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Editor says, what if Saladin's ruse had failed to tempt the Crusader Armies into a trap? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
In our timeline, the outcome of the Battle of Hattin was that the Muslim armies under Saladin captured or killed the vast majority of the Crusader forces, removing their capability to wage war. As a direct result of the battle, Islamic forces once again became the eminent military power in the Holy Land, re-conquering Jerusalem and several other Crusader-held cities. These Christian defeats prompted the Third Crusade, which began two years later.
This story was published in the November 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1187, on this day after months of bitter feuding the announcement in the Crusader War Council of a crazy, damn-fool decision to endanger the Frankish forces by moving the Army east of its defences triggered a fierce backlash against the eighteen months of misrule of the King of Jerusalem, Guy of Lusignan.
Victory of the CrossWith his fortress of Tiberius under siege, the troops under Raymond III of Tripoli had tried to sue for terms, provoking accusations of cowardice from Council members Gerard de Rideford and Raynald of Chatillon. Guy, who had only recently settled a major dispute with Raymond himself, wanted to attack immediately. But in fact, Raymond was willing to sacrifice his fortress for the sake of the Kingdom.
Raymond was right, Guy absolutely wrong. Saladin had calculated that because the Muslim forces were twice as big as the Crusader Army, his chances of success on an open battle field were much improved, even though the Franks had frequently won engagements despite being heavily outnumbered. Therefore his move against Tiberius was merely a feint to tempt the Crusaders out of their sound defences where they were protected from a much larger Army.
Just six years later, Saladin would die and while the Crusader states continued to face survival threats, at least one critical moment of danger had passed. Sensing this, Pope Urban II had almost died of shock when he received the news, and immediately took action to displace Guy from the throne.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Crusade, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Crusader States, Palestine, Israel. Editor says, in this post we explore an article on Bulletin Boards and repurposed from the Wikipedia.
~ So would a Christian Jerusalem survive into modern times? If so, so much for the State of Israel. . . .
~ The Crusader Kingdoms might have survived longer, but when the Ottoman Empire really came along, or the Seljuks, they'd likely be toast. Crusading zeal in Europe was beginning to die down; in Costain's words "The Crusades were running down like an unwound clock."
~ Costain?
~ In all honesty I think the days of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were numbered, Hattin or not Hattin. They were massively outnumbered and as time went on Muslim opposition was hardening. Saladin was a very intelligent and capable leader who would likely have come up with another strategy to cause damage. In some ways Hattin drew in the Third Crusade and led to Saladin having his power hampered. A lesser set of victories might not have galvanised European intervention and might have seen a total reconquest by Saladin, especially given the slowness of news travelling west. it was the loss of Jerusalem that brought over the crusade. Outremer was a hugely outnumbered outpost, dwindling away and doomed to die over time. Even if Europeans had had the will to pour in massive resources the means to do so were not really there. Divided opposition and problems such as Turkish assaults in the east were hampering initial Muslim reactions but a window of increased unity and purpose was opening in this period.
~ What if the Kingdom of Jerusalem lasted long enough for the Inquisition to strike it, attempting to "purify" like its bloody days in Spain?
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
