Siege of Ascalon

Part of the Crusades

Date	25 January – 22 August 1153
Location	Ashkelon, Fatimid Caliphate Coordinates: 31°40′1.68″N 34°32′53.3″E / 31.6671333°N 34.548139°E / 31.6671333; 34.548139
Result	Crusader victory, fall of Ascalon

Belligerents

Commanders and leaders

Baldwin III of Jerusalem
Bernard de Tremelay †

The Siege of Ascalon took place in 1153, resulting in the capture of that Egyptian fortress by the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Ascalon was Fatimid Egypt's greatest and most important frontier fortress. The Battle of Ascalon was fought outside the city in 1099 in the aftermath of the First Crusade and the fall of Jerusalem to the Crusaders. Although the crusaders were victorious, internal disputes in their camp allowed Ascalon to remain in Egyptian hands. Thereafter, the Fatimids were able to launch raids into the kingdom every year from this fortress, and the southern border of the crusader kingdom remained unstable. If this fortress fell, then the gateway to Egypt would be open. Therefore, the Fatimid garrison in Ascalon remained strong and large.

After the failure of the Second Crusade in 1148, Conrad III of Germany attempted to besiege the fortress, but was forced to withdraw when no help was forthcoming from Jerusalem or other crusaders. Meanwhile, the territory to the east and north of Jerusalem was united under Nur ad-Din Zangi, who ruled Mosul and Aleppo and brought Damascus under his influence after the Second Crusade. In 1149 Nur ad-Din defeated the Principality of Antioch at the Battle of Inab. Nur ad-Din was unable to overrun Antioch entirely, nor was he able to penetrate far into the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but likewise there was little Jerusalem could do in the north and the east with the whole area united under one strong ruler. The crusader kingdom would have to look towards Egypt if they wanted to expand.

Around 1150, Baldwin III of Jerusalem rebuilt the Gaza City, which at that point lay in ruins. The city was handed over to the Knights Templar, and provided some defense against the continual raids from Ascalon, 10 miles (16 km) to the northeast. Since the establishment of the kingdom, other fortresses had also been built to watch Ascalon. These were Ibelin (Yibneh) about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Ascalon near the coast, Blanche Garde (Tell es Safi) about 15 miles (24 km) east-northeast, Gibelin (Bait Jibrin) about 19 miles (31 km) east and Montgisard near Ramla 28 miles (45 km) to the northeast.

...
Wikipedia