Battles & Wars › Medieval wars › Saladin (Salah al-Din)
Battle of Hattin
July 4, 1187· Battle· Middle East & Africa
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Saladin destroyed the field army of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem near the Sea of Galilee, opening the way to Jerusalem.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
In summer 1187 Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria, besieged the town of Tiberias to lure the crusaders out. King Guy of Jerusalem marched perhaps 15,000–20,000 men across a dry plateau in July heat. Saladin's larger army cut them off from water, harassed them with arrows and set brush fires. Trapped near twin hills called the Horns of Hattin, the crusaders broke. Guy was captured, and most captured Templars and Hospitallers were executed. Jerusalem surrendered in October.
Why it matters
It wiped out the crusader states' only field army, handed Jerusalem to Saladin and triggered the Third Crusade.
How we know
Chronicles from both sides: Saladin's secretary Imad al-Din, who was there, his later adviser Baha al-Din, the historian Ibn al-Athir, and Frankish accounts such as the Old French continuations of William of Tyre.
Still debated
Why Guy left the reliable springs at Sephoria against some barons' advice, and how large both armies were, are still argued.
Connections (2)
▸Battle of Hattin provoked a new wave of The CrusadesWell documented
The connection
At Hattin, Saladin destroyed the field army of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, leaving its towns nearly undefended. Jerusalem surrendered on October 2, 1187. The shock in Europe launched the Third Crusade (1189–92) under Richard I of England, Philip II of France and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. It regained coastal cities such as Acre, but not Jerusalem.
When and how
Galilee, July 4, 1187, then Jerusalem, October 1187; Pope Gregory VIII called the new crusade that same month.
How we know
Gregory VIII's crusade appeal, Audita tremendi (October 1187), cites the disaster in the Holy Land and the loss of the True Cross relic.
Debates and open questions
Whether the battle or the fall of Jerusalem moved Europe more is a matter of emphasis; royal rivalries also drove the Third Crusade.
▸Saladin (Salah al-Din) won Battle of HattinWell documented
The connection
Saladin invaded the Kingdom of Jerusalem and besieged Tiberias to lure out its army. King Guy marched across dry hills in July heat; Saladin cut them off from water, set brush fires upwind, and surrounded them on the Horns of Hattin. The crusader field army was destroyed and King Guy captured.
When and how
Horns of Hattin, near the Sea of Galilee, July 3–4, 1187; Saladin against King Guy of Lusignan.
How we know
Saladin's secretary Imad al-Din, who was present, and other Arabic writers describe the battle; Latin accounts confirm the disaster.
Debates and open questions
Whether Saladin planned the trap in full or exploited Guy's mistake, and how large the armies were, are debated.