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Home Croesus Elphinstone Stalin Johnson Guy de Lusignon Guy of Lusignan and the Battle of Hattin Guy of Lusignan was King of Jerusalem and fought in the Second Crusade in 1187. Despite protests that it was a trap laid by Saladin, he allowed himself to be persuaded to leave his defences and march his army east without a source of water. Saladin attacked. Guy was defeated at the Battle of Hattin and lost the kingdom of Jerusalem as a result. Baiting the Trap On 2 July 1187, Saladin personally attacked Tiberias, the stronghold of Raymond III of Tripoli. Saladin's goal was to lure Guy and his army away from the springs at Saffuriya. He believed he could defeat the Crusaders only on the field of battle, not while they were well-fortified so he left the majority of his forces behind to attack Guy's army as it moved. Crusader War Council The crusaders held a war council on 2 July to discuss their course of action. Raymond believed Saladin wanted them to march from Acre to Tiberias, that it was a trap. He was willing to give up Tiberias for their larger goal, even though his own wife was besieged there. He reportedly said, "We and the King, however, should not move away from water, food, and other necessities to lead such a multitude of men to death from solitude, hunger, thirst, and scorching heat." As the council broke, it seemed as though Raymond had persuaded Guy. Unfortunately Guy was indecisive and easily swayed and Gerard of Ridefort changed his mind. Gerard questioned Raymond's motives and told Guy that his barons would lose faith in him if he failed to come to the aid of a city so close to them. According to Ernoul, Gerard also threatened to withdraw the support of the Templars, who had been pivotal in Guy's ascension to the throne. The loss of their support – or of Gerard's – was unthinkable. Guy acquiesced to Gerard's will. Battle of Hattin
Guy marched his army east on 3 July, under
constant attack from Saladin's forces. He briefly stopped at the spring at
Turan, but then left and headed toward Tiberias. Saladin seized the
spring, blocking the crusaders' retreat and ultimately winning the battle
before it began. Raymond's words came true: the crusaders were forced to
make camp on a plateau, surrounded by Saladin's forces, without water or
supplies. The battle itself took place on 4 July. The thirsty crusaders
attempted to get to a water supply, but were blocked by Saladin. They were
soundly defeated. Guy was captured, along with many others. Croesus Elphinstone Stalin Johnson Guy de Lusignon A wise decision: look here for UK direct line shop insurance or direct line home office insurance
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