned Acre, but Jerusalem remained with the Muslims

Jerusalem was never taken, and in September 1192 the Crusaders made peace with Saladin. The Holy City remained under Muslim control, but Christians were allowed to visit it. In October of the same year, the English king left for his homeland, and this ended the Third Crusade.

In March 1193, the formidable Sultan Saladin died. This greatly eased the situation for the soldiers of Christ, as a struggle for power began between the heirs of the Muslim ruler. However, there were no fundamental territorial changes in the Latin East, since the knights always acted separately and did not have a single command. But the Catholic Church began organizing the next crusade, since the pontiffs could not allow the Holy Sepulcher to be in the hands of representatives of another faith.

The Crusades as a military-religious phenomenon arose during the reign of Pope Gregory the Seventh and were aimed at liberating Palestine and Jerusalem, where the Holy Sepulcher was located, from the “infidels,” as well as spreading Christianity by military means among pagans, Muslims, residents of Orthodox states and heretical movements . In subsequent centuries, the crusades were carried out mainly for the Christianization of the population of the Baltic states, the suppression of heretical manifestations in a number of European countries or to solve some personal problems of the persons who headed the throne in the Vatican.

There were nine military campaigns in total. What the main participants of the Third were striving for roughly reflects their claims in a particular campaign in general terms as follows:

Who went on the Crusades?

The rank and file of the Third Crusade did not differ much in composition from the contingent that had taken part in similar actions previously. For example, numerous French nobles of that time took part in the first campaign, who, with their squads and the monks and ordinary people who joined them (there were even children ready to go against the “infidels” in the name of the forgiveness of all sins promised by the pope) came in various ways to Constantinople and to 1097 crossed the Bosphorus.

Three hundred thousand crusaders took part in one of the campaigns

The total number of crusaders reached approximately a third of a million people. Two years later, they fought their way to Jerusalem, slaughtering a significant part of the Muslim population living here. Then the knights and their troops waged wars with both Muslims and Greeks, Byzantines, etc. They founded several Christian states on the territory of Lebanon, which controlled trade between Europe, China and India until new routes were opened to the Asian lands through Eastern Rus'. They also tried to control trade through the Russian lands with the help of the crusaders, so the supporters of this military-religious movement remained the longest in the Baltic states.

Ancient Edessa as a reason for war

Participants in the Third Crusade (1147-1149) were actually involved in the second. This event also began with the arrival of the German king Conrad with his troops in Constantinople in 1147. The prerequisites for the second wave of military operations in the Holy Land were that Muslim civilization became more active and began to return to the lands that had been taken from it earlier. In particular, Edessa was captured, King Fulk, who also had possessions in France, died in Jerusalem, and his daughter could not provide adequate protection of interests due to the rebellion of the vassals.

Saint Bernard blessed the Germans and French for their campaign

Participants in the third crusade (actually the second, in the mid-12th century) prepared for more than one year. It was assumed that Eugene the Third would actively speak out for him, who, however, at that time was weakened as an authority by democratic movements in Italy (under the leadership of Arnold of Brescia). The French ruler, a knight in spirit, also suffered some hesitations until he was blessed for the campaign by the Pope in the person of St. Bernard, who preached a sermon on the need to free the Holy Sepulcher in 1146, inspiring the population of central and southern France. Participants in the 3rd Crusade (historians consider it the second) left France total number about 70 thousand people, who were joined along the way by the same number of pilgrims. A year later, Saint Bernard caused a similar wave among the German population when he came to visit King Conrad.

Having crossed the Bosporus, the Germans of King Conrad encountered such resistance from the Seljuks that they were unable to penetrate into the interior of the country and, in the end, returned to their homeland (including Conrad and King Ludwig the Seventh). The French went along the coast of Asia Minor, and the most noble of them sailed to Syria in 1148. Almost all of them died during the transition. Edessa, recaptured by the crusaders from the “infidels,” was again conquered by the Muslims, Nur ad Din captured lands near Antioch, the Kurds under the leadership of Shirku captured Egypt, where the famous Saladin later reigned, who also subjugated Muslim Syria, Damascus and part of Mesopotamia.

