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{{Short description|Siege of the Crusades}}
{{Short description|Siege of the Crusades}}
{{About-distinguish2|the siege that occurred in 1183|the [[Siege of Al-Karak (1834)|Siege of Al-Karak in 1834]]}}
{{About-distinguish-text|the siege that occurred in 1183|the [[Siege of Al-Karak (1834)|Siege of Al-Karak in 1834]]}}


{{Infobox military conflict
{{Infobox military conflict
Line 6: Line 6:
| image = Kerak BW 1.JPG
| image = Kerak BW 1.JPG
| image_size = 297px
| image_size = 297px
| caption = [[Kerak Castle]]
| caption = The [[Kerak Castle]] in the present-day in [[Jordan]]
| partof = the [[Crusades]]
| partof = the [[Crusades]]
| date = Early November — 4 December, 1183
| date = Early November — 4 December 1183
| place = [[Kerak Castle]], [[Lord of Oultrejordain|Lordship of Oultrejordain]] of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]
| place = [[Kerak Castle]], [[Lord of Oultrejordain|Lordship of Oultrejordain]] of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]
| result = Ayyubid victory
| result = Crusader victory
| combatant1 = [[File:Vexillum Regni Hierosolymae.svg|23px|border|link]] [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]
| combatant1 = [[File:Vexillum Regni Hierosolymae.svg|23px|border|link]] [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Flag of Ayyubid Dynasty.svg|22px|border|link]] [[Ayyubid Dynasty]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Flag of Ayyubid Dynasty.svg|22px|border|link]] [[Ayyubid Dynasty]]
Line 21: Line 21:
}}
}}


The '''Siege of Kerak''' was an siege by the forces of [[Ayyubid dynasty|Muslim]] [[Sultan]] [[Saladin]] against the [[Crusades|Crusaders]] and the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|Christian]] [[King of Jerusalem|King]] [[Baldwin IV of Jerusalem]] at the [[Kerak Castle]] from Early November to 4 December 1183.
The '''siege of Kerak''' was conducted by the forces of [[Ayyubid dynasty|Muslim]] [[Sultan]] [[Saladin]] against the [[Crusades|Crusaders]] and the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|Christian]] [[King of Jerusalem|King]] [[Baldwin IV of Jerusalem]] at the [[Kerak Castle]] from early November to 4 December 1183. The [[Crusades|Crusaders]] successfully withstood the siege.


