Battle of Cresson
And retinue ( about 400 low-ranking foot soldiers and horsemen )
Only three surviving knight
Montgisard - James Wade - Kerak - Cresson - Hattin - Jerusalem
The Battle of Cresson took place on May 1, 1187. It was a minor skirmish at the well of Cresson, or 'Ain Gozeh at Nazareth and the prelude to the loss of the Kingdom of Jerusalem after the battle of Hattin two months later.
Prehistory
The political situation in Jerusalem was tense. Raymond III. of Tripoli, who had previously Regent and always one of the best advisers of the kingdom, refused to recognize Guy of Lusignan as King. Gérard de Ridefort, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Roger de Moulins, Grand Master of the Knights, Joscius, Archbishop of Tyre, Balian of Ibelin, Lord of Ibelin and Nablus, and Rainald Garnier, Count of Sidon, were sent to Tiberias to deal with Raimund to negotiate.
At the same time Saladin sent an army to the same place, which took revenge for a raid on a Muslim caravan by Raynald of Chatillon, under the leadership of his son al - Afdal. Raymond III. hoped that Saladin would ally with him against Guido, and allowed his troops to pass through Tiberias on April 30, but also warned the Christians and Nazareth before the presence of the army. As Gérard heard this, he quickly put together a small force, consisting of the Templars garrisons of Caco and Afula and the royal knights, who were stationed in Nazareth, a total of only 140 knights. Balian of Ibelin had made the move in his castle in Nablus and Reynald of Sidon in his castle Beaufort hold and did not participate in the battle. The strength of the army al - Afdals is given in the Christian chronicles with about 7,000 men. Presumably this figure is exaggerated, modern estimations tend to go out of about 700 men, surely the Muslims, however, were superior to Christians.
Battle Record
Gérard reached Cresson on May 1. The Muslims feigned a retreat before, a common tactic, but Gérard ordered against Roger de Moulins Council an attack in which the Knights were separated from the foot soldiers. The Muslims rejected the attack of the Christian knight. They only killed the exhausted knight and then the foot soldiers. Roger de Moulins was killed in battle. Gérard fled and survived as almost the only one. The Teutonic Knights captured were executed.
Follow
As a consequence of the Battle of Raymond Guido recognized as king.
Saladin made a much larger army together, about 20,000 men, with which he attacked the Kingdom in June, and suggested Guido on July 4, 1187 at Hattin. In October, he captured Jerusalem.