Middle Ages
Knights Hospitaller: Order of St John from Jerusalem to Rhodes
A hospital brotherhood became one of the great military orders, outlived the crusader states and survives today as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Region
Middle East
Middle Ages
Knights Templar: The Crusading Order from Founding to Downfall
The order defended the crusader states for nearly two centuries but was arrested in France in 1307 and dissolved by Pope Clement V in 1312.
Middle Ages
Krak des Chevaliers: The Great Crusader Castle in Syria
The Hospitallers turned the castle into the strongest fortress of the crusader states; it surrendered to the Mamluk sultan Baybars on 8 April 1271.
Middle Ages
Fall of Edessa (1144): Zengi Takes the First Crusader State
Zengi captured Edessa after a four-week siege, destroying the core of the County of Edessa and prompting the Second Crusade.
Middle Ages
Nur ad-Din: Zengid Ruler Who Unified Syria (1146-1174)
Nur ad-Din united Muslim Syria under one ruler, brought Egypt into his orbit and laid the foundations for Saladin's later campaigns against the crusaders.
Middle Ages
Second Crusade (1147-1149): The Failure at Damascus
The main armies were badly mauled in Anatolia and abandoned the siege of Damascus after four days; the only lasting gain was the capture of Lisbon.
Middle Ages
Saladin: Sultan of Egypt and Syria and Foe of the Crusaders
Saladin united Egypt and Syria under the Ayyubid dynasty, destroyed the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187 and retook Jerusalem, which he held against the Third Crusade.
Middle Ages
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem: The Leper King Who Fought Saladin
Baldwin IV held the Kingdom of Jerusalem together against Saladin for eleven years, but died at 23 leaving a divided court and a child heir.
Middle Ages
Battle of Montgisard (1177): Baldwin IV Defeats Saladin
Decisive crusader victory; Saladin's army was routed and he retreated to Egypt with heavy losses.
Middle Ages
Saladin's Capture of Jerusalem (1187): The City Surrenders
Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin on 2 October 1187 on ransom terms, ending 88 years of crusader rule over the city.
Middle Ages
Battle of Hattin (1187): Saladin Destroys the Crusader Army
Decisive Ayyubid victory; the Frankish field army was destroyed, King Guy was captured and most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem fell within months.
Middle Ages
Siege of Acre (1189-1191): The Third Crusade's Long Siege
The Muslim garrison surrendered on 12 July 1191; Acre became the capital of the restored crusader kingdom.