== Prelude ==
== Prelude ==
[[Kerak]] was the stronghold of [[Raynald of Châtillon]], [[Lord of Oultrejordain]], 124&nbsp;km south of [[Amman]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Kerak, Jordan|url = http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/kerak.html|website = www.atlastours.net|access-date = 2016-02-20}}</ref> The fortress was built in 1142 by [[Pagan the Butler]], Lord of [[Montreal (Crusader castle)|Montreal]].<ref name=":0" /> While Raynald ruled, several truces existed between the [[Christians|Christian]] and [[Islam|Muslim]] states in the [[Holy Land]], none of which he made any qualms about breaking. Raynald raided caravans that were trading near the Kerak castle for years. Raynald's most daring raid was an 1182 naval expedition down the Red Sea to Mecca and El Medina.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Newsbold|first=D.|date=1945|title=THE CRUSADERS IN THE RED SEA AND THE SUDAN|journal=University of Khartoum|volume=26|pages=213–227|via=JSTOR}}</ref> He continuously plundered the Red Sea coast and threatened the routes of pilgrims to Mecca in spring 1183. He captured the town of [[Aqaba]], giving him a base of operations against Islam's holiest city, [[Mecca]]. [[Saladin]], a Sunni Muslim and the leader of the Muslim forces, decided that the Kerak castle would be an ideal target for a Muslim attack, especially due to it being a block on the route from Egypt to Damascus.<ref>{{Cite web|title=In 1183, a Muslim Military Leader Refused to Attack this Castle For a Very Strange Reason|url=https://historycollection.co/kerak-castle-saved-wedding/|date=2017-05-17|website=HistoryCollection.co|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref>
[[Kerak]] was the stronghold of [[Raynald of Châtillon]], [[Lord of Oultrejordain]], 124&nbsp;km south of [[Amman]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Kerak, Jordan|url = http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/kerak.html|website = www.atlastours.net|access-date = 2016-02-20}}</ref> The fortress was built in 1142 by [[Pagan the Butler]], Lord of [[Montreal (Crusader castle)|Montreal]].<ref name=":0" /> While Raynald ruled, several truces existed between the [[Christians|Christian]] and [[Islam|Muslim]] states in the [[Holy Land]], but none were truly respected. In particular, soldiers under his command frequently raided Muslim trading caravans. Raynald's most daring raid was an 1182 naval expedition down the Red Sea to [[Mecca]] and El Medina.<ref name="Newsbold 1945 213–227">{{Cite journal|last=Newsbold|first=D.|date=1945|title=THE CRUSADERS IN THE RED SEA AND THE SUDAN|journal=University of Khartoum|volume=26|pages=213–227|via=JSTOR}}</ref> He continuously plundered the Red Sea coast and threatened the routes of pilgrims to Mecca in spring 1183. He captured the town of [[Aqaba]], giving him a base of operations to attack the holy city itself. [[Saladin]], a Sunni Muslim and the leader of the Muslim forces, decided that the Kerak castle would be an ideal target, both to protect the ability of Muslims to travel freely between Egypt to Damascus and to dissuade future Christian attacks on Mecca.<ref>{{Cite web|title=In 1183, a Muslim Military Leader Refused to Attack this Castle For a Very Strange Reason|url=https://historycollection.co/kerak-castle-saved-wedding/|date=2017-05-17|website=HistoryCollection.co|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref>
[[File:Kerak Museum 003.jpg|thumb|left|Demonstrations of war machines used during the Siege of Kerak in Kerak Castle Museum]]
[[File:Kerak Museum 003.jpg|thumb|left|Demonstrations of war machines used during the siege of Kerak in Kerak Castle Museum]]
{{Campaignbox Ayyubid-Crusader War}}
{{Campaignbox Ayyubid-Crusader War}}
{{Campaignbox Crusades Battles}}
{{Campaignbox Crusades Battles}}


==Siege and relief==
==Siege and relief==
Saladin sent Al-Adil to besiege Kerak<ref>John Richard,Cambridge University Press.The Crusades C.1071-C.1291,Page 197</ref>.The Muslims had sought to take Kerak for several years, but now they stretched its defenses to the breaking point. There had long been plans of Baldwin's half-sister [[Isabella I of Jerusalem|Isabella]] to marry Reynald's stepson in the fall of 1183. When Saladin learned of this, he prepared a siege with his large army and eight siege catapults.
Saladin and his commander, Al-Adil, led the Muslim effort to capture Kerak.<ref>John Richard,Cambridge University Press.The Crusades C.1071-C.1291,Page 197</ref> The Muslims had sought to take the fortress for several years, but now they stretched its defenses to the breaking point. There had long been plans for Baldwin's half-sister [[Isabella I of Jerusalem|Isabella]] to marry Reynald's stepson in the fall of 1183, with the potential to fashion a powerful new alliance between the Christian powers. When Saladin learned of this, he ordered that the besieging army be given eight catapults in order to speed up their conquest.


Inside the walls, a royal marriage was taking place. [[Humphrey IV of Toron]], Raynald's stepson and heir, was to take the hand of Isabella, the King's half sister. At first, food was brought out to Saladin, so he told the soldiers to not fire at the tower where the wedding was taking place. This could have been due to courtesy, or because he did not want to harm the potentially two most expensive hostages. According to the historian [[Ernoul]], "Etiennette, mother of the young bridegroom, sent out to Saladin a present of bread and meat and wine, with a message that gave him greeting and reminded him that he once in his youth had been a prisoner in Kerak, and had, as a slave, carried her when a child in his arms." Saladin was touched by the message and ordered his army to not attack that specific tower.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Newsbold|first=D.|date=1945|title=THE CRUSADERS IN THE RED SEA AND THE SUDAN|journal=University of Khartoum|volume=26|pages=213–227|via=JSTOR}}</ref> Messengers managed to escape the town and take word to the King, [[Baldwin IV]] who was in Jerusalem at the time. In the following days, the Muslim forces aggressively went after Kerak's walls. They continuously sent stones and missiles through, damaging buildings on the inside.
Inside the walls of Kerak, the marriage between [[Humphrey IV of Toron]], Raynald's stepson and heir, and Isabella was performed. At first, food was brought out to Saladin, so he told his soldiers to not fire at the tower where the wedding was taking place. This could have been due to courtesy, or because he did not want to harm the potentially two most valuable hostages. According to the historian [[Ernoul]], "Etiennette, mother of the young bridegroom, sent out to Saladin a present of bread and meat and wine, with a message that gave him greeting and reminded him that he once in his youth had been a prisoner in Kerak, and had, as a slave, carried her when a child in his arms." Saladin was touched by the message and so decided not to interrupt the wedding.<ref name="Newsbold 1945 213–227"/> Messengers managed to escape the town and take word to [[Baldwin IV]], who was in Jerusalem at the time. In the following days, the Muslim forces aggressively went after Kerak's walls. They continuously sent stones and missiles through, damaging buildings on the inside.


