GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH Gaithersburg, Maryland The Christian Crusades to the Holy Land (1096 - 1272 CE) “Who Were They?” “Why Do We Remember Them?” The Battle of The Horns of Hattin and the Fall of Jerusalem The Third of Six Sessions The Third Sunday after Pentecost -- June 21, 2020 (Series A) I. Now Just Where Were We? We left our last session with Jerusalem secure. So too was the Crusader County of Edessa from 1098 to 1144 CE. Having suffered the loss of Edessa, a Second Crusade was called to recapture control of Edessa. It failed totally! This crusade then turned to Damascus, and after a five day siege, that failed as well. What it did accomplish was to weaken the very successful treaty that the Christian rulers of Jerusalem had with the Muslim government in Damascus. So, the Second Crusade was twice a failure! II. Back to Crusader Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem prospered from that awesome July 15th day in 1099 when the city fell to the Crusaders, and after Godfrey, Defender of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, successfully defeated the Egyptian Fatimadic1 Army at Ashkalon, one of the cities of the ancient Philistines. It should be noted that Godfrey had refused the title of King of Jerusalem where Christ had died, refusing to wear a crown of gold in the city where Christ had worn a crown of thorns. Arnulf of Chocques was elected the first Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (ignoring the claims of the sitting Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem and the sitting Syrian Patriarch of Jerusalem!2 ) 1. The Second Crusade, led by Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany departed for the Holy Land with almost two hundred thousand crusaders. They were repeatedly defeated by the Turks before they arrived at the Holy Land. After two failed ventures, the band gradually dispersed, some returning home and many simply settling with other Crusaders already in the Holy Land. Gonzalez, Justo L.,The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1, HarperSanFrancisco:1984, pp.296-297, 2. The Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem – According tro the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, the first bishop of Jerusalem was James the Just, believed to have been the brother of our Lord. He is also thought to have been martyred in 62 CE. We read of his chair and council in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Because of the significance of Jerusalem, and the significance of its early date (33 CE), the chair was granted autoccephaly in 451 CE by the Council of Chalcedon and in 531 CE became one of the five original patriarchates. The current Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is Theophilios III. He is the 161st Patriarch of Jerusalem.. Incidentally, the title The Battle of the Horns of Hattin and the Fall of Jerusalem Rev. 2 pdf Page 1 Godfrey ruled over the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem for only one year before his death. Following the passing of Godfrey, Baldwin I was summoned from Edessa and coronated as King of Jerusalem on 25 December, 1100 CE at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He will rule until his death in 1118 CE. During that time, he solidifies the Crusader kingdom, repopulating Jerusalem with Franks and native Christians. Baldwin I captured the port cities of Acre (1104), Beirut (1110), and Sidon (1111) and at the same time exercised suzerainty over other crusader states to the north – Edessa (until 1144 CE!), Antioch, and Tripoli. It is said that Baldwin I successfully defended against Muslim invasions on numerous occasions. Historian Thomas Madden has said Church of the Nativity Bethlehem that Baldwin was “the true founder of the kingdom of Jerusalem,”who “had transformed a tenuous arrangement into a solid feudal state. With brilliance and diligence, he established a strong monarchy, conquered the Palestinian coast, reconciled the crusader barons, and built strong frontiers against the kingdom’s Muslim neighbors.”3 Baldwin I died without immediate heirs, as noted earlier, in 118 CE. The crown passed to a relative of Baldwin, probably a cousin,.who took the name of Baldwin II. He was an able ruler and like his predecessor, he was a successful defender against Muslim invasions Though taken captive by the emir of Aleppo between 1122 and 1125 CE, Baldwin II led the crusader states to victory at the Battle of Azaz in 1125 CE. During his reign he saw the establishment of two military orders, the Knights Templars and the Knights Hospitallers, the earliest surviving written laws of the kingdom, and the first commercial treaty with the Republic