THE LIFE OF SALADIN AND THE FALL OF THE KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM
THE LOSS OF ACRE.
1191.
RICHARD of England and Philip of France were at last
approaching the Holy Land. They had set out in the summer of 1190, but their
advance was as leisurely as a yachting cruise. The long delays at Messina and
at Cyprus, the subjection of the one and the conquest of the other, and the
marriage with Berengaria, are common-places of history, but they nearly allowed
the destruction of the army before Acre. A honeymoon at Cyprus was a strange
manner of rescuing a starving camp. The King of France was the first to arrive.
He was welcomed at Easter “with hymns and songs and
floods of tears, as if he were an angel of God”. He at once set up his
siege-engines, and in May the city was assailed with renewed energy. Saladin’s
Chancellor records in a letter how the Franks attacked with wooden towers,
stone-slings, rams, and other engines; how they strove by day to break the
walls, and by night toiled in the trenches, filling up the moat, setting up
scaling ladders, desisting neither by day nor night. They began to build an
earthen dyke, which was like a wall, with round towers, and was heightened with
wood and stones. It started from their camp, and as it progressed they dug the
earth from behind it and cast it in front, and so pushed it forward to within
half a bowshot of the ramparts. Neither stones nor fire had the least effect on
it. But whilst pressing the siege with vigour, Philip courteously awaited Richard's
arrival before beginning the general assault.
How Coeur de Lion at last sailed from Cyprus to Acre,
and how the siege was crowned with success, may best be read in the
contemporary “Itinerary of Richard”, which, however biased in favor of England’s
hero, presents the most detailed and picturesque narrative of the great siege
that we possess.
“And so, having concluded these matters, Richard
straightway turned his thoughts towards his passage across [to the Holy Land];
and, when he had arranged his baggage, set sail with a favorable wind. . . .
And lo! there now went abroad a report that Acre was on the point of being
taken; upon hearing which the king with a deep sigh prayed God that the city
might not fall before his arrival, for, he said, after so long a siege our
triumph ought, God willing, to be one of exceptional glory. Then with great
haste he went on board one of the best and largest of his galleys at Famagusta;
and being impatient of delay, as he always was, he kept right ahead, though
other and better appointed galleys followed him from every side. And so, as
they were furrowing the sea with all haste, they caught their earliest glimpse
of that Holy Land of Jerusalem. The castle of Margat was the first to meet
their eyes; then Tortosa, set on the sea-shore, Tripolis, Nephyn, Botron, and
not long after the lofty tower of Gibeleth. At last on this side of Sidon near
Beyrut they descried afar off a certain ship filled with Saladin’s choicest warriors,
the pick out of all his pagan realm, and destined to bring aid to the besieged
in Acre. Seeing that they could not make direct for Acre on account of the
nearness of the Christians, the Saracens drew back to sea a little and waited
their time to make a sudden rush into the harbor. Richard, who had taken note
of the ship, calling up one of his galley-men, Peter des Barres, bade him row
hastily and enquire who commanded it. Word was brought back that it belonged to
the king of France; but Richard, as he drew near eagerly, could neither hear
any French word nor see any Christian standard or banner. As it approached he
began to wonder at its size, its firm and solid build. For it was set off with
three masts of great height and its smoothly wrought sides were decked here and
there with green or yellow hides. Added to which it was so well rigged out with
every fitting appointment and so well furnished with provisions of every kind
as to leave no room for improvement ...
1191.
A Sea Fight.
“At the king's
command a galley started after the strange ship at full speed. Seeing this, its
sailors began to hurl arrows and darts against the crew of the galley, as it
drew up alongside of them without offering any greeting. Noting this, Richard
gave the word for an immediate onset. On either side the missiles fell like
rain and the strange ship now went on at a slower rate, for the oarsmen had to
slacken their efforts and there was not much wind. And yet, frequently as our
galley-men made their circuits round the enemy, they could find no good
opportunity of attacking; so strongly was the vessel built and so well was it
manned with warriors, who kept on hurling their darts without a pause ... Our
men began to falter and relaxed their efforts, wondering what the peerless
courage of the unconquered king Richard himself would deem the best course
under these circumstances. But he boldly called out to his own men as follows:
What! are you going to let that vessel get off
untouched and unharmed? Shame upon you! After so many triumphs will you let
sloth get hold of you now and give way like cowards?