Baldwin immediately marched with a relief force, accompanied by his regent, [[Raymond III of Tripoli]]. A beacon was promptly lit on David 's Tower in Jerusalem as a sign that help was coming to relieve the siege.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Newsbold|first=D.|date=1945|title=THE CRUSADERS IN THE RED SEA AND THE SUDAN|journal=University of Khartoum|volume=26|pages=213–227|via=JSTOR}}</ref> Although suffering from [[leprosy]] since childhood, Baldwin's determination to frustrate Saladin's attempt was such that he led personally, although he had to be carried on a stretcher.
Baldwin, carried on a stretcher to relieve the pain of his [[leprosy]], immediately marched with a relief force, with his regent [[Raymond III of Tripoli]] as acting commander. A beacon was promptly lit on the [[Tower of David]] in Jerusalem as a sign that help was coming to relieve the siege.<ref name="Newsbold 1945 213–227"/> Saladin, confident that enough damage had been done and calculating that he did not want to be caught between Raynald's and Baldwin's forces, stopped the siege and withdrew with his army.
However, the king Baldwin put the army under the command of Raymond, Count of Tripoli, because he had become blind. When Saladin reached the place called Valih, thinking that they had done enough damage, he lifted the siege.
<ref>
<ref>
{{Cite book
{{Cite book
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| title = Selahaddin Eyyübi ve dönemi
| title = Selahaddin Eyyübi ve dönemi
| url = https://www.kitantik.com/product/Selahaddin-Eyyubi-ve-Donemi_1br9qfwkf9n9c1i1606
| url = https://www.kitantik.com/product/Selahaddin-Eyyubi-ve-Donemi_1br9qfwkf9n9c1i1606
| page = 122-123
| pages = 122–123
}}
}}
</ref>
</ref>


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
In the following spring of 1184, Saladin advanced through [[Amman]], and again attacked Kerak on August 13. A relieving army once again arrived to save Kerak after three weeks of Saladin's army attacking the walls with their engines.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Newsbold|first=D.|date=1945|title=THE CRUSADERS IN THE RED SEA AND THE SUDAN|journal=University of Khartoum|volume=26|pages=213–227|via=JSTOR}}</ref> Kerak remained a [[Crusade|Crusader]] stronghold and a symbol of the West's grip in the region until falling to Muslim control in 1188.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|title=Kerak, Jordan|url=http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/kerak.html|website=www.atlastours.net|access-date=2016-02-20}}</ref> The next time the Crusaders had to contend with a major siege, it was at the walls of [[Jerusalem]] itself.
In the following spring of 1184, Saladin advanced through [[Amman]], and again attacked Kerak on August 13. A relieving army once again arrived to save Kerak after three weeks of Saladin's army attacking the walls with their engines.<ref name="Newsbold 1945 213–227"/> Kerak remained a [[Crusade]]r stronghold and a symbol of the Christian grip on the region until falling to Muslim control in 1188.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|title=Kerak, Jordan|url=http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/kerak.html|website=www.atlastours.net|access-date=2016-02-20}}</ref> The next time the Crusaders had to contend with a major siege, it was at the walls of [[Jerusalem]] itself.


