Course of the Third Crusade Flashcards
Frederick’s Crusade - JOURNEY TO BYZANTANIUM
1) German crusaders took land route and there were about 15,000 to 30,000 men when they had crossed in to Byzantine territory
2) BE Isaac was hostile towards German army as he feared he would lose his position as emperor to Germans as he has limited hold on his provinces and didn’t need a large army passing through his lands
3) Frederick later sent envoys to Isaac asking for safe passage & food but Isaac imprisoned the envoys so Frederick retaliated and took a Byzantine town but Isaac finally saw sense and provided food & passage
4) When entering Anatolia, Turks constantly harassed the army but my mid-May they reached Iconium where Frederick defeated Kilij Arslan’s son and gained entry of the town
5) Crusaders pushed onto Christian Armenia, closer to Saladin who recruited more men from Syria and Baghdad in preparation for Frederick’s arrival
6) HOWEVER…while crossing river Saleph, Frederick Barbarossa drowned and died –> this demoralised the crusaders and so they left the crusade
7) Therefore leaving Frederick of Swabia, his son, to lead the army who then got hit by an epidemic where more men died but led them into Acre before he died
Leadership & Internal Rivalries - PHILIP + RICHARD DEPARTURE TO OUTREMER
The 2 kings both met at Vezelay on the 2nd July 1190 –> both separated at Lyon where Philip went to Genoa and Richard went to Marseilles but then had to go Genoa –> Phillip tried to negotiate 5 galleys from Richard but Richard only gave 3 –> arguments started
Leadership & Internal Rivalries - SICILY
William II of Sicily promised Sicily as a launch pad for the crusaders and sent a substantial fleet to bolster remaining Frankish towns
However, William II’s death in Nov robbed crusaders of a useful ally and left a succession crisis –> therefore Tancred of Lecce now ruled Sicily
William had also previously been married to Joan (Richard’s sister) but her dowry couldn’t be paid due to William’s death –> therefore Richard ensured the payment to be made through taking an Island off the coast of Sicily so Tancred of Lecce had to pay it
Philip left Sicily and set sail for Acre on 30th March 1191 while Richard set sail on 20th April 1191
Leadership & Internal Rivalries - RICHARD IN CYPRUS
17,000 men arrived with Richard into Cyprus
The poor weather meant some of the fleet split up and arrived shipwrecked
Isaac Ducas Comnenus (ruler of Cyprus) captured Richard’s sister and wife when they first arrived which made Richard angry and so he captured Isaac and took Cyprus
Richard arrived outside the walls of Tyre but was refused entry so he left for Acre
Leadership & Internal Rivalries - SIEGE OF ACRE
Richard arrived at Acre on 8th June 1191 with ships carrying siege engines and supplies however both Richard and Philip became ill possibly due to scurvy but still fired crossbows from their beds
Richard used two well designed catapults and bombarded the city with massive stones
The weakening of the Cursed Tower led to the surrender of Acre on 12th July 1191
The flags of Jerusalem, France and England were raised above the city walls but removed under Richard’s command which left Leopold in anger
This was a huge mistake on Richard’s part as on his return from Outremer he was captured by Leopold and only released in exchange for a ransom paid by English taxes
Philip left the crusade and sailed on 31th July 1191 but this gave Richard a problem as he feared Philip would attack his lands while he was on crusade
Leadership & Internal Rivalries - SLAUGHTER AT ACRE
Guy became King of Jerusalem until his death and then Conrad of Montferrat would take over
3000 muslim prisoners left in Acre who needed guarding and feeding
Saladin failed to honour the terms of the surrender by not handing over the True Cross etc. within the agreed month
Therefore Richard decided to slaughter all of the Muslim prisoners in Acre mainly because he was to ready to March south to Jerusalem on 22 August
Military Success - RICHARD’S CRUSADE (march to Jerusalem)
Men from France, Germany, Templars and hospitallers were in Richard’s army
Muslims harassed Richard’s army through horsed archers and knights firing arrows
Crusader army remained disciplined with good leadership despite facing relentless arrows and stifling heat
Military Success - BATTLE OF ARSUF
Saladin chose the North of Arsuf, a plain hidden forest, to stop Richard’s army as they wouldn’t be able to see in the dark
30,000 men from Saladin attacked the crusaders however Richard’s army charged at Saladin’s forces ultimately defeating them
Military Success - JAFFA TO JERUSALEM
Negotiations between Richard and Saladin’s brother, Al-Adil –> Richard offered his sister’s hand in marriage, Joan, to Al-Adil HOWEVER the proposal failed as Joan wouldn’t convert to Islam
Richard began moving supplies to Ramla
6th Jan –> military orders persuaded Richard that an attack on Jerusalem would be foolish as his besieging army would come under attack from defenders of Jerusalem
Richard took their advice and began withdrawing troops and were back in Ramla by 13th Jan —> crusaders morale fell significantly
French army retired back to Acre while Richard attacked Ascalon
Military Success - JERUSALEM TO JAFFA (internal problems)
Richard started to face many problems –> John was making trouble in England, Conrad was attacking Guy and there was no French army –> HOWEVER he solved conflict between Conrad and Guy but failed to recruit any more men leading to more negotiations with Al-Adil
Conrad was finally decided to be King of Jerusalem and Guy was given Island of Cyprus in return however Conrad was murdered by assassins
Philip and John were conspiring against Richard at home now too
Military Success - ADVANCE TO JERUSALEM
Richard called a council with templars, hospitallers, the French and his own forces –> Egypt was considered the right target
Richard had good military observation as an Egyptian army was spotted moving north towards his position –> Christians attacked, took much booty and dispersed a dangerous force –> Meaning there were no reinforcement for Saladin and opened the way for crusaders into Egypt or Jerusalem
4th August –> attack on Jaffa however Richard rode out towards Saladin’s army calling them to fight him but none took up the challenge, thus Richard saved Jaffa
1st Sept - Richard & Saladin signed a truce to last for 3 years and 8 months where Christians + muslims had free passage through each others lands, Ascalon was to be destroyed and Jerusalem was open to Christians
3rd Crusade failed to recapture Jerusalem but challenged Saladin’s power to rule and won back some crucial ports like Acre and Jaffa
