Robert de Sablé (1150-7 September 1191) was the Grand Master of the Knights Templar in 1191, succeeding Gerard de Ridefort and preceding Armand Bouchart. De Sablé was killed at the Battle of Arsuf in 1191.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Robert was an Angevin vassal of the King of France, and he inherited the lordship of lands along the Sarthe River in the 1160s. In 1173 he aided Richard the Lionheart's rebellion against Henry II of England, and assisted him in his campaigns, and the two became allies. In 1190, to make amends, he paid money to France. Soon after, he was made the Grand Master of the Knights Templar.
Despite only having a short tenure, Sablé's reign was filled with successful campaigning. Before his election as Grand Master, he led Richard I's navy from England and Normandy to the Mediterranean, getting involved in the Reconquista in passage.
Third Crusade[]
- Main article: Third Crusade
De Sablé at the 1191 siege of Masyaf
In 1191 he arrived in the Holy Lands and searched for the Ark of the Covenant, a piece of Eden. He lost the Ark to Malik al-Sayf, who took the ark at the cost of his arm and his brother Kadar al-Sayf. He chased Al-Sayf to the Hashshashin fortress of Masyaf in Syria, which he laid siege to after destroying the village. De Sablé was only defeated when the Assassins snuck behind his force and loosed logs onto his men. He fled from the siege but his war had just begun.
He made enemies with the Assassins Order, who eliminated seven of his assistants. He nearly succeeded in killing Altair Ibn-La'Ahad at the funeral of his Templar colleague Majd Addin, sending his colleague Maria Thorpe to kill him, but she failed and she was spared by the assassin instead of killed. Robert fled to join Richard the Lionheart at the Battle of Arsuf, where the outcome of the Third Crusade and the war for the Holy Land was to be decided.
Death[]
Robert dies
Altair arrived at Richard's camp after killing several Saracens, and told him that Al Mualim sent him, not Salah ad-Din. He tried to tell him that his best men were dead because they were part of a conspiracy, and that there was a traitor in his ranks: his lieutenant De Sablé. Robert took his helmet off and told Richard that Assassins were masters of deception and not to be trusted, so Richard said that God would decide who was right in a duel.
De Sablé's Templar knights were the first to fall to Altair's sword. When he attacked, he was slashed from waist to neck, and when he fell to the ground, Altair stabbed him in the neck with a hidden blade. He revealed that Altair was betrayed by a tenth Templar, Rashid ad-Din Sinan, "Al Mualim". He said that Al Mualim did not want to share, and that was the only difference between Al Mualim and himself. He died in Altair's arms, saying that he was protecting his life.
Gallery[]