Worsening relations in the East after the death of Baldwin the Fourth

In those years, Jerusalem was ruled by Baldwin the Fourth, who was seriously ill with leprosy, who was a good diplomat and successfully maintained neutrality between Jerusalem and Damascus. However, after his death, a certain Guy de Lusignan married Baldwin’s sister, proclaimed himself king of Jerusalem and began to provoke Saladin into military action, in which the latter was more than successful, having conquered almost all the lands from the crusaders.

Saladin's military successes led to the appearance of potential participants in the third crusade in Europe who wanted to take revenge on him. A new military operation in the east, with the blessing of the Pope, was led by Frederick Barbarossa, King Philip Augustus II (French) and Richard the Lionheart, the king of England at that time. It is worth noting that Philip and Richard clearly did not like each other. This was due to the fact that Philip was a master of intrigue (including with Richard's brother, John Lackland, who led England in the absence of the main ruler), which did not distinguish his English opponent. The latter, however, endured a lot without using the military power of his state.

Frederick Barbarossa was a cautious military leader

The heads of state participating in the Third Crusade had such relations among themselves. Frederick the First, as some historians believe, was far from such squabbles and prepared for his enterprise in the East very carefully. There is some evidence that before the campaign he held negotiations with Byzantium, and with the Iconian Sultan, and, possibly, with Sultan Saladin himself. Under an agreement with the Byzantine emperor, participants in the 3rd Crusade received free passage through the lands and the supply of provisions at predetermined prices. The Hungarian king Bela, who did not participate in the campaign, led Barbarossa's army through his territory in the optimal way. But during the journey, gangs of robbers began to attack the Germans. The number of crusaders began to include local residents, dissatisfied with their rulers, which increased the number of military clashes.

What difficulties did the German participants in the Third Crusade face? Frederick 1 did not take into account that after crossing the Bosporus in March 1190, his already exhausted troops would have to march through Asia Minor, previously devastated by the wars with the Seljuks, where they would have problems with pack animals and provisions. The King of Germany won a major victory at Iconium, but in Cilicia, while crossing the mountain river Saleph, Frederick choked and died. This destroyed the success of the entire enterprise, since some of the crusaders were forced to return to Europe by sea, and the part that reached Agra (the main goal of the campaign) under the leadership of the Duke of Swabia participated in the battles along with the rest of the Christians.

Richard and Philip took the sea route

Other high-ranking members of the Third Crusade (1189-1192) arrived with their troops to besiege Agra in the spring of 1190. Along the way, Richard managed to capture Cyprus. But Agra, mainly due to the contradictions between Richard and Philip, lasted until the summer of 1191, almost two years. Some of the French knights then sailed to their homeland under the leadership of their king. But some, like Henry of Champagne, Hugo of Burgundy and others, remained to fight in Syria, where they defeated Saladin at Arsuf, but were unable to return Jerusalem. In September 1192, participants in the Third Crusade signed a peace treaty with the Sultan, according to which Christians could only visit the Holy City. Richard the Lionheart then returned to his homeland. Around the same period, the Teutonic Brotherhood appeared, which was obtained by transforming the German hospital brotherhood of St. Mary, organized during the invasion of the East.

Results of the Crusades

What results did the states participating in the Third Crusade have? The table shows that Europeans and the peoples of the East, rather, lost more from these historical events. But it is worth noting that the Crusades resulted not only in the death of a large number of people and the weakening of medieval forms of government, but also contributed to the rapprochement of classes, different nationalities and peoples, contributed to the development of navigation and trade, the spread of Christianity, and mutual penetration cultural values East and West.

