Directory

1187 CE

A year of catastrophe for the Crusader states, in which Saladin annihilated the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin and subsequently captured the city of Jerusalem, ending eighty-eight years of Christian rule and provoking the Third Crusade.

Conflict & Security

  • The Battle of Hattin was fought on July 4 near Tiberias in the Galilee, resulting in the total destruction of the Crusader field army by Saladin's forces after the Christians were lured into waterless terrain.
  • King Guy of Lusignan was captured at Hattin along with the relic of the True Cross and most of the kingdom's nobility, leaving the Crusader states virtually defenseless.
  • Saladin captured Jerusalem on October 2 after a brief siege, allowing the Christian inhabitants to ransom themselves and leave peacefully, in contrast to the massacre committed by the First Crusaders in 1099.
  • In the months following Hattin, Saladin swept through the Crusader territories, capturing Acre, Jaffa, Beirut, Sidon, and nearly every major Crusader fortress and city.
  • The coastal city of Tyre held out under the command of Conrad of Montferrat, who arrived by sea and organized a desperate defense that prevented Saladin from completely eliminating the Crusader presence.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • Pope Gregory VIII issued the papal bull Audita tremendi in October, calling for the Third Crusade in response to the fall of Jerusalem and appealing to the kings of Europe to take up arms.
  • The news of the fall of Jerusalem shocked all of Christendom and prompted Henry II of England, Philip II of France, and Frederick Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire to pledge to lead a new crusade.

Climate & Environment

  • Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 275 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.

Culture & Society

  • Saladin's reputation for chivalry and mercy in his treatment of Jerusalem's Christian population was noted by both Muslim and Christian chroniclers, contributing to his enduring legacy.
  • The estimated world population was approximately 355 million.