Battle of Arsuf

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Philomelion - Iconium - Acre - Arsuf - Jaffa

The Battle of Arsuf was a battle during the Third Crusade, in which the armed forces under Richard the Lionheart defeated near the town Arsuf those under Saladin.

Prehistory

After the capture of Acre in July 1191 Richard had obtained the command of the united armies of the Third Crusade. The main objective of the crusade was to recapture Jerusalem, which has been managed since the siege of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187. Richard knew he was in control of the port of Jaffa needed to secure its replenishment before his army could dare to attack Jerusalem. On August 22, 1191, it marched in orderly formation of Acre south along the coast. His fleet held tight contact to the army and set its supply. Saladin's main army followed him at a safe distance, while his horse archers engaged the Crusaders again in minor skirmishes.

Course of the battle

On September 7, 1191 to Saladin's army turned north of Jaffa at Arsuf on previously carefully selected terrain the Crusader army to battle. The path of the Crusaders at Arsuf to Jaffa was limited to the west by the Mediterranean and east of a forest, in which Saladin's forces now in hiding in order to drop the marching past Crusaders as possible in the back. Richard expected an attack Saladin and had carefully prepared his army: The Knights Templar were the vanguard. Behind them followed Richards contingent of Bretons, Angevinen, Poitevinen, the Normans and the English. Apparently commanded King Guy of Lusignan, the Poitevinen and the contingent of the Crusader states. They were followed by Flemings under James of Avesnes and the French contingent under Hugh of Burgundy, the Order of St. John brought up the rear. All departments possessed both infantry and cavalry on; former marched on the country, the latter on the side facing the Mediterranean Sea. The crusaders marched towards the south, the attack Saladin was from the northeast.

The exact composition of the army of Saladin is not known, the chronicler Ambroise mentioned but in his Estoire de la guerre sainte that the infantry consisted of Sudanese and Bedouins, the light cavalry of Syrians and Turkmen and the heavy cavalry, among other things Mamelukes.

Saladin tried with his horse archers to lure the heavily armored knight on a risky counter-attack, so they disorganized and separated from the infantry, could be easily turned off. Richard had his spearmen in the front row form a wall of spears and in between his crossbowmen return the fire. He held his cavalry back behind it and forbade this attack before he had given the signal to do so. Richard intended only to be bound, the whole Saracen army in close combat, and then his heavy cavalry to command an attack that would be devastating. The archers of the Saracens were the well- armored European soldiers hardly harm, but focused considerable damage among the horses of St. John at. Even before Richard gave the signal to this finally burst forth through the ranks of their own infantry and launched a counter-attack on the right side of Saladin's army. Richard now had no choice and ordered a large-scale attack. In total front now broke his cavalry out in closed line. The Saracen cavalry could not withstand the heavily armored knights. The Saint John accompanied their enemies heavy losses, and the French also right next to it killed many. Richards contingent of Bretons, Angevinen, Poitevinen, Normans and English as well as the Knights Templar, however, were only a few of the rapidly receding Saracens grasp.

The battle was not yet lost to Saladin at this time. At the battle of Acre his cavalry had a successful counterattack on the enemy knights conducted, as this had been too scattered in the pursuit of their fleeing enemies. Richard but this risk was aware. If the Knights lost contact with the persecuted, he had to stop and re- arrange in a closed line. Saladin's counterattack came as an ordered retaliation. This process was repeated one more time before Saladin's troops finally withdrew into the forests of Arsuf.

The battle ended with a clear victory for Richard and his army of crusaders, their first significant victory since the Battle of Hattin 1187th Saladin's army had suffered in the Battle of Arsuf numerous losses, while those of the opposite side were relatively low, also with James of Avesnes had only lost a single important nobles.

Follow

Their defeat shook the morale of the Saracen army sensitive. The legend of Saladin's invincibility was destroyed. His soldiers no longer dared henceforth to attack the Crusaders in open battle, so Richards troops could freely advance further. On September 10, 1191 they took Jaffa without a fight, and then began preparations for the attack on Jerusalem. However, Saladin's army had not been destroyed. This now gathered his troops in the area around Jerusalem and focused on to threaten the supply routes of the crusaders. Richard was not able to provide Saladin moving troops to a decisive battle, and he knew that it would be impossible to keep Jerusalem in the event of a successful conquest lasting as long as Saladin with an intact army could cut off his supplies. So were capable Richard and the united army of the Third Crusade - despite the successful defense of Saladin's counter-attack on Jaffa in summer 1192 - not to retake Jerusalem.