Third crusade(1189 - 1192) was initiated by 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 noticeable, which the neighboring Muslim rulers take advantage of. The laxity 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 12th 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 holy land The power and influence of the military monastic orders (Templars and Hospitallers) increased; they had at their disposal the vast majority of Christian castles and fortresses, which only they could effectively defend.
Theoretically, the defense of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was the responsibility 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 large quantities professional warriors and financial support, and not in the alien hordes of warlike crusaders, who went 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 at heart, a highly energetic man who loved glory, King Manuel was ready to implement the policy of restoring the Roman Empire within its old limits. 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 evident, among other things, from the fact that after the death of his first wife, the sister of King Conrad III, Manuel married one of the Antioch princesses. The resulting relations were eventually to bring Antioch under Byzantine rule. 4
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 12th century, a near end threatened.
The self-confidence of the military elite of the Latin states was still fueled 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 soon broke out.
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”, “war against infidels,” long dormant, but revived by Sunni Muslim theologians of the 12th century. "Jihad" became an organized campaign to reconquer holy land, as well as crusade set the goal of conquering it.
Muslims, however, did not seek to convert the enemy by sword, since Islam never condoned forced conversion. However, the 12th century saw a hardening of Islam's religious position, greater intolerance and increased pressure on local Eastern Christians. Sunni Muslims applied the same principles to the Muslim minority, the Shiites. 5
Saladin was a wise tactician and politician. He was aware of the strength of his enemies, just as he was aware of his own weaknesses. were strong when they stuck together, but as there were endless power struggles between them, Saladin managed to win over some of the barons to his side, and then began to pit 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 to his advantage 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 was very common in the East.
The military threat was intensifying, but 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 collect money, but until the Muslims used weapons, there were no calls for a new crusade on Holy land.
In the spring of 1187, even before the truce expired, one of the Frankish barons Renaud of Chatillon (Reynald de Chatillon) treacherously attacked a Muslim caravan transporting goods from Damascus to Egypt. He had previously robbed Muslim pilgrims going to Mecca and destroyed port cities on the Red Sea. And since Renault did not want to compensate for the damage, Saladin declared war.

