The Battle of Jaffa was a battle fought between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ayyubid Sultanate on 24 January 1187 amid the Crusades. A larger Crusader army from the city of Jaffa smashed a smaller Muslim army 9 miles east of the city near the present-day Israeli settlement of Magshimim, annihilating the Ayyubid prince al-Kamil's army.
History[]
In 1187, the Muslim Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, Salah ad-Din, planned a major offensive to reconquer the Holy Land from the Christian Crusaders, having been told of the suffering of the Palestinian Muslims under European rule. He sent his son al-Kamil with an army of 169 men - including Arab spearmen, ghazis, and skirmishers, Turkmen nobles and tribesmen, and Persian and Kurdish askaris - to invade the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and his army penetrated deep into Crusader lands. The Saracen army marched as far as the major port city of Jaffa, where they were met by a larger Jerusalemite army led by Count Geoffrey I of Lusignan and Count William IV of Saint Omer. This army was also diverse, including Jerusalemite soldiers, German and French crusaders, Turcopoles, and Maronite archers and scouts. The two armies met 9 miles east of Jaffa near the present-day settlement of Magshimim.
Battle[]
The fighting at Jaffa
The ensuing battle began as the Muslim cavalry and Frankish knights engaged in battle. The Muslim cavalry rode far ahead of their infantry, allowing for the Frankish footsoldiers to cut them down. The Frankish knight Geoffroy de Lyon and his small party of knights, footmen, and Turcopoles joined the battle to reinforce the Jerusalemites, and the Jerusalemites drew off after suffering 125 casualties, including Geoffroy, who was knocked out. They then rallied their 197 remaining troops against the Muslims' remaining 46, and they proceeded to smash the remnants of the Saracen army. al-Kamil managed to escape, but the rest of his army was destroyed.