Hattin

July 1187. First major Crusading defeat.

__ The Battle of the Horns of Hattin __

 * **Date** || 7 July 1187 ||
 * **Location** || The Horns of Hattin, near Tiberias ||
 * **Result** || Decisive Saracen victory over Crusaders, cause of Third Crusade ||
 * **Crusader Commanders** || King Guy de Lusignan, Raymond III of Tripoli, Balian of Ibelin ||
 * **Saracen (Muslim) Commander** || Saladin ||
 * **Crusaders strength** || 20, 000 men ||
 * **Saracen strength** || 30, 000 men ||
 * **Crusader casualties and losses** || 17, 000 men ||
 * **Saracen casualties and losses** || Light / Very few (exact number unknown) ||

//An illustration of Knight Templars and Knight Hospitallers being slaughtered at the Horns of Hattin (right).// //(‘CRUSADES – The Battle of Hattin,’ 2000, [Image], viewed 27 March 2012,// [] //)//

**Summary**
The Battle of Hattin (also spelled Hittin) took place on July 4, 1187. It was fought between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem under the command of King Guy and the Muslim (Saracen) forces of the Ayyubid Dynasty under the command of Saladin. The battle resulted as a decisive Muslim victory, and was one of the most significant Muslim victories during the Crusading era.

In 1186, Reynald de Châtillon raided a Muslim caravan and hence broke a long standing truce. Upon hearing about Reynald’s actions, Saladin, the newly appointed Sultan of Egypt and Syria, declared war on the Crusaders and gathered an army to confront the Crusaders.

Saladin slowly moved his army towards the town of Tiberias, adjacent to Lake Tiberias, where he prompted the Crusaders to leave their sanctuary of Jerusalem by pillaging the town. The Crusaders immediately responded to this by sending almost all of their army –around 20,000 men – consisting of knights, infantry and turcopoles (auxiliaries) to confront Saladin’s force of 30,000 (particular sources also say 50,000).

The Crusaders made their greatest mistake by marching out into the desert to meet Saladin’s forces. They had left the protection of Jerusalem with few provisions and were exhausted when they finally arrived outside Tiberias, next to the Horns of Hattin. That night, the Crusaders set up camp to get some rest for the oncoming battle. But their efforts were in vain due to Saladin’s efforts to intimidate and somewhat frighten the Crusaders.

On the following morning, the Crusaders – upon realising that they could not survive any longer without water – attacked the Saracen forces and tried to break through their lines. However, the Crusaders’ efforts were futile as the whole army, excluding the few who escaped, were either killed or taken prisoner. King Guy was among those taken prisoner. After the battle, Guy watched in horror as Saladin beheaded Reynald de Châtillon. The True Cross was also taken when the Bishop of Acre fell.

//Right: A map showing what happened at the Horns of Hattin.// //(‘War Gamers – Battles that changed history – Battle of Hattin 1187,’ 2003 [Image], viewed 8 – 10 April 2012,// []//)//

**Significance**
The Battle of Hattin was one of the most significant battles that took place in the crusading era and much of the time surrounding that era. It was significant for several overarching reasons. Firstly because it resulted in a reasonably significant shift in the balance of power in the Middle East ('The Holy Lands'), secondly because it was a shattering defeat for the Crusaders and because it was the first of their later defeats, thirdly because it has been popularised for both political and other reasons and finally because the Saracen victory ensured that Saladin's rule would continue.

**Major shift in the balance of powers in the Middle East**
The first - and most obvious - reason as to why the Battle of Hattin is significant is because the battle resulted in a significant shift in the balance of powers in the Middle East. Before the battle, the Crusaders held the majority of the Holy Lands, but after the battle was won by Saladin, he recaptured the Holy Lands for Muslims and left very little land in Crusader hands.

After defeating the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin, Saladin not only took Jerusalem, but also captured much of the Crusaders’ land. He only left several small city-states in which the Crusaders could reside.

**First great defeat for Crusaders**
The second reason as to why the Battle of Hattin is significant is because the battle resulted in the Crusaders’ future ongoing defeats in the Middle East. Before the battle the Crusaders had been extremely successful, but after the Battle of Hattin, they never again achieved as great a success as they had done in the previous Crusade. The battle was also the first great failure for the Crusaders, with virtually their whole army whipped out - including all of the Knights of Jerusalem.