Before the significant losses of territory that followed the Battle of Hattin, the Kingdom of Jerusalem had a fairly significant army. According to the registers of the time of King Baudouin IV, in the feudal militia of the kingdom there were 675 knights and 5025 sergeants, not counting the Turcopoles and mercenaries.
In total, the kingdom could field over 1,000 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 those who arrived in Holy land pilgrims.
In addition, the Templars kept holy land a permanent order contingent of over 300 knights and several hundred sergeants and turcopols. 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 numbered no more than 300 brother knights) . The number of troops could also be increased by local native militia. 5
Saladin bet on a full-scale battle before the Christians got out of the waterless plateau and reached Lake Tiberias. The proposed battle site, 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 had 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. Saladin's Muslim army outnumbered the Christian forces.
The Christian army left the camp in the usual order: the cavalry was covered by rows of infantry, 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 it, but many horses were lost. But, more importantly, the Christian infantry wavered and began to abandon their formations in large numbers and retreat eastward. Muslim sources claim that the thirsty infantrymen fled towards Lake Tiberias, despite the fact that it was much further away than the source at Hattin, and therefore did not need to make such a long journey to drink. Christian chroniclers explain this movement of the masses crusader infantry with her desire to find refuge from the enemy on the Horns of Hattin.
The morale of the infantrymen was so depressed that they only looked indifferently at the battle that the Christian cavalry continued to wage around the three tents set up at the foot of the Horns. Despite the repeated orders of King Guido and the exhortations of the bishops to protect the Holy Cross, they stubbornly refused to go down, answering: “We will not go down and fight, because we are dying of thirst.” 5
Meanwhile, the unprotected horses knights-crusaders were struck down by enemy arrows, and already most of them 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 allowing Count Raymond to break through the Muslim line. During this attack, the Bishop of Acre who held the Cross was killed, but before the holy relic fell into the hands of Taqi al-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 ad-Din. However, whenever this happened, with the loss of the relic, the spirit of the Christian troops was completely crushed. 5
At the Battle of Hattin crusaders suffered a crushing defeat. Countless numbers 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 (Amaury) de Lusignan, Margrave Guillemo de Montferrat, Raynald de Chatillon, Humphred de Toron, Master of the Templar Order Gerard de Ridfort, Master of the Order of Hospitallers Garnes ( Gardner) de Naplus (apparently temporarily leading 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 Renault of Chatillon.
Even before the battle, Saladin vowed to personally cut off the head of this truce breaker. This is apparently what happened. 2
All Turcopoles who were captured, as having betrayed the Muslim faith, were executed right on the battlefield. The remaining prisoners 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 a choice: either convert to Islam or
die.
Conversion on pain of death was against Muslim law, but in this case the knights of the spiritual orders seemed to Saladin to be a kind of 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 infantrymen 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 place, at a time favorable to him, and under conditions favorable to 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 could now operate unhindered in Palestine.
According to the 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 carry out a massacre in the defeated city and released Christians from it for a ransom. As a ransom, Saladin took 10 gold dinars per man, 5 gold dinars per woman and 1 gold dinar per child.
Those persons who did not pay the ransom were enslaved by Saladin. So no 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 to themselves in the East. 6
Muslim warriors again took possession of their shrine - the al-Aqsa Mosque. Saladin's triumph was limitless. Even such impregnable fortresses as Krak and Krak de Montreal could not withstand the onslaught of the Muslims.
In Krak, the French even exchanged their wives and children for food supplies, but this did not help them either. Only a few powerful fortresses in the north remained in the hands of Christians: Krak des Chevaliers, Chatel 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 maintain 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 compiled with the goal of spreading the idea of crusade across all Western countries.
The cardinals, shocked by the events on holy land, gave the pope their 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 classes. For this purpose, an order was made to stop internal wars, knights The sale of fiefs was facilitated, the collection of debts was postponed, and 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, there was the famous Saladin 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 clergy and monks. They just didn't pay tax crusaders, who received tithes from each of their vassals who did not go on a campaign.
Saladin's tithe brought in enormous income - one chronicler writes that 70,000 pounds were collected in England alone, although he may be exaggerating. In France, the introduction of this tax encountered resistance, which prevented Philip II from receiving an equally significant amount. Moreover, Philip even had to promise that neither he nor his successors would no longer impose such a tax on their subjects, and, apparently, they kept this promise. 7
And yet the funds for the third crusade Quite a lot was collected...
