Today on Real Crusades History, we’ll be exploring five
of the most epic and noteworthy battles in the history of the Knights Templar.
#1: The
Battle of Montgisard
In late November, 1177, a large Crusader army had
accompanied Count Philip of Flanders on an expedition north of the Kingdom of
Jerusalem, into Syria, to attack the Saracen fortress of Hama. Saladin, the
powerful Sultan of Egypt and Damascus, took advantage of the Crusader kingdom’s
reduced forces to invade with a large army some 26,000 strong. The King of
Jerusalem, Baldwin IV, was only sixteen years old, and also stricken with
leprosy. Nevertheless, the young King would not let Saladin’s attack go unchallenged,
mustering a small army of just five hundred knights and four thousand infantry.
The young leper King was joined by Raynald of Chatillon, as well as Odo of
Saint-Amand, Master of the Knights Templar, accompanied by some eighty Templar
knights.
Saladin did not believe such a tiny
force of Christians should be considered a threat, and so marched at his
leisure on Jerusalem, allowing his army to spread out across the countryside
and pillage the Kingdom’s farmlands. Meanwhile, King Baldwin, the Templars, and
the knights of the Kingdom closed in on Saladin’s army, encountering the enemy
at Montgisard, near the city of Ramla.
Saladin was taken by surprise; his forces were in a
vulnerable position attempting to cross a river. The young King immediately
ordered a charge, and the Templars were at the forefront of the attack. Odo of
Saint Amand led the Templars in several charges, which smashed Saladin’s forces.
The Templars’ skills as cavalry warriors proved highly valuable that day, as
almost the whole of Saladin’s army was wiped out. Saladin himself barely escaped,
having to flee for his life on a racing camel.
Montgisard proved to be one of the greatest defeats of
Saladin’s life, and a shining moment for King Baldwin IV, the knights of
Jerusalem, and the Templars.
#2: The
Battle of Hattin
On June 30, 1187, Saladin once again invaded the Kingdom
of Jerusalem; his army was massive, numbering 30,000 men. To incite the
Crusaders into a battle, Saladin attacked Tiberias.
The King of Jerusalem, Guy of
Lusignan, marched out with a smaller but considerable army of 20,000, including
a large contingent of Knights Templar. Although the other high ranking men of
the army advised against it, Guy listened to the advice of the Master of the
Temple, Gerard of Ridefort, who suggested an immediate attack on Saladin. The
Crusaders made a forced march across scorching dry territory toward Tiberias.
But when they tried to reach the Springs of Kafr Hattin, Saladin’s army
intercepted them, forcing them to lay camp on the arid plateau. By morning the
Crusaders were entirely surrounded by Saladin’s army, and Saladin launched his
attack. The Crusaders suffered heavy casualties from Saladin’s archers and
cavalry. But despite being outnumbered, exhausted and thirsty, the Crusaders
fought with incredible vigor, and several times the Christian knights threw
back Saladin’s attacks. The Templars were instrumental in this resistance, and
fought with fierce spirit and courage. Indeed, the Saracen chronicler Ibn
al-Athir tells us that Saladin, watching the battle unfold before him, was very
nervous, tugging at his beard with anxiety as he watched the Templars and the
other Crusaders repeatedly hurl the Saracen troops back.
Nevertheless, the superior numbers
of Saladin’s forces finally prevailed and the Crusaders were defeated. It was a
devastating loss for the Kingdom. Saladin was so afraid of the Knights Templar
that he had every Templar prisoner captured at the Battle of Hattin executed
immediately.
Despite their defeat at Hattin, the
Templars once again showed themselves to be brilliant warriors, who fought with
fierce determination even in the most desperate of situations.
For our next battle, we’ll move to
the Iberian Peninsula, specifically Portugal:
#3: The
Siege of Tomar
The castle of Tomar, built in 1160, was the headquarters
of the Knights Templar in Portugal for many years. In the late twelfth century,
a powerful Moroccan Berber dynasty, the Almohads, ruled over much of North
Africa. They also controlled most of those portions of southern Spain still
under Mohammedan rule.
In 1190, the Almohad Caliph,
al-Mansur, crossed the River Tejo and invaded the Kingdom of Portugal. The
Almohads captured the castle of Torres Novas, then moved on Tomar, which they
put to siege.