of Venice. This treaty served to increase naval and military support from Venice, resulting, among other things, in the capture of Tyre in 1124 CE. The lands of the Crusader Kingdom will extend all the way to Egypt for a brief spell, but the Muslim opposition and presence in this 12th century will continue to be a an issue. The balance will to shift near the second half of this 12th century, after the fall of the Crusader County of Edessa in 1144 CE. As noted in the beginning of this paper, the Second Crusade was Patriarch Theophilos III hastily sent, but it was unsuccessful in doing anything to retake Edessa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch appears to have done harm in its attempt to retake Damascus. of Jerusalem III. A Battle Brewing As the second half of the 12th century opened for the leaders of the Crusades in the Holy Land, it could not be said that the Crusaders where wholly in control. Some cities and states formerly held by the Crusader forces were now held by Muslim military forces, such as Aleppo, Edessa and Damascus. Guy of Lusignan became king of Jerusalem in 1186 CE by right of his wife Sibylla after “Patriarch” was established by Constantine I and is used today in Churches of the Orthodox tradition primarily. 3. Madden, Thomas, The New Concise History of the Crusades, Romans and LIttlefield:2005. pp. 43-45. The Battle of the Horns of Hattin and the Fall of Jerusalem Rev. 2 pdf Page 2 the death of her son, Baldwin V, at the age of 18. The Ruling Court of Jerusalem was divided between the “old hands” of Jerusalem and relative new-comers to the kingdom such aa Raynald of Chatillion, Gerhard of Ridefort, and the Knights Templar. There was a succession dispute, with all not excited about the succession of Guy to the throne. It was resolved when Humphrey of Toron swore allegiance to Guy. Some Muslim chroniclers report that Raymond was in a “state of open rebellion” against Guy.. From the Muslim side, Saladin had become the vizier of Egypt in 1169 CE and captured Damascus in 1174 CE, along with Aleppo in 1183. He controlled the entire Southern and Eastern flanks of the Crusader states. He united his subjects in Sunni Islam and promised them that he would wage holy war to force Christians from Jerusalem. That said, Saladin was also known to make strategic truces with the Franks (Christians) while dealing with political problems in his own Muslim world. In 1187 CE Raynald of Chatillon raided a Muslim caravan while such a truce was in force with the Crusaders. Saladin swore to kill Raynald for breaking the truce and sent his son to raid Frankish lands in the region of Acre. Templar knights engaged Saladin’s son and his forces and were heavily defeated, losing 150 knights and 300 foot soldiers. This loss was devastating to the Templars and must be a part of the huge Crusader loss two months later at the “Horns of Hattin.” when the two full armies finally met. IV. The Day of the Battle As the battle approached, and beginning on the night before, Saladin sought to flush the Crusaders out of their battle position, and it worked. Water is always precious to an army, and the Crusaders moved from their preferred battle field nearer to Tiberias, but their plan was to access a better water supply as well. The forces of Saladin were blocking the water source when they arrived. They had lost the military advantage and the water. Moreover, the Muslim soldiers set the grass in the neighboring fields afire, causing the smoke to blind the Crusaders and dry their throats. By morning, they were hardly able to fight. Saladin, and his carefully plotted strategy, had pulled the Crusaders from their battlefield of advantage to one of profound disadvantage. The battlefield was one or its own disadvantages. It was a relatively small flat field with a hill at each end. The battlefield was formed by a huge but ancient volcano cone, with just two sides remaining of the cone. To charge the enemy, one had to run uphill. The Crusaders made three massive charges at the Muslim army. Then, it was over! The Horns of Hattin How large was this battle? The Muslim army of Saladin is said to have fielded from 20,000 to 40,000 men plus 12,000 regular cavalry. There were said by some to have been as many as 10,000 mounted archers! The Crusaders are said to have had 18,000 - 20,000 men, 1,200 knights, 3,000 men at arms, 500 paid soldiers and 15,000 infantry. Of this number, 1,000 knights were killed, captured, enslaved, or executed. Captured mercenaries were executed. Captured infantrymen were enslaved. V. After the Battle The dates of the battle were July 3 and 4, 1187 CE. The actual battle was July 4. Guy of The Battle of the Horns of Hattin and the Fall of Jerusalem Rev.