Never, so long as any foes
Remain, are you to seek repose.
Well do you know, all of you, that you will deserve to
be hung on a gallows and put to death if you suffer these enemies to escape.
“On hearing these words our galley-men, making a
virtue of necessity, plunged eagerly into the sea and getting under the enemy’s
ship bound the helm with ropes so as to make the vessel lean to one side and
hinder its progress. Others, pushing alongside with great skill and
perseverance, grasped hold of the cordage and leapt on board. The Turks were
ready for these and slew them promptly, cutting off one man's arms, another man’s
hands or head, and pitching the dead bodies out to sea. This sight roused the
other Christians to greater valor ... so that scrambling over the ship's
bulwarks they hurled themselves upon the Turks and gave no quarter to those who
offered any resistance.
“But the Turks emboldened by despair used every effort
to repel the galley-men, and succeeded in cutting off a foot here, a hand or
head there; whilst their opponents, straining every nerve, drove the Turks back
to the very prow of the ship. Upon this other Turks came rushing up from the
hold of the vessel and, massed into one body with their fellows, offered a
stout resistance, being determined to die bravely or repulse their adversaries
like men. For these were the very flower of the Turkish youth — a band skilled
in warlike exploits and well armed. So the fight continued and warriors fell
everywhere on either side till at last the Turks, pressing on with greater
vigour, forced our men back and compelled them to quit the ship. Our galley-men
accordingly betook themselves to their own galleys and again began to row round
the ship, looking out for a place suitable for attack.
“Meanwhile the king, noting the danger of his men, and
seeing that it would be no easy thing to take the Turkish vessel with all its
arms and stores intact, gave orders for each of his galleys to prick the enemy
with its beak. Accordingly the galleys, after drawing back a space, are once
more swept forward under the impulse of many oars to pierce the enemy’s sides.
By these tactics the ship was stove in at once, and, giving an inlet to the waves,
began to sink; while the Turks, to avoid going down with their vessel, leapt
overboard into the sea, where they were slain or drowned. The king, however,
spared thirty-five of them, to wit the emirs and those skilled in the making of
warlike engines. All the others perished; the warlike gear was lost, and the
serpents were drowned or tossed about here and there on the sea waves.
“Had that ship got safe into Acre the Christians would
never have taken the city. Thus did God bring disaster upon the infidels, while
to the Christians who trusted in him he gave help at the hands of king Richard
whose warlike endeavors prospered without intermission ...
“After destroying this ship, king Richard and all his
company hastened with joy and eagerness towards Acre, where he longed to be.
Thanks to a favorable wind on the very next night his fleet cast anchor off
Tyre. Early next morning he hoisted sail once more, and had not gone very far
before he caught sight of that place we have mentioned before— Scandalion;
thence passing by Casal Imbert the lofty tower of Acre rose up in the distance,
and then by degrees the other fortifications of the city.
“Acre was then girt round on every side by an infinite
number of people from every Christian nation under heaven — the chosen warriors
of all Christian lands, men well fitted to undergo the perils of war ... Beyond
them lay an innumerable army of Turks swarming on the mountains and valleys,
the hills, and the plains, and having their tents, bright with colored devices
of all kinds, pitched everywhere. Our men could also see Saladin’s own pair of
lions and those of his brother Saphadin, and Takadin the champion of heathendom.
Saladin himself was keeping a watch on the sea-coasts and harbors without
however ceasing to contrive frequent and fierce attacks upon the Christians.
King Richard too, looking forth, reckoned up the number of his foes; and as he reached
the harbor the king of France, together with the chiefs of the whole army, all
the lords and mighty men, welcomed him with joy and exultation; for they had
long been very eager for him to arrive. It was on [June 8] the Saturday before
the feast of the blessed Barnabas the apostle, in Pentecost week, that king
Richard with his followers reached Acre. On his arrival the whole land was
stirred with the exulting glee of the Christians. For all the people were in
transports, shouting out congratulations and blowing trumpets. He was brought
ashore with jubilant cries; and there was great joy because the desired of all
nations had come ..."
