Siege of Acre (1189–1191)
| Siege of Acre | |||||||
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| Part of the Third Crusade | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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 Holy Roman Empire Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
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 Ayyubids
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 King Richard the Lionheart.svg){kind=small} King Philip Augustus Guy of Lusignan Gerard de Ridefort † Robert de Sablé Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia † Leo II, Lord of Armenian Cilicia Leopold V, Duke of Austria Děpolt II †
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Saladin Emir Mojili † Aibek al-Akhresh † Ibn al-Bessarau † Imad ed-Din Sinjari Hossam ad-Din Lulu Gökböri Moezz ad-Din Al-Adil I Asad ad-Din Beha ad-Din Karakush Abu al-Heija Ibn Barik † Saif ad-Din Meshtub † Shirkuh ibn Bakhel the Kurd |
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| Strength | |||||||
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Initially: 3,000 men Later:~25,000 men11 trebuchets |
unknown
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2,500 |
Garrison: 6,000 killed or captured Relief force: heavy |
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Kingdom of England Kingdom of France Kingdom of Jerusalem
Initially: 3,000 men
unknown
Garrison: 6,000 killed or captured
The Siege of Acre was one of the first confrontations of the Third Crusade, lasting from August 28, 1189 until July 12, 1191, and the first time in history that the King of Jerusalem was compelled to personally see to the defence of the Holy Land. It was also the deadliest event of the whole period of the Crusades for the Christian ruling class of the east. Nevertheless, it was a key victory for the Crusaders and a serious defeat for Saladin, who had hoped to destroy the whole of the Crusader kingdom.
After Saladin had decisively defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin on July 4, 1187, he was able to conquer a great part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem with little opposition, among them the cities of Acre and (on October 2) Jerusalem itself. The Crusaders afterwards controlled only Tyre, Tripoli, and Antioch, which Saladin likewise attacked in 1188, although unsuccessfully. News of the loss of Jerusalem and Palestine was shocking to Europe, and there was soon demand for a new Crusade, called by Pope Gregory VIII in October 1187 and continued by his successor Pope Clement III.
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