Jerusalem
The city where people pay
the price to own it.
At the end of the bloody
battles the Crusaders
conquered Jerusalem and
massacred all Muslims.
Years later, Salahuddin Ayyubi
moved to take back the city from the Christians.
The King of Jerusalem, Guy of Lusignan, would reveal everything in order not to allow it.
At the end of the Battle of Hattin
one of the two rulers would reach its goal
and the other would ride for a fall.
In this section, while experts
of the subject are narrating the historical periods;
Researcher Mecit Güven
will show the characteristics of the armies,
the influence power of the weapons,
the pros and con of the soldiers.
It has been 80 years since
the establishment of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem and
the power balances in the Middle East have changed.
In 1171, Salahaddin Ayyubi had established a new state from the ashes of the Fatimid State,
As a result of the successful
campaigns he organised,
he became a representative
of Islam in the region.
The Ayyubid State was growing
each passing day.
Since the First Crusade,
the greatest problem of Muslims
was that they were not united
...not move together.
But Salahuddin eventually broke
this cycle
and he managed to unite a large
part of the Islamic world.
The Ayyubid State's territory
stretched from Egypt to Aleppo.
At the same time a large part
of the Red Sea was under their control.
This state of which majority of population was the Kurds and the Arabs
was ruled from Damascus.
The capital was also the center
of military operations.
Salahuddin was proud of the successes
of the state,
but he could not bear
to see that he holy land
was in the hands of the Christians.
He wanted to conquer Jerusalem,
which every ruler dreamed of.
He tried in the past,
but he failed.
He suffered a heavy defeat
in the Battle of Montgisard
against the young Jerusalem
king Baldwin IV, 10 years ago.
The source of the many problems
arising in the Middle East is Jerusalem.
The spiritual value of the city
is huge for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
If it had not been so great
the Crusaders would not have
come all the way from Europe.
Of course, their purpose was
richness of the Middle East.
After Saladin's defeat in Montgisard,
he had suspended his plan
to have the sacred lands.
But the news that the king of Jerusalem
succumbed to leprosy
would change everything.
The death of the young nephew
of the throne in a short period
caused political
confusion in Jerusalem.
And Salahuddin ordered
that his men should
take the necessary precautions,
foreseeing that
nothing would be like same.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a powerful state,
even if its territory was small.
Their economies grew rapidly
by the religious taxes.
They were constantly receiving
military support from Europe.
The king who would take over
the country would be an important figure
in determining the future of the Middle East.
It was thought that Count Raymond III of Tripoli
who has been the representative of Baldvin IV
for years would take the lead.
Kingdom had been divided into
two since Guy of
Lusignan, brother in law of
Baldwin aspired to throne.
Raymond was supported by
a large part of the nobility
in the city, and his claim
to the throne could not be denied.
However, Guy of Lusignan had
a good relation with the Templar Knights,
the most powerful military unit in the kingdom
and kingdom and no one could resist the claim of his kingdom
while the knights were behind him.
Templars, led by Gerard of Ridefort
were among the most important
political elements of Jerusalem.
They had the right to comment on something
that was going on in the kingdom.
Templars served Jerusalem on behalf of the Pope
from the day they were founded.
They began their duty as security officers for the road between Europe and Jerusalem.
Now they have become a noble 
unit formed by thousands of elite troops.
There was no trace from 
the humble beginnings.
The Crusaders wore their
flags on their armor.
This Red Cross, sewed on a white tunic,
reminded them that
they were fighting for the Pope.
Their respect for the uniforms
was so great
that it was considered a crime
to remove their tunics during the mission.
The first problem required to be solved by Guy as
ruler was relationship
with the Ayyubis.
There was a peace agreement
by and between the old king Baldwin and Salahuddin,
but the Ayyubids' presence
around Jerusalem was disturbing him.
Nevertheless, he consideredit might be risky to
break the cease fire and wage war on Salahuddin.
Whereas Templars thought
that since Baldwin died,
Salahuddin would forget the cease
fire and wage war against them.
The Al Ayyubi had the idea 
that they had to make an expedition against them.
But Raymond insisted against this plan
and suggested the king
to behave more calmly.
It was not a good idea to
underestimate Salahuddin.
In Damascus there were 30,000
soldiers at their beck and call
and the first mistake
they made would cost Jerusalem.
The King and Raymond had
very different characters.
Guy of Lusignian liked the idea
of fighting against Muslims
because he had 
radical Christian ideas.