1191]
Richard Arrives at Acre
Since the opening of the season Saladin had again
taken up his position on the hill of el-Ayyadiya (5 June), whence he made daily
attacks upon the enemy’s trenches. The garrison was closely pressed; the daily labor
of clearing the fosse of the bodies of horses and men with which the Franks
filled it, added to the constant struggle to repulse the storming parties and
destroy the machines, had tired them out; and Saladin’s main object was to draw
the enemies’ attention to the rear by ceaselessly harassing the camp
entrenchments, night and day, so as to relieve the garrison. He had not yet his
full strength, though the North Syrian troops had rejoined him early; but at
the end of June he received large reinforcements both from Egypt and from Mesopotamia.
He was untiring in beating up recruits, and his dispatches are full of reproaches
for the lukewarm support of the Holy War by the Mohammedan princes. He even
sent an embassy to the Almohade Caliph of Morocco to invite his assistance.
Hardly had Richard landed when he was taken ill with
the fever of the country, which the Franks called “Arnoldia”: but “none the
less did he during the whole course of his illness continue the construction of
his stone-slings and mangonels and the erection of a castle before the city
gate” — like the “Mate Griffon” or “Kill
Greek” tower which he had successfully
set up against Messina and had now brought to Acre. Philip also fell sick in
the same manner, but he was the first to recover.
1191]
Siege Engines.
“When the king
of France got well from his sickness he devoted himself to preparing his
engines and setting up his stone-slings in fitting places, from which he kept
them working night and day. He had one very good engine of war called “The Bad
Neighbour”; and, within the city, the Turks had another which they called “The
Bad Kinsman”, by whose assistance they frequently managed to destroy the “Bad
Neighbour”. The king of France on his part kept rebuilding the latter machine
till by constant blows he had partly overthrown the chief wall of the city and
shattered the Accursed Tower. On one side the stone-sling of the duke of
Burgundy used also to work, and not without effect; on the other that of the
Templars wrought the Turks vast injury, whilst that of the Hospitallers —
equally dreaded by the Turks — kept plying always. Besides all these there was
a certain stone-sling, built out of common funds, which they used to call “God's
stone-sling”. Close by it a certain priest, a man of the greatest integrity,
was always preaching and at the same time begging money for its reconstruction
or for the payment of those who collected the stones it discharged. By its
blows the wall near the Accursed Tower was shaken for a length of two perches.
The count of Flanders, too, had a peculiarly choice
stone-sling, to say nothing of a smaller one. King Richard took possession of
the former on the count's death. These two stone-slings kept plying at a tower
near one of the gates, much frequented by the Turks, till it was half smashed
in. Moreover king Richard had made two other new stone-slings of remarkable
material and workmanship, and these hit the mark at an incredible distance. He
had also built an engine of the strongest construction of beams. It had steps
fitted to it for getting up, and was commonly known as the belfry. This engine was covered with closely-fitting hides, with
ropes, and strong planks of wood, so as not to be destroyed by the blows of the
stone-slings or even by Greek fire. [Richard] had also got ready two mangonels
— one of them of such power that it could hurl its charge into the very middle
of the city market.
“King Richard's stone-slings were plying night and
day, and it is a known fact that a single stone discharged from one of this
king's engines slew twelve men. This stone was sent to Saladin for him to look
at. The messengers who carried it said that that devil the king of England had
brought from the captured city of Messina [a store of] such sea-flints and most
lustrous stones for doing execution on the Saracens. Nothing, they went on,
could resist the blows of these stones without being shattered or ground to
powder. Meanwhile the king, whose fever was getting worse, lay on his bed,
chafing sorely when he saw the Turks challenging our men, whilst his sickness
prevented him from attacking them. For the constant onsets of the Turks caused
him keener pangs than the most fiery throes of his fever.