Gualdim Pais, Grand Master, led the
Templar garrison in defense of their fortress. Despite being impossibly outnumbered,
the Templars held out for six days. Gualdim was around seventy years old at the
time, and a long-time veteran of the Crusades both in Iberia and in the Holy
Land. The Almohads made several assaults on the walls, but each time they were
repulsed by the Templars. Finally, the Almohads managed to breach the fortress
gates, but Gualdim led his knights in a counterattack, which devastated the
Almohad troops. So heavy were the Almohad casualties during this attack that
from then on the entrance to Tomar was known as “The Gate of Blood”.
At this point al-Mansur gave up his
attack, withdrawing his troops and abandoning the siege. Tomar remained in
Christian hands. The valor and determination of Gualdim Pais and his Templars
had won the day.
For our next battle, let’s return to
the Crusades in the Holy Land:
#4: The
Battle of Arsuf
Following Saladin’s victory at Hattin, Richard the
Lionheart, King of England, led a Crusade to the Holy Land to beat back the
Saracen advance. After recapturing the wealthy coastal city of Acre from
Saladin in the summer of 1191, Richard marched his forces south down the
Palestinian coast, placing the Knights Templar at the head of the army.
Saladin was desperate to stop
Richard’s advance, and so, as Richard’s army approached Arsuf on September 7th,
Saladin attacked with full force. Once again, the Crusaders, with an army of
under 12,000 troops, were outnumbered; Saladin had a host of 25,000. Nevertheless,
Richard’s formation was solid and impenetrable. The Knights Hospitaller, who
made up the rearguard, charged early, but Richard took advantage of the
situation, and ordered a general charge, which crushed Saladin’s troops. The
Templars, under their new Grand Master, Robert de Sable, played a key role in
the battle, delivering some of the most devastating charges. Saladin was
utterly defeated, losing thousands of troops. Richard and the Crusaders won the
day, occupying Arsuf, and going on to take the important coastal city of Jaffa
as well.
Once again, Templar cavalry tactics had proved very
useful in the heat of battle.
For our last battle, we’ll again
head to Spain:
#5: The
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
In the summer of 1212, the Almohad Caliph, Muhammad
al-Nasir, gathered an enormous army of some 25,000 troops and marched north out
of Seville, intent on invading the Christian Kingdom of Castile with its
capital in Toledo. Meanwhile, Pope Innocent III had proclaimed a Crusade in
Spain to counter al-Nasir. Christian knights from virtually every corner of the
Iberian Peninsula gathered in Toledo under King Alfonso VIII of Castile, King
Pedro II of Aragon, and King Sancho VII of Navarre. Included in this Crusader
coalition was a considerable contingent of Knights Templar under their Grand
Master, Gomes Ramires, who was Portuguese.
The Crusaders marched south and the
two armies met on July 14th at Las Navas de Tolosa. On the morning
of July 16th, the battle began. The Templars and other military
orders were in the front lines, and closed quickly with the Almohad troops. The
fighting was fierce, and the Templars suffered some of the heaviest casualties
on the Christian side. However, the Aragonese and Navaresse contingents, which
made up the Christian right and left flanks, carried out a pincer movement that
threw the Moors into disarray. A series of cavalry charges now shattered the
Almohad army, and the Christian victory was total. Thousands of Almohad troops
were slain, and the Caliph himself barely escaped with his life. The Templar
Grand Master, Gomes Ramires, was one of the few Christina casualties, since he
and his brother Templars had been among the first warriors to ride into battle;
they died helping to win an incredible victory for the Iberian Crusade, which
led to the collapse of Moorish power in Spain.
Incredibly inspiring and impressive stories, the Christian armies really seemed to have a supernatural ferocity at times.
ReplyDeleteThe Knights were formed to prevent the over throwing the oppressors. Their victoriess were won only in part to their claiming the land they had fought for. So many depended and they not desiring to lose. Planned and dealt with them without planning for losses. What's easy to contain is finding a formation to send and bring back the info. These lead men are the bulk of the team. It's the front line that's more important. The others are fortunate to fall in line and speak victory.
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