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 by land, despite the fact that this path was not easy. Previously, treaties were 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 this, they entered into 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 previous treaty became invalid.
Due to Seljuk attacks and unbearable heat crusaders moved forward very slowly. Among them, widespread illness began.
The importance of Frederick I Barbarossa was fully appreciated by Saladin and he awaited his arrival in Syria with fear. Indeed, Germany seemed ready to correct all the mistakes of 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 Germans. crusaders.
The Germans have special confidence in Frederick, the eldest son of Barbarossa. crusaders there was none, and therefore 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 besieged 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 sought first of all knightly exploits and glory. His very preparations for the campaign reflected his character traits too clearly.
Richard surrounded himself with a brilliant retinue and knights, for his army, according to contemporaries, he spent as much in one day as other kings spent in a month. When getting ready to go on a campaign, he transferred everything into money; he either leased out his possessions, or mortgaged them and sold them. Thus he actually raised enormous funds; his crusader the army was well-armed. It would seem that good funds and a large armed army should have ensured the success of the enterprise...
Part of the English army left England on ships, while Richard himself crossed the English Channel to join 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 during the delivery of food and fodder forced them to separate.
The French king led the way and in September 1190 arrived in Sicily and stopped in Messina, waiting for his ally. When the English king arrived here, the movement of the allied army was delayed by the considerations that it was inconvenient to begin a campaign by sea in the fall; Thus, both troops spent the autumn and winter in Sicily until the spring of 1191. 2
Meanwhile, Richard, upon arrival in Sicily, declared his claims to the Norman possessions. In fact, he justified his right by the fact that the deceased William II was married to Joanna, the daughter of the English king Henry II and the sister of Richard himself. The temporary usurper of the Norman crown, Tancred, held William's widow in honorable custody.
Richard demanded that his sister be given 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 everything that followed.
All this clearly showed the French king that he would not be able to act according to 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 strove for was the city of Ptolemais (French and German form - Accon, Russian - Acre). This city during the period 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 directed to this city, on the other, 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 especially cooled 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 carrying the new bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, was thrown onto the island of Cyprus.
The island of Cyprus was at this time in the power of Isaac Komnenos, who revolted from the Byzantine emperor of the same name. Isaac Comnenus, usurper of Cyprus, did not distinguish between friends and enemies of the emperor, but pursued his own selfish interests; he declared the bride of the English king his captive. Thus, Richard had to start a war with Cyprus, which was unexpected and unexpected for him and which required a lot of time and effort from him.
Having taken possession of the island, Richard chained Isaac Comnenus in silver chains; A series of celebrations began that accompanied the triumph of the English king: for the first time, the British acquired territorial possession in the Mediterranean Sea. But it goes without saying that Richard could not count on long-term possession of Cyprus, which was located at such a great distance from Britain.
While Richard was celebrating his victory in Cyprus, when he was organizing celebration after celebration, the titular king of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, arrived in Cyprus; we call him a titular king because in fact he was no longer the king of Jerusalem, he did not have any territorial possessions, but bore only the name of a king. Guy de Lusignan, who arrived in Cyprus to declare signs of devotion to the English king, increased the splendor and influence of >, who gave (according to other sources - sold) him the island of Cyprus.
In April 1191, to Akkon (Acre), besieged by the Germans crusaders, the French fleet arrived in time, followed by the English.
After the arrival of Richard I the Lionheart (8 June) all crusaders tacitly acknowledged his leadership. He drove away the army of Salah ad-Din, who was coming to the rescue of the besieged, and then waged the siege so vigorously that the Muslim garrison capitulated. 6
Saladin tried his best to avoid the pre-agreed ransom, and then the English king Richard I the Lionheart did not hesitate to order the killing of 2,700 captured Muslims. Saladin had to ask for a truce...
During the occupation of Acre, a very unpleasant incident took place among Christians. Duke Leopold V of Austria, having taken possession of one of the walls of the city, put up an Austrian banner: Richard I> ordered it to be torn down and replaced with his own; this was a great insult to the entire German army; from that time on, Richard acquired an irreconcilable enemy in the person of Leopold V.
The French king reached extreme irritation; Philip's hostility towards Richard fueled 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. Irritated, Philip left Acre and went home...
retreated to the south and headed through Jaffa towards Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was restored, although Jerusalem itself remained in Muslim hands. Akkon was now the capital of the kingdom. Power crusaders 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, unity of command reigned in the army, and his subsequent actions against Saladin, as well as the respect that the two warriors had for each other, constituted the most famous episode in history crusades on Holy land. 1