==In fiction==
==In fiction==
The motion picture ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]],'' where Balian is played by [[Orlando Bloom]] and Ghassan Massoud plays Saladin, contains a fictional portrayal of the siege.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Siege of Kerak: Saladin's troops would not attack the castle tower in which a wedding was taking place|url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/05/10/the-siege-of-kerak-saladins-troops-would-not-attack-the-castle-tower-in-which-a-wedding-was-taking-place/|date=2017-05-10|website=The Vintage News|language=en|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref> In the film, knights under the command of Balian engaged the Ayyubids as they approached Kerak, so that defenseless citizens could retreat to Raynald's castle. The film also showed the siege not taking place, but King Baldwin IV and Saladin negotiating a settlement. Baldwin then punished Raynald for breaking the truce (with Saladin) by attacking a Muslim caravan.
The motion picture ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]'' contains a fictional portrayal of the siege.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Siege of Kerak: Saladin's troops would not attack the castle tower in which a wedding was taking place|url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/05/10/the-siege-of-kerak-saladins-troops-would-not-attack-the-castle-tower-in-which-a-wedding-was-taking-place/|date=2017-05-10|website=The Vintage News|language=en|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref> In the film, knights under the command of Balian engaged the Ayyubids as they approached Kerak, so that defenseless citizens could retreat to Raynald's castle. The film also showed the siege not taking place, but King Baldwin IV and Saladin negotiating a settlement. Baldwin then punished Raynald for breaking the truce (with Saladin) by attacking a Muslim caravan.


There is also a "Siege of Kerak" soundtrack in the game ''[[Crusader Kings II]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Crusader Kings II Wiki|url=https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Crusader_Kings_II_Wiki|website=ck2.paradoxwikis.com|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref>
There is also a "Siege of Kerak" soundtrack in the game ''[[Crusader Kings II]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Crusader Kings II Wiki|url=https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Crusader_Kings_II_Wiki|website=ck2.paradoxwikis.com|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref>


The siege plays a significant role in the climax of ''The Sultan's Siege'', the first book of the ''Til Time'' series, where the protagonists attempt to find one another amongst the chaos of an attack on Kerak Castle. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Til Time: The Sultan's Siege - Google Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qLeFEAAAQBAJ|website=www.google.com.au|access-date=2023-09-21}}</ref>
The siege plays a significant role in the climax of ''The Sultan's Siege'', the first book of the ''[[Til Time (book)|Til Time ]]'' series, where the protagonists attempt to find one another amongst the chaos of an attack on Kerak Castle.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Til Time: The Sultan's Siege |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qLeFEAAAQBAJ|via=www.google.com.au| isbn=9781005991593 |access-date=2023-09-21 | last1=Ryan | first1=Matthew | date=September 2022 | publisher=Matthew Ryan }}{{sps|date=May 2024}}</ref>{{sps|date=May 2024}}


==Citations==
==Citations==

Revision as of 17:56, 27 June 2024

Siege of Kerak
Part of the Crusades

The Kerak Castle in the present-day in Jordan
DateEarly November — 4 December 1183
Location
Result Crusader victory
Belligerents
link Kingdom of Jerusalem link Ayyubid Dynasty
Commanders and leaders
link Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
link Raynald of Châtillon
link Raymond III of Tripoli
link Saladin
Al-Adil I[1]
link Al-Muzaffar Umar
link Kara Arslan
link Sheref ad-Din Barghosh 
Strength
Unknown 8 siege engines[2]
Casualties and losses
Unknown A couple hundred[3]

The siege of Kerak was conducted by the forces of Muslim Sultan Saladin against the Crusaders and the Christian King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem at the Kerak Castle from early November to 4 December 1183. The Crusaders successfully withstood the siege.

Prelude

Kerak was the stronghold of Raynald of Châtillon, Lord of Oultrejordain, 124 km south of Amman.[4] The fortress was built in 1142 by Pagan the Butler, Lord of Montreal.[4] While Raynald ruled, several truces existed between the Christian and Muslim states in the Holy Land, but none were truly respected. In particular, soldiers under his command frequently raided Muslim trading caravans. Raynald's most daring raid was an 1182 naval expedition down the Red Sea to Mecca and El Medina.[5] He continuously plundered the Red Sea coast and threatened the routes of pilgrims to Mecca in spring 1183. He captured the town of Aqaba, giving him a base of operations to attack the holy city itself. Saladin, a Sunni Muslim and the leader of the Muslim forces, decided that the Kerak castle would be an ideal target, both to protect the ability of Muslims to travel freely between Egypt to Damascus and to dissuade future Christian attacks on Mecca.[6]

Demonstrations of war machines used during the siege of Kerak in Kerak Castle Museum

Siege and relief

Saladin and his commander, Al-Adil, led the Muslim effort to capture Kerak.[7] The Muslims had sought to take the fortress for several years, but now they stretched its defenses to the breaking point. There had long been plans for Baldwin's half-sister Isabella to marry Reynald's stepson in the fall of 1183, with the potential to fashion a powerful new alliance between the Christian powers. When Saladin learned of this, he ordered that the besieging army be given eight catapults in order to speed up their conquest.