But Raymond was a more 
rational one and was liked to be cautious.
Guy did not listen to Raymond's
recommendation and chose to fight,
taking into account what
the Templars had said.
He designated Reginald of Chattillon,
one of his trustworthy, instigating the Ayyubid Sultan.
Reginald of Chattillon, who had previously served as commander in the Battle of Montgisard,
who took place actively in defeating Salahuddin accepted this duty.
He set off to attack a Muslim
caravan with his troops.
This was not the first case of
Reginald of Chattillon.
He was previously known as
attacking vulnerable caravans.
In fact, during loot, the Muslims
were shot down...
and held captive for 15 years.
Although, he was released in return
of 12000 gold dinars,
he failed to learn from the
years of captivity.
Reginald of Chatillon let a
few witnesses escape.
So the news would go up to Damascus.
When Salahuddin learned that the
Crusaders had done the attack,
he swore that he would punish
those responsible
for with his own hand.
He wanted to give Guy a last chance
for return of the deceased ones and goods.
So he sent a messenger to Jerusalem.
But Guy had made the decision...
and he would not step back.
It was as clear as the days when
the two rulers wanted to fight.
Guy of Lusignan anti-Islamic
thoughts
and Salahuddin's dream of seizing Jerusalem
consented that both sides were willing to end their peace treaty
and gird with their weapons.
Salahuddin formed two
reconnaissance units.
He appointed Gokboru to one of
them and Al Afdal to another one.
He wanted to get to know more
about the land around Jerusalem
before the campaign
with the whole army.
Al Afdal, the Command of Damascus,
was also the eldest
on of Salahuddin and had great
success in the wars
he had attained despite
his young age.
Gokboru is an experienced commander
who comes from the Turkmen line and
serves the Ayyubids.
He played a leading role in the
conquest of Syria.
And now both were at the forefront
of the battle with the Crusaders.
On the crusade front, the
separation of ideas
between Guy and Raymond
was deepening.
Finally, Raymond was at the
end of his tether.
The king had not listened to
any recommendations
he had made so far and it was
certain that the king’s idea
was not respected in Jerusalem.
Apparently, Guy would go his
own way.
Raymond was ready without informing
anyone and headed for his city.
Tiberia was in Raymond's
administration
and was an important strategic point
due to its proximity to Jerusalem
At the same time, the
surrounding water
resources increased the
value of the city.
When Raymond arrived in Tiberia,
he learned that
there were two Ayyubid
troops around.
Salahuddin was making scout around
the walls of the city
city did not augur well for.
He immediately arranged a meeting
with Gokboru
and said he wanted to deal
with Ayyubids.
Gokboru sent a man to Damascus
to transmit the terms of the agreement to Salahuddin.
If Salahuddin promised not to touch Tiberia,
he would allow the army
to pass through
the territory
and make free scout in the region.
At the same time, Raymond
was not going to help Guy
in a possible
war in the future.
Salahuddin accepted this proposal
without thinking.
And so he removed a major
threat on the way
to Jerusalem, which
was the main goal.
Raymond was trying to improve
the security of his city
by developing relations
with Salahuddin,
but at the same time he was
bluffing to the King of Jerusalem
and wanted to scare him a little.
Because it was extremely logical
for Guy of Lusignan
to be afraid of losing an ally
like Raymond.
But Raymond's bluff did not
create the desired effect.
The king called Gerard before
him
and told him to prepare the Templar Knights.
He assigned him to go to Tiberia
and bring Raymond back
dead or alive.
Gerard set out with 140 Templar
and 400 infantries.
Gerard was one of the greatest
supporters of the King of Jerusalem.
He danced to the king’s tune.
“He was more royalist than
the king literally”.
Troop rode the horses all day.
But when they were in Tiberia
they realized that...
it was more urgent task than
the arresting of Raymond.
According to a report received
by Gerard,
there was a Muslim troop wandering
freely in the Christian lands.
Gokboru and his men were exploring
to find the water resources around.
Apparently Raymond's arrest
would be canceled.
Gerard had to take care of the
Gökboru troop first.
He knew the number of enemies
was more,
but he trusted his men.
Now the knights were waiting
for Gerard's order to do their best job.
The guns used by the Knights
Templar were different for every situation.
They used spears on the horse,
long sword in the nearby contact.
In the following period, the
armor was thickened
and a new gun was needed.
The knights started to use the mace.
