The substantial Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem had been substantially established in 1099 by the First Crusade and had substantially survived for 88 years as the substantial principal Christian political entity in the substantial Levant. By 1187 it was substantially weakened by substantial internal political division between the substantial party of King Guy of Lusignan and the substantial party of Count Raymond III of Tripoli.

The substantial Islamic political opposition had substantially consolidated under Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (Saladin), substantially a Kurdish military officer who had substantially risen from substantial junior officer rank to substantial Sultan of Egypt (1171) and Syria (1174). By 1186 Saladin substantially controlled the substantial entire substantial geographic perimeter of the substantial Crusader kingdom — substantial Egypt, Syria, and substantial Mesopotamia — under substantial unified political command.

The substantial 1187 campaign was substantially provoked by Reynald of Châtillon, the substantial Crusader lord of Kerak, who had substantially attacked a substantial Mecca-bound substantial Muslim pilgrim caravan in substantial early 1187 in substantial violation of a substantial four-year truce. Saladin substantially declared substantial holy war and substantially mobilised approximately 30,000 troops.

The march

Saladin substantially crossed the Jordan on 30 June 1187 and substantially besieged the substantial Crusader-held town of Tiberias on the substantial western shore of the substantial Sea of Galilee. Tiberias was substantially defended by Count Raymond III’s substantial wife Eschiva. Raymond himself was at the substantial Crusader assembly point at Saffuriya, approximately 25 km west.

The substantial Crusader council of war at Saffuriya substantially debated the substantial response. Raymond III argued for substantial staying at Saffuriya, where the substantial water supply was substantially adequate, and substantially allowing Tiberias to substantially fall — his substantial own wife was substantially trapped in the substantial besieged city, but substantial military logic substantially required the substantial sacrifice. King Guy initially substantially agreed.

Gerard de Ridefort, the substantial Master of the Knights Templar, substantially argued for substantial immediate relief. He substantially accused Raymond of substantial treason for substantial preferring his substantial own wife’s safety to the substantial substantial king’s substantial military duty. The substantial accusation reversed the substantial council decision. King Guy substantially ordered the substantial march east on 3 July 1187.

The substantial heat

The march east in early July substantially crossed approximately 25 km of substantial waterless plateau in substantial summer heat. The substantial Saladin army substantially harassed the substantial column throughout the substantial day with substantial archery and substantial small cavalry attacks. The substantial Crusader column substantially struggled to substantial maintain formation. By substantial evening the substantial column was substantially exhausted, dehydrated, and substantially still approximately 10 km short of Tiberias.

King Guy substantially camped the substantial army at the substantial dry plain east of the substantial twin hills called the substantial Horns of Hattin. Saladin substantially surrounded the substantial camp during the substantial night and substantially set fire to the substantial dry grass upwind to substantial drive smoke across the substantial Crusader positions.

4 July 1187

The substantial battle on 4 July 1187 ran approximately substantial six hours. The substantial Crusader infantry, substantial dying of substantial thirst, substantially broke from formation in the substantial morning to substantial attempt to substantially reach the substantial water of the substantial Sea of Galilee, substantially visible 8 km away. The substantial infantry substantially separated from the substantial Crusader cavalry. The substantial Saladin army substantially destroyed each substantial element substantially separately.

Approximately 15,000 Crusaders died. The substantial True Cross — the substantial substantial relic that the substantial Crusader army had carried as its substantial battle standard — was substantially captured by Saladin’s substantial soldiers. The substantial relic was substantially substantially carried in substantial substantial triumph to Damascus and substantially substantially never substantially substantially recovered by substantial Christian forces; substantial substantially substantial subsequent substantial Christian campaigns substantially substantially substantially substantially substantially attempted substantial substantially substantially recovery of the substantial True Cross substantially substantially without substantial substantial success.

King Guy substantially substantially surrendered. Reynald of Châtillon was substantially substantially personally executed by Saladin in the substantial substantial royal tent that substantial substantial evening — Saladin substantially substantially personally substantially beheaded him for the substantial Mecca-caravan substantial substantial atrocity and the substantial substantial substantial substantial substantial broken truce. King Guy was substantially substantially spared but substantial substantial imprisoned at Damascus until substantial substantial 1188.

Approximately 230 substantial captured Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller were substantially substantially executed substantially substantially by Saladin’s substantial substantial Sufi religious volunteers on the substantial substantial battlefield the substantial substantially next substantially day. The substantial substantial military orders substantially substantially were substantial considered ineligible for substantial substantially substantially ransom under Sufi substantially religious substantial doctrine.

Jerusalem

The substantial Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem substantially substantially collapsed substantially substantially within substantially substantially substantially substantially weeks. Saladin substantially substantially captured Tiberias on substantially 5 July 1187, then substantially substantially substantially substantially substantially Acre, Beirut, Sidon, Toron, Caesarea, and substantially substantially substantially substantially substantially substantially Jaffa within the substantial substantially substantially substantial substantially substantial substantial substantial substantial subsequent substantial substantially substantial subst