“Acre seemed a city very hard to take, not only because
of the natural strength of its position, but also because it was defended by
the very choicest Turkish troops. It was all to no purpose that the French had
spent so much pains on constructing engines of war and implements for pulling
down the walls; because the Turks by a sudden volley of Greek fire would
destroy everything their enemies had prepared, no matter at what expense, and
consume it utterly with fire. Now among the other engines made by the king of
the French was one which he had constructed with the utmost care. It was
intended for scaling the walls, and for this reason was called “The Cat”, because after creeping up in the
manner of a cat it got a grip of the wall and stuck fast to it. He had also
finished another contrivance of hurdles very strongly fastened together with
twigs, and this the people used to call the circleia.
Under this little hurdle, covered with raw hides, the king used to take his
seat anxiously discharging bolts from his cross-bow and watching his
opportunity to strike any unwary Turk on the battlements of the city”.
1191. The
Defence of Acre.
These engines worked havoc in the defenses of Acre;
the walls began to crumble, and the garrison, worn out with incessant vigils,
sent despairing messages to Saladin in the extremity of their danger. In
response he seems to have lost no opportunity of attacking the camp of the
enemy and drawing their attention from the city. The garrison would beat their
drums to give notice that they were being assailed; Saladin’s drums would instantly
reply, and his troops would forthwith charge the Franks’ entrenchments. We read
of such attacks on the 14th and 17th of June; the Saracens rushed the earth-
works and plundered part of the camp; the enemy hurried back from the city
walls; the engagements lasted till night, when each side retired to its position.
The most furious attempt upon the camp, however, took place on the 2nd and 3rd
of July, when the garrison were actually threatening to surrender unless
Saladin could save them. It is described in the “Itinerary”:
“Now it chanced one day, while the French were drawing
too close to the walls in their eagerness to bring up the cat that the Turks cast a heap of dry wood over the walls on to the cat. Then, without any delay, they
discharged a quantity of Greek fire down upon the circleia that had been prepared with such great care. After this
they set up a stone-sling, taking aim at the same place, when lo! suddenly
everything is in flames or destroyed by the blows of the stone-sling. Upon this
the king of France, madly wrath, began to curse with horrid oaths at all who
were under his rule and to chide them with shameful reproaches for not taking
vengeance against the Saracens who had done him such a wrong. In the heat of
his anger, as evening drew on, he proclaimed an attack for the morrow by
herald's voice.
“Early next morning chosen guards were set at the
outer ditches to keep off sudden attacks of the Saracens [outside]. For Saladin
had bragged that on the same day he would cross the trenches in full force and show
his valor, to the destruction of the Christians. But he did not keep his word;
for he did not come himself, but his fierce and persistent army, under his
lieutenant Kahadin [Taki-ed-din], hurling itself in great masses against the
trenches, was valiantly opposed by the French. There was no small slaughter on
either side. The Turks, dismounting, advanced on foot. The fight went on at
close quarters with drawn swords, daggers, and two-headed axes, not to mention
clubs that bristled with sharpened teeth. The Turks press on; the valorous
Christians drive them back; each side rages with a twofold fury; for it was the
time of summer heat.
“That part of the army destined to take the city
continued hurling darts, undermining the walls, pounding way with engines or
creeping up to scale the walls. The Turks, dreading the courage of these
assailants, signaled to their fellows outside by raising aloft the standard of
Saladin in the hopes that [their friends] would come to their aid at once or
draw off the enemy by an attack [in the rear]. Seeing this Kahadin and his
Turks, pressing on with all their vigour, filled the ditch, but were resisted
and driven back by our men, who, thanks to God, stood like an impenetrable
wall. Meanwhile the king of France's diggers gradually burrowing by
subterranean passages reached the very foundations of the walls and filled the
chasm they had made with logs, to which they set fire. Then, when the fire had
consumed the beams upholding the wall, a great part of it gave way, sloping
down by degrees, but not falling flat. Very many Christians ran up to this spot
in the hope of entering, whilst the Turks came up to drive them back. Oh! how
many banners might you then see and devices of many a shape, not to mention the
desperate [valor] of the Turks as they hurled Greek fire against our men. Here
the French brought up ladders, and attempted to scale the wall that was not quite
prostrate; there the Turks on the other hand used ladders to defend the breach
...”
1191]
The Grand Assault of July.