Mace was designed to be able to
collect the power in one spot,
it had no difficulty in
drilling a thick metal
with the help of the sharp
nails at the end.
The scout of the Gokboru was cut short when he realised the Templars were approaching.
He knew the Temple Knights
hundreds of meters away
and began to
think about what to do.
It would be very damaging if it
contacted heavy armored knights directly.
There was a certain difference
in equipment between the two armies.
The Templar Knights' chain armor
reduced the effect of the impact they received,
but restricted their ability to move.
On the contrary, Muslims were 
able to move quickly with hardened leather,
but they were not as well protected
for impact they received.
Gokboru had made his decision.
The Crusaders would be tire out
with the noon heat
thanks to the speed of
his light cavalry.
He began to withdraw to see
if the Templars would follow.
When Gerard saw that the Ayyubis
had been withdrawn,
he did not take the infantry,
but assaulted only with six cavalries.
The Jerusalem ran after the
Ayyubis for a while at lunchtime,
but no matter how they pressured,
they could not close the gap.
While Gokboru weakened the enemy, at the same time.
it was also increasing the distance between the infantries and the Templars.
So he could fight two
troops separately.
When the Ayyubids were convinced
that Gerard's knights were tired enough,
they quickly changed their way
and headed towards the Crusaders.
Gerard was eager to remind
the Muslims of the Templars' power.
But things did not improve as
Gerard wished.
He made mistakes by leaving
behind his infantries.
The Ayyubids attacked the
infantries firstly
and cavalries  of crusaders
thereafter.
The Battle of Cresson was resulted
in a disaster for the Christians.
The Ayyubids loomed over both
the tired cavalries
and the defenseless infantries
like a nightmare.
When the last two surviving
Jerusalemites find Gerard's body,
they thought he was dead too,
but when they were removing the helmet they realized that his commanders still breathed.
The victory news coming from
these commanders
increased Salahuddin’s belief
in conquering Jerusalem.
Guy of Lusignan had lost 140
of his most valuable soldiers
and he was regretting
these soldiers
who died while he was...
pursuing Raymond.
Losing 140 Templars might not
sound so bad to the ear.
But these soldiers, who had
been trained for years,
were symbols of Jerusalem's
physical and spiritual power.
So in fact this is a pretty
significant loss.
When Raymond heard what
was going on at Cresson,
he decided to break the deal
he had with Salahuddin.
Guy had already made such
a mistake, and as long as
the he danced to the tune
of the Templars,
he was unlikely to correct it.
Raymond chose to act like an
adult by facing his
responsibilities at any cost.
If Saladin really attacked with
all his power,
the situation was too serious not
to make it as a matter of pride.
Raymond has returned as a
free man on his own will
instead of being taken as
a traitor to the holy land.
Guy was guessing count would
hide in Tiberia forever.
But Raymond had shown by
his courage
that he could be an important ally.
We know that in times of crisis
in the history,
the bonds of allies,
which have fallen to the clash of ideas,
have strengthened.
Guy of Lusignan and Raymond
were finally persuaded
to stop acting as two different
individuals
and to be one against Salahuddin.
The King asked his Count of Tripoli
about his idea of what he should do.
Raymond told him that Salahuddin
would keep the future
and army in the walls of
Jerusalem with all the power.
Raymond was right that Salahuddin
would walk over them.
The day the Sultan waited for came.
The Ayyubids had finished their preparations
and were going out campaign with 30,000 soldiers.
Everyone had predicted that 
their first destination would be Jerusalem,
but Salahuddin turned the his route
toward Tiberia.
Salahuddin saw Raymond’s breaking
the deal between them as a great insult.
He would like to give a lesson
to the Count by taking the city
in relation to why he
must stand behind his works.
The Ayyubids were moving
rapidly in the Christian lands.
Despite the hot weather, the
precautions they had taken
allowed them to make a
comfortable journey.
The human body needs at least
1 liter of water per day.
If the water needs of the soldiers
cannot be met,
the army slows down and
morale falls.
The Ayyubids were using the
flask made of goatskin
as a solution to this.
In addition, they were not thirsty for learning about the springs and wells in their scouts.
They arrived in Tiberia on the 4th week of their campaign
and the city
was besieged.
The garrison in the castle knew
they could not resist for a long time.
That is why they offered the
city's treasure to lift the siege of Salahuddin.
It was not gold that Sultan Ayyubi
was pursuing.
Only a few hours after the negotiation with
the garrison, the city fell.