After a skillfully prepared throw along the coast (one of his flanks was protected by the sea), Richard fought and defeated Saladin near Arsuf (1191).
In general, this clash served as the apotheosis of the two-week confrontation between the Turks and crusaders, who set out south from recently liberated Acre on August 24. The main goal of the Franks' campaign was Jerusalem, the road to which lay on the coast from Jaffa.
Almost immediately the rearguard, consisting of French knights Duke Hugo of Burgundy was attacked by Muslims, confused 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 brother knights of the military monastic orders - the Templars and the Hospitallers. Bound by strict rules and accustomed to discipline far more than their secular comrades, armored monks were better suited to perform such tasks than others.
Although crusaders in general, and Richard in particular, are associated with mass consciousness with cavalry, the king understood the vital importance of infantry. Holding shields in their hands, dressed in thick felt robes over chain mail, the spearmen covered the few knights and especially their horses on the march, and archers and crossbowmen compensated for the “firepower” of the enemy’s horse archers.
The main burden of defending the column along the route fell on the infantry. Numbering up to 10,000 people, it was divided approximately in two so that the cavalry (up to 2,000 people in total) and the convoy were between the two echelons. Because the crusaders moved in a southerly direction, their right flank was covered by the sea. In addition, they received supplies from the sea from crusader fleet all the way where the coastline allowed ships to get close to the shore.
Richard ordered both echelons to change places daily, one day holding back Muslim attacks, and the other walking along the coast in relative safety.
Saladin had no less than 30,000 soldiers, who were divided in a 2:1 ratio into cavalry and infantry. His infantry is called “black” by his chroniclers, although they are also described as Bedouins “with bows, quivers and round shields.” It is possible that we are talking about Sudanese warriors, whom the rulers of Egypt often took into their troops as skilled archers.
However, it was not they, but the horse archers who represented the source of greatest anxiety for crusaders. Ambroise, poet and crusader, speaks about the threat of the enemy:
“The Turks have one advantage, which served as a source of great damage to us. are heavily armed, while the Saracens have a bow, club, sword or spear with a steel tip.
If they have to leave, it is impossible to keep up with them - their horses are so good that there are no such horses anywhere in the world, it seems as if they do not gallop, but fly like swallows. They are like stinging wasps: if you chase them, they run away, but if you turn around, they catch up.” 8
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 launched a powerful attack on the rear of Richard I's column to force the rearguard crusaders get involved in a fight.
At first, Richard I> forbade resistance, and the column stubbornly continued to march. Then, when the Turks became completely bolder, and the pressure on the rearguard became completely unbearable, Richard ordered the predetermined signal to attack to be sounded.
The well-coordinated counterattack took the unsuspecting Turks by surprise.
The battle was over in just a few minutes...
Obeying orders >, crusaders overcame the temptation to rush to pursue the defeated enemy. The Turks lost about 7 thousand people, the rest fled in disorder. Losses crusaders amounted to 700 people.
After this, Salah ad-Din never dared to engage Richard I in open battle. 6 The Turks were forced to go on the defensive, but lack of coordination prevented crusaders develop success.
In 1192, Richard I marched on Jerusalem, hot on the heels of Salah ad-Din, who, retreating, used scorched earth tactics - he destroyed all crops, pastures and poisoned wells. Lack of water, lack of feed for horses and growing discontent in the ranks of his multinational army forced Richard, willy-nilly, to the conclusion that he was unable to besiege Jerusalem unless he wanted 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 showed himself valiant knight and a talented tactician.
The staff service and organization of supplies for 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 avoid the spread of epidemics. 6
Abandoning hope of taking Jerusalem, on September 1, 1192, Richard signed a treaty with Saladin. This peace, shameful for Richard’s honor, left for Christians a small coastal strip from Jaffa to Tire, Jerusalem remained in the power of Muslims, the Holy Cross was not returned.
Saladin granted peace to Christians for three years. At this time, they could freely come to worship holy places.
Three years later, Christians pledged to enter into new agreements with Saladin, which, of course, had to be worse than the previous ones.
This inglorious world fell heavily on Richard. Contemporaries even suspected him of treason and betrayal; Muslims reproached him for excessive cruelty...
9 October 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 they fought, wasted time and effort over a small piece of land, essentially useless and completely useless, which they wanted to reward the King of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan.
With the passing of Richard the Lionheart, the heroic era crusades V Holy land has come to an end... 1

Information sources:
1. " Crusades"(magazine "Tree of Knowledge" No. 21/2002)
2. Uspensky F. “History crusades »
3. Wikipedia website
4. Wazold M. " »
5. Donets I. “Battle of Hattin”
6. “All the wars of world history” (according to Harper’s Encyclopedia military history Dupuis)
7. Riley-Smith J. “History crusades »
8. Bennett M., Bradbury J., De-Fry K., Dickey J., Jesties F. “Wars and battles of the Middle Ages”