Inside the walls of Kerak, the marriage between Humphrey IV of Toron, Raynald's stepson and heir, and Isabella was performed. At first, food was brought out to Saladin, so he told his soldiers to not fire at the tower where the wedding was taking place. This could have been due to courtesy, or because he did not want to harm the potentially two most valuable hostages. According to the historian Ernoul, "Etiennette, mother of the young bridegroom, sent out to Saladin a present of bread and meat and wine, with a message that gave him greeting and reminded him that he once in his youth had been a prisoner in Kerak, and had, as a slave, carried her when a child in his arms." Saladin was touched by the message and so decided not to interrupt the wedding.[5] Messengers managed to escape the town and take word to Baldwin IV, who was in Jerusalem at the time. In the following days, the Muslim forces aggressively went after Kerak's walls. They continuously sent stones and missiles through, damaging buildings on the inside.

Baldwin, carried on a stretcher to relieve the pain of his leprosy, immediately marched with a relief force, with his regent Raymond III of Tripoli as acting commander. A beacon was promptly lit on the Tower of David in Jerusalem as a sign that help was coming to relieve the siege.[5] Saladin, confident that enough damage had been done and calculating that he did not want to be caught between Raynald's and Baldwin's forces, stopped the siege and withdrew with his army. [8]

Aftermath

In the following spring of 1184, Saladin advanced through Amman, and again attacked Kerak on August 13. A relieving army once again arrived to save Kerak after three weeks of Saladin's army attacking the walls with their engines.[5] Kerak remained a Crusader stronghold and a symbol of the Christian grip on the region until falling to Muslim control in 1188.[9] The next time the Crusaders had to contend with a major siege, it was at the walls of Jerusalem itself.

In fiction

The motion picture Kingdom of Heaven contains a fictional portrayal of the siege.[10] In the film, knights under the command of Balian engaged the Ayyubids as they approached Kerak, so that defenseless citizens could retreat to Raynald's castle. The film also showed the siege not taking place, but King Baldwin IV and Saladin negotiating a settlement. Baldwin then punished Raynald for breaking the truce (with Saladin) by attacking a Muslim caravan.

There is also a "Siege of Kerak" soundtrack in the game Crusader Kings II.[11]

The siege plays a significant role in the climax of The Sultan's Siege, the first book of the Til Time series, where the protagonists attempt to find one another amongst the chaos of an attack on Kerak Castle.[12][self-published source?]

Citations

  1. ^ "The Life of Saladin Behaudin Tekstualno". Scribd. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
  2. ^ Stevenson 1907, p. 234.
  3. ^ Stevenson 1907, p. 235.
  4. ^ a b "Kerak, Jordan". www.atlastours.net. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
  5. ^ a b c d Newsbold, D. (1945). "THE CRUSADERS IN THE RED SEA AND THE SUDAN". University of Khartoum. 26: 213–227 – via JSTOR.
  6. ^ "In 1183, a Muslim Military Leader Refused to Attack this Castle For a Very Strange Reason". HistoryCollection.co. 2017-05-17. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  7. ^ John Richard,Cambridge University Press.The Crusades C.1071-C.1291,Page 197
  8. ^ Şeşen, Ramazan. Selahaddin Eyyübi ve dönemi. pp. 122–123.
  9. ^ "Kerak, Jordan". www.atlastours.net. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
  10. ^ "The Siege of Kerak: Saladin's troops would not attack the castle tower in which a wedding was taking place". The Vintage News. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  11. ^ "Crusader Kings II Wiki". ck2.paradoxwikis.com. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  12. ^ Ryan, Matthew (September 2022). Til Time: The Sultan's Siege. Matthew Ryan. ISBN 9781005991593. Retrieved 2023-09-21 – via www.google.com.au.[self-published source?]

Bibliography