The Ayyubids had 
rossed the city walls,
but they still could not enter the inner city
 where the nobles stayed.
If they would go at this speed,
all of Tiberia would. be under Muslim control within a few days.
The pressure on the King
was increasing.
When Salahuddin was so close,
his refused to stand idle with hands tied.
In addition, Gerard, wounded
in the Battle of Cresson,
had recovered and he wanted
to walk on Salahuddin to get revenge.
According to Raymond, his own city,
Tiberia,
was already about to fall, and he was...
sure that nothing
would happen to his people.
But if they were to leave
Jerusalem and attack
instead of defending it, the
entire kingdom could be in danger.
The Count of Tripoli knew
Salahuddin for a long time,
and there was no doubt that
the civilians in his city were safe.
Because he witnessed personally the relations of the Ayyubid Emperor with the former king Baldwin
and he knew very well that the...
Sultan was merciful towards the civilians.
The king was going to act.
He would save Tiberia
from the Ayyubids.
He urged his soldiers to wear their weapons as soon as possible.
The Crusaders would attack
Ayyubids with all their power.
Guy gathered 20,000 men, 
whose 1400 were Templar
Knights, in Akka and took
the "True Cross" with him.
This relic of the Christians,
believed to be the cross...
where Jesus was crucified enables the to increase morale of the soldiers.
The King of Jerusalem, taking the Real Cross, noted
that this war was not a simple
collision between the two states.
He was ready to do anything
to remove the Muslim threat.
The siege of Salahuddin was still
going on and Guy's attention
was distracted according
to their estimates.
If they reached Tiberia in a short
time without being noticed
setting for the road now,
they could catch the Ayyubids in an unexpected state.
The Crusaders began to move
towards Tiberia.
Raymond had a proposal to
the king after a while.
He wanted to leave the army
as an advance guard.
and make a preliminary scout.
Maybe Guy did not turn down
Raymond's request for the first time.
The army would stay in the
place where it was
and he would move according
to the news from him.
Raymond went out with his soldiers.
But Chatillonite and Gerard
once again reiterated
that they did not trust
Raymond and persuaded
the King to change the plan.
The crusader army
continued its campaign
from where it was standing.
The midday sun began to
show effect on the soldiers
while there were
still many hours to Tiberia.
The extreme heat in July was
quite usual,
but even the Crusaders who knew the area 
well saw it for the first time.
Guy tried to find a solution for
his soldiers' thirst,
but all the wells on their way
were made nonfunctional.
The Ayyubids knew the places
of all the water resources in the region
and Salahuddin filled all the wells with sand and stone located between Jerusalem-Tiberia.
As the journey continued,
the thirst of the army increased.
In this hellhole, troops no longer
have the strength to advance.
All of the knights used
face-shielded steel helmets,
which increased their water
loss even further.
Guy's army was running out
because of soldiers who died of thirst.
If the king of Jerusalem could
not reach the nearest water source,
he could lose
the army completely.
In the dark, the Crusaders reached
the Hattin region near Tiberia.
They were also exposed to
the abuse of the Ayyubids,
as if they did not have enough
thirst along the way.
Raymond had also joined them
and was questioning
why they had moved without notice.
Guy was too far from being
able to participate in this debate,
and his only goal was to reach the
water resources behind Hattin Hill.
They would move again for
this in the morning.
But the silence of the night
filled the whistle that an arrow
Thousands of arrows followed
the first,
without realizing where the
voice came from.
Guy was ambushed by Salahuddin.
He was besieged and there
was no place to escape.
The Ayyubid Sultan has been
practicing everything since the beginning.
He extended the Tiberia Siege
deliberately
and made it possible for the Crusaders
to get out of Jerusalem.
He also kept Guy under pressure
along the way,
bringing his enemy up to his feet.
The Ayyubid Sultans knew how
much the Jerusalemites needed.
That is why he took position
between Jerusalem army and the spring.
The nightmare for the Crusaders
did not end.
Salahuddin made his next move.
Salahuddin forced his enemy to kill
or surrender with thirst.
He commanded his soldiers
to burn the dry grass
around the Guy of
Lusignan’s army.
The Jerusalem Army had a rough
night because of insomnia and thirst
but when the sun
rises, they were still standing.
Now there was nothing left to lose.
They had to attack at any cost
and break their
Ayyubids lines to meet
their water needs.
Guy decided to act with the
disintegration of the fog around him.
He saw the weakest point of the...
