Siege of Ascalon

Coordinates: 31°40′1.68″N 34°32′53.3″E / 31.6671333°N 34.548139°E / 31.6671333; 34.548139
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Siege of Ascalon
Part of the
Ascalon
31°40′1.68″N 34°32′53.3″E / 31.6671333°N 34.548139°E / 31.6671333; 34.548139
Result Crusader victory, fall of Ascalon
Belligerents Kingdom of Jerusalem
Knights Templar
Knights Hospitaller  Fatimid CaliphateCommanders and leaders Baldwin III of Jerusalem
Bernard de Tremelay  †
Hugues du Quiliou  † Ibn al-SallarStrength approx. 10,000 men approx. 10,000–12,000 menCasualties and losses 4,000–6,000 10,000–12,000

The siege of Ascalon took place in 1153, resulting in the capture of that Egyptian fortress by the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Background

Ascalon was

Fatimid Egypt's greatest and most important frontier fortress. The battle of Ascalon was fought outside the city in 1099 in the aftermath of the First Crusade and the fall of Jerusalem
to the Crusaders. Although the crusaders were victorious, internal disputes in their camp allowed Ascalon to remain in Egyptian hands. Thereafter, the Fatimids were able to launch raids into the kingdom every year from this fortress, and the southern border of the crusader kingdom remained unstable. If this fortress fell, then the gateway to Egypt would be open. Therefore, the Fatimid garrison in Ascalon remained strong and large.

After the failure of the

Nur ad-Din Zangi, who ruled Mosul and Aleppo and brought Damascus under his influence after the Second Crusade. In 1149 Nur ad-Din defeated the Principality of Antioch at the Battle of Inab
. Nur ad-Din was unable to overrun Antioch entirely, nor was he able to penetrate far into the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but likewise there was little Jerusalem could do in the north and the east with the whole area united under one strong ruler. The crusader kingdom would have to look towards Egypt if they wanted to expand.

Around 1150,

Montgisard near Ramla
28 miles (45 km) to the northeast.

However, Jerusalem itself was soon divided by civil war. Baldwin III was the legal heir to the kingdom, but his mother Queen Melisende had been ruling as regent since 1143. In 1152 Baldwin finally demanded full control of the kingdom; after some brief fighting he was able to accomplish this goal. Later that year Baldwin also defeated a Seljuk Turkish invasion of the Kingdom.

The siege begins

The siege of Ascalon by King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, miniature from Sébastien Mamerot's book "Passages d'outremer" (1474)

Encouraged by these victories, Baldwin decided to make an assault on Ascalon in 1153. With the entire army of Jerusalem he marched to the fortress and began to destroy the surrounding

Raymond du Puy de Provence and Bernard de Tremelay, the masters of the Hospitallers and Templars, respectively, and all the other great barons of the kingdom, including Hugh of Ibelin, Philip of Milly, Humphrey II of Toron and Raynald of Châtillon
. The siege was undertaken both by land and by sea, with the fleet commanded by Gerard of Sidon. The crusader force was also bolstered by a large group of pilgrims, who happened to be on their way to Jerusalem at the time.

On