At the battle, Saladin basically discouraged the Crusaders by defeating them so easily and by inflicting such a huge loss on them. This Crusader defeat also resulted in the Crusaders losing much of the confidence that they had gained throughout the success of the First Crusade.

Even so, the Crusaders still managed to mount a Third Crusade largely commanded by King Richard I 'Lionheart.'

**Popularised for both political and other reasons**
The Battle of Hattin may have been popularised for many reasons. These reasons could include:
 * Popularised by the new Pope Gregory VIII who may have seen it as an opportunity to put together the partially successful Third Crusade to take back the Holy Lands, retrieve various holy items such as the True Cross and the Holy Lance, and to extend both his influence and Christianity’s influence over the Holy Lands once again.
 * Popularised by the Saracens to make the Christian defeat look even worse and make them feel even worse, and to make their own army look greater and more powerful than the Crusaders' army (and greater than it really was - exaggeration or even bias).
 * Popularised by the leaders of the Third Crusade to gather an army and push back the ‘invaders’ of the Holy Lands.

These reasons could all have been true and seem very likely. The battle was certainly popularised for many reasons and is still popularised today in the production of books and movies.

**Ensuring Saladin's rule and power**
The Saracen victory also ensured Saladin's safety and survival as the ruler of the Muslims and effectively allowed his heirs to continue with the Ayyubid Dynasty. Such a great victory and such a great leader also ensured the Muslims' ongoing safety, survival and possible future conquests.

**Unexpected outcomes**
There were no unexpected outcomes at the Battle of Hattin. It was expected that the Crusaders would be defeated after marching into the desert to confront Saladin with minimal provisions. However it was unexpected that all of the Crusaders left Jerusalem's protection to face an opponent that they would have had a much greater chance of defeating if they had staying at Jerusalem or at least near a city for supplies. With all of these reasons concerning the significance of the battle, it is clear that the Battle of the Horns of Hattin is certainly significant in history. If it had not occurred, the Middle East may still have been in Europe's hands - even today. Also, the world would not have been influenced by the results of the following Crusades. Perhaps even the Mongals who began to invade the Middle East may have been defeated or at least held at bay which may have caused a whole new series of events and battles to occur.

**Battle of Hattin - 1187 CE**
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A scene from the movie 'Kingdom of Heaven' (2005) depicting part of the Battle of Hattin, viewed 27 March 2012 at []

**Battle of Hattin - 1187 CE**media type="youtube" key="9MJqi6KXPTI" width="425" height="350" align="left"
A scene from the game Medieval 2 Total War showing select parts of the Battle of Hattin, Viewed on 27 - 28 March 2012 at []

**Bibliography**
About.com, 'Military History Battle of Hattin - The Crusaders Battle of Hattin,' 2012, viewed 28 - 30 March, 2 April 2012, []

Andrew Holt, 'Crusader's Encyclopedia - Battle of Hattin,' 2005, viewed 27 - 29 March 2012, []

‘CRUSADES – The Battle of Hattin,’ 2000, [Image], viewed 27 March 2012, []

Devries K, Dougherty M, Dickie I, Jestice P & Jorgensen C, 2006, //Battles of the Medieval World 1000 - 1500//, Amber Books Ltd, London

'Kingdom of Heaven,' [Video] - A scene from the movie 'Kingdom of Heaven' (2005) depicting part of the Battle of Hattin, viewed 27 March 2012 at []

'Medieval 2 - Total War,' [Video] - A scene from the game Medieval 2 Total War showing select parts of the Battle of Hattin. Viewed on 27 - 28 March 2012 at []

R. G. Grant, 2005, //Battle - A visual journey through 5,000 years of combat//, DK - Dorling Kindersley, London

R. G Grant, 2006, //Weapon - A visual history of arms and armour//, DK - Dorling Kindersley, London

‘Staff Ride: Horns of Hattin,’ 2009, [PDF], viewed 9 – 10 April 2012, []

‘War Gamers – Battles that changed history – Battle of Hattin 1187,’ 2003 [Image], viewed 8 – 10 April 2012, []

Wikipedia, 'Ayyubid Dynasty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia,' 2012, viewed 9 - 11 March 2012, []

Wikipedia, 'Battle of Hattin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia,' 2012, viewed 28 - 30 March, 3 - 5 April 2012, []