4 July 1187

War & Conflict

Battle of Hattin

About this moment

The Battle of Hattin took place on 4 July 1187, between the Crusader states of the Levant and the forces of the Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt, led by Sultan Saladin. It is also known as the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, due to the shape of the nearby extinct volcano of that name. The Muslim armies under Saladin captured or killed the vast majority of the Crusader forces, removing their capability to wage war. As a direct result of the battle, Muslims once again became the pre-eminent military power in the Holy Land, re-capturing Jerusalem and most of the other Crusader-held cities and castles. These Christian defeats prompted the Third Crusade, which began two years after the Battle of Hattin. Guy of Lusignan and Raynald of Chatillon were brought to Saladin's tent. Saladin offered Guy water, which was a sign in Muslim culture that the prisoner would be spared, but Guy was unaware of that. Guy passed the goblet to Raynald, but Saladin struck it from his hands and said, "I did not ask this evil man to drink, and he would not save his life by doing so". He then charged Raynald with breaking the truce. Some reports, such as that of Baha al-Din, claim that Saladin himself then executed Raynald with a single stroke of his sword. Others record that Saladin struck Raynald as a sign to his bodyguards to behead him. Guy assumed that he would also be beheaded, but Saladin assured him that "kings do not kill kings."

Gallery

Saladin orders the execution of the Christian prisoners after Hattin — Guillaume de Tyr, Histoire d'Outremer (BnF Français 22495, fol. 215v)Anonymous Unknown authorPublic domainWikimedia Commons
The death of Raynald of Châtillon in Saladin's tent — BnF Français 68, fol. 399fifteenth-century manuscript illuminatorPublic domainWikimedia Commons
Saladin takes the True Cross and captures Guy of Lusignan — Matthew Paris, Chronica MajoraMatthew ParisPublic domainWikimedia Commons
King Guy marches to meet Saladin, accompanied by Bishop Rufin of AcreAnonymous Unknown author artist from ParisPublic domainWikimedia Commons
The Battle of Hattin — Estoire d'EraclesAnonymous Unknown authorPublic domainWikimedia Commons
The defeat of Guy of Lusignan and the loss of the True CrossUnknownCC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
The Battle of Hattin, engraving by Gustave DoréGustave DoréPublic domainWikimedia Commons
The Horns of Hattin, the extinct volcano that gave the battle its nameAlmogPublic domainWikimedia Commons
The battlefield todayFreedom's FalconCC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons

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