During this attack, el-Adil had led two gallant
charges in vain, and Saladin himself had gone from battalion to battalion,
shouting his war-cry, and urging on his men. Looking towards the city he saw
the terrible crisis. and danger of the struggling garrison, and his eyes filled
with tears, as he charged again and again. All that day he took no food, and
nothing passed his lips but the doctor's stuff which he was forced to take. Meanwhile
the assault became fiercer and fiercer.
“King Richard ... had a kind of hurdle-shed (commonly
called a circleia) made and brought
up to the ditch outside the city wall. Under its shelter were placed his most
skilful cross-bowmen; whilst, to hearten his own men for the combat and to
dispirit the Saracens by his presence, he had himself carried there on silken
cushions. From this position he worked a crossbow, in the management of which
he was very skilful, and slew many of the foes by the bolts and quarrels he
discharged. His miners also, approaching the tower against which his
stone-casters were being leveled, by an underground passage dug down towards
the foundations, filling the gaps they made with logs of wood, to which they
would set fire, thus causing the walls, which had already been shaken by the
stone-casters, to fall down with sudden crash ...
“At last when the tower had fallen prostrate before
the blows of our stone-casters and when king Richard’s men began to stop
digging, our men-at-arms, in their greed for fame and victory, began to don
their arms. Amongst the banners of these were the earl of Leicester’s; that of
Andrew de Chavigny and of Hugh Brown. The bishop of Salisbury also came up,
equipt in the noblest fashion, and many more. It was about the third hour, i.e., about breakfast time, when these
valorous men-at-arms began their work, going forth to storm the tower, which
they boldly scaled at once. The Turkish watchmen, on seeing them, raised a
shout, and lo! the whole city was soon in a stir. The Turkish warriors,
hurriedly seizing their arms, came thronging up and flung themselves upon the
assailants. The men-at-arms strove to get in; the Turks to hurl them back.
.Rolled together in a confused mass they fought at close quarters, hand against
hand, and sword against sword. Here men struck, there they fell. Our
men-at-arms were few, whereas the numbers of the Turks kept on increasing. The
Turks also threw Greek fire against their enemies, and this at last forced the
men-at-arms to retreat and leave the tower, where some of them were slain by
weapons, others burnt by that most deadly fire. At last the Pisans, eager for
fame and vengeance, scrambled up the tower itself with a mighty effort; but,
bravely as they comported themselves, they too had to retreat before the onset
of the Turks, who rushed on as if mad. Never has there been such a people as
these Turks for prowess in war.
1191] The
Garrison Treats for Terms.
“Though its
walls were partly fallen and partly shaken, though a great part of the
inhabitants were slain or weakened by wounds, there still remained in the city
6,000 Turks. With these were the leaders, Mestoc [el-Meshtub], and Caracois
[Karakush], who began now to despair of receiving aid ... So, by common consent
and counsel, the besieged begged a truce while they sent notice of their plight
to Saladin, hoping that, in accordance with their Pagan ways, he would ensure
their safety — as he ought to do — by sending them speedy aid or procuring
leave for them to quit the city without disgrace. To obtain this favor, these
two noble Saracens, the most renowned [warriors] in all Paganism, Mestoc and
Caracois, came to our kings, promising to surrender the city, if Saladin did
not send them speedy aid. They stipulated, however, that all the besieged Turks
should have free leave to go wherever they wished with their arms and all their
goods. The king of France and almost all the French agreed to this; but king
Richard utterly refused to hear of entering an empty city after so long and
toilsome a siege. Wherefore, perceiving king Richard’s mind, Caracois and
Mestoc went back to Acre without concluding the business. Saladin, meanwhile,
having received envoys from the besieged, bade them hold out stoutly in the
certainty that he would shortly send them efficient aid. He declared that he
had certain news of the approach of a mighty host of warriors from Babylon [i.e. Cairo] in ships and galleys”.