Ayyubids,
and the Crusaders moved at all speeds.
The first attacks were wasted.
The Ayyubids repelled
them with ease.
However, the troop under the
leadership of Raymond
was withdrawn without losing
a lot of men,
and perhaps the last time
he assaulted.
But before they reach
their enemies
the Ayyubids made a move which
they did not expect.
They allowed Raymond
and his men to open a gap
and leave the square.
If you close the escape routes
of your enemy under siege,
there is nothing to lose,
and they lose their fear
and fight against death.
If Raymond wanted to escape,
the Ayyubids did not have to lose more men.
So Salahuddin ordered his men
to open the way.
Raymond and his men
managed to escape.
Those who survived were about
to loose hope
completely with the decrease
of their numbers.
There was no trace of the lords'
willingness to fight
behind the safe walls of Jerusalem.
Most either planned to
escape or surrender.
With Raymond's
abandonment of the battlefield,
the protection around the RealCross
in the left wing of the Jerusalem was diminished.
Salahuddin thought that the Crusaders would loose morale
even more if he took over
this historic trust
and directed his soldiers
to the enemy's left wing.
The bloodiest moments of war
around the cross
between the Ayyubids and
the Jerusalem took place.
The Christians resisted as much
as they could,
but Salahuddin's soldiers were superior.
The cross felt into the
hands of the Ayyubids.
Losing the cross was a tragedy
for Guy of Lusignan.
The sacred relics belonging
to Christians for generations
were seized by Muslims during his rule.
Guy was running out of hope.
He was beginning to think he
could not come out alive.
He set out this campaign to.
defeat Salahuddin
and if he died,
he would take him together.
He managed to motivate the
rest of the Christian
army for a final assault.
By taking the Templars alongside him,
he would assault through
where the Sultan Ayyubi was.
According to the words coming out
from Salahuddin's son,
this attack surprised his father...
so much
that he had remained as white as ash.
Even an experienced commander
like him
could not have guessed
that Guy would make such a move.
Guy of Lusignan’s tactic was
very risky,
but if he succeeded
he could win the battle.
He would attack
the well-preserved hill
where Salahuddin was
with all the power
without being deceived
to the rest of the Ayyubid army.
Instead of playing the whole game,
he wanted to attack
the enemy's piece and put into checkmate.
Guy, Gerard and Reginald of
Chatillon were moving fast on the Ayyubids’ line.
They were approaching
the Sultan,
killing every enemy
that came before them.
Guy could see the Sultan from
where he was now,
and he began to feel that he
would succeed and win the war.
When the Ayyubids' infantries died,
Salahuddin ordered his special guards
to come forward
and two elite troops began to fight.
If the Crusaders want to win
the battle,
they must pass through the
guards of Salahuddin.
The Sultan's most trusted troop
managed to break the attack of the Crusaders.
In fact, these soldiers began to give heavy casualties
on the last remaining troops of Guy.
Meanwhile, Reginald of Chatillon
was injured on his leg and fell down.
Instead of killing him, Ayyubids
take him as a captive.
Obviously they had an order...
from their Sultans to capture their enemies alive.
Saladin’s guards were both...
...in fine fettle and outnumber.
Believing that Templar Knights
could win for a while,
the Ayyubids were not delayed
to deliver last major blow to bring victory.
Guy did not have any moves
left seeing that
most of his men were dead and
surrendered
and the King of Jerusalem stopped resistingt.
He was also taken prisoner
to be brought before Salahuddin.
The Crusader army was almost completely 
destroyed in the Battle of Hattin.
Seeing that the war was over,
Salahuddin ordered the establishment of
his tent to meet the prisoners
and set out for the camp site.
Salahuddin left them thirsty to
defeat their enemies
throughout the war.
But now the battle was over
and he would welcome the king in the best possible way.
The Sultan offered Guy a glass of water
Offering water after the war meant that the prisoners would be pardoned among the Muslims.
So this was good news for the king.
Guy took a sip of water and
then gave it to Reginald.
But the Sultan did not allow it.
He had not forgotten his swear.
He had to take the punishment...
...of what he did.
Reginald could not experience
Salahuddin's hospitality.
Salahuddin walked to Jerusalem,
which was defenseless
three months after
the Battle of Hattin.
After 12 days of blockade, the
holy lands would again
be in the hands of the Muslims.
And when the Sultan took the city,
he would convert Jerusalem
into a place where every faith
could freely live its own religion.
