Battle of Arsuf

Battle of Arsuf
Part of the Third Crusade
Nineteenth century representation of the battle by Éloi Firmin Féron (1802–1876)
Date 7 September 1191 Location Arsuf, Levant Result Decisive Crusader victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England (Angevin Empire) Kingdom of France Kingdom of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller Knights Templar Crusaders from other kingdoms	Ayyubid Sultanate
Commanders and leaders
Richard I of England Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy Guy of Lusignan Garnier de Nablus Robert de Sablé James d'Avesnes †	Saladin Saphadin Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-Din Aladdin of Mosul Musek, Grand-Emir of the Kurds † Taqi al-Din
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
light	heavy

The Battle of Arsuf was a battle of the Third Crusade in which Richard I of England defeated the forces of Ayyubid leader Saladin.

The battle took place just outside of Arsuf (Arsur), when Saladin attacked Richard's army when it was moving from Acre to Jaffa. Following a series of harassing attacks by Saladin's, battle was joined on the morning of 7 September 1191. Richard's army successfully resisted attempts to disrupt its cohesion until the Hospitallers broke ranks and charged; Richard then committed all his forces to the attack. He regrouped his army after its initial success, and led it to victory. The battle resulted in the coastal area of southern Palestine, including the port of Jaffa, returning to Christian control.

Following the capture of Acre in 1191, Richard was aware that he needed to capture the port of Jaffa before making an attempt on Jerusalem, Richard began to march down the coast from Acre towards Jaffa in August 1191. Saladin, whose main objective was to prevent the recapture of Jerusalem, mobilised his army to attempt to stop the Crusaders' advance. Richard organized the advance with attention to detail. A large part of the Egyptian fleet had been captured at the fall of Acre, and with no threat from this quarter he could march south along the coast with the sea always protecting his right flank.

Mindful of the lessons of the disaster at Hattin, Richard knew that his army's greatest need was water and that heat exhaustion was its greatest danger. Although pressed for time he proceeded at a relatively slow pace. He marched his army only in the morning before the heat of the day, making frequent rest stops, always beside sources of water. The fleet sailed down the coast in close support, a source of supplies and a refuge for the wounded. Aware of the ever-present danger of enemy raiders and the possibility of hit-and-run attacks, he kept the column in tight formation with a core of twelve mounted regiments, each with a hundred knights. The infantry marched on the landward flank, covering the flanks of the horsemen and affording them some protection from missiles. The outermost ranks of the infantry were composed of crossbowmen. On the seaward side was the baggage and also units of infantry being rested from the continuous harassment inflicted by Saladin's forces. Richard wisely rotated his infantry units to keep them relatively fresh.

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