The succor had already come. Saladin received frequent
reinforcements at the end of June and the beginning of July. On the 25th came
the levies from Sinjar; then a strong force from Egypt; the next day the lord
of Mosul arrived with his division; on the 28th more troops from Egypt; on July
the 9th came the Prince of Sheyzar with his Arabs, on the 10th Dolderim with a
large squadron of Turkmans in Saladin’s pay; on the 11th, the young Prince of
Hamah. Yet, with all this host of Saracens about it, Acre surrendered on the
12th. After a magnificent defence for nearly two years, the garrison laid down
its arms in the sight of a great and unbeaten army of relief! Nay, the very
spirits of dead heroes seemed in vain to lend mysterious aid to the beleaguered
city. A mighty noise, like the tramp of many armed men, was heard at night
within the walls. The Christian outposts sprang to arms, and wonderingly
perceived as it were a regiment entering the gates, clothed in green robes; for
such is the aspect of the martyrs of Islam who dwell in Paradise. Even the souls
of the Faithful could not put faith into the panic-stricken people.
The story of this surrender, however, is not hard to
understand. The large forces and improved siege-engines brought to bear upon
the city by the Kings of England and France made the place untenable: it could
only be rescued from without. Saladin’s army seemed numerous enough for
anything it might be called upon to do; yet it evidently could not fight
against earthworks. A few bold leaders might force their way among the tents,
but the enemy’s entrenched camp was never really carried by the Saracens. Some
of Saladin’s men even mutinied, refused to attack, and accused him of “ruining
Islam”.
1191]
Surrender of Acre.
Convinced that Saladin could not break through the
iron ring that held them, the garrison foresaw nothing but a massacre. To hold
out much longer was impossible. Three leading emirs succeeded in making a
cowardly escape by night. A panic ensued. Some of the frightened people threw
themselves from the battlements; others fled to the enemy’s camp and begged to
be baptised. Karakush, the governor of the city, and el-Meshtub (“Le Balafré”)
the commander of the garrison, resolved to make terms. They went to the
Christian camp on July 4th, but were refused a capitulation. Saladin was no
party to this: he urged resistance and promised relief. On the next morning,
the 5th, he had his army ready for the effort, but the garrison failed to do
its part. On the 7th a swimmer brought a despairing message: “We have sworn to
die together; we will fight till we are slain; and we will not deliver up this
city so long as we live. Look you to distract the enemy from us and prevent his
attacking us ... Our turn is over”. It was a last appeal. Still no relief came,
and on the 12th, despite their desperate resolve, the same swimmer brought the
message that the garrison had capitulated. Saladin was in the very act of
preparing a reply, denouncing the terms of the treaty, when the banners and
crosses of the Franks suddenly glittered upon the city walls and towers. The
deed was done; Acre had surrendered without its sovereign's consent.
“Thus, on Friday after the translation of the Blessed
Benedict [July 12], the wealthier and noble emirs were proffered and accepted
as hostages, one month being allowed for the restoration of the Holy Cross and
the collection of the captive Christians. When the news of this surrender
became known, the unthinking crowd was moved with wrath; but the wiser folk
were much rejoiced at getting so quickly and without danger what previously
they had not been able to obtain in so long a time. Then the heralds made
proclamation forbidding any one to insult the Turks by word or deed. No
missiles were to be hurled against the walls or against the Turks if they
chanced to appear on the battlements. On that day, when these famous Turks, of
such wonderful valor and warlike excellence, began strolling about on the city
walls in all their splendid apparel, previous to their departure, [our men]
gazed on them with the utmost curiosity. They were wonder-struck at the
cheerful features of men who were leaving their city almost penniless and whom
only the very sternest necessity had driven to beg for mercy; men whom loss did
not deject, and whose visage betrayed no timidity, but even wore the look of victory....
“At last, when all the Turks had quitted Acre, the
Christians entered the city in joy and gladness, glorifying God with a loud
voice and yielding Him thanks for having magnified His mercy upon them and
brought redemption to His people. Thus did the kings set their banners and
varied ensigns on the walls and towers; while the city, together with all it
contained in the way of victuals and arms, was equally divided among them.
The captives too they reckoned up and halved the lot.
To the king of France fell the noble Caracois and a great host of other folk;
to king Richard, Mestoc and many more. Morever, the king of France had the
noble palace of the Templars with all its appurtenances, while the royal palace
fell to king Richard, who established the two queens there with their maidens
and attendants. Thus each king had his own part of the city in peace, whilst
the army was distributed over its whole area, enjoying pleasant rest after so
long and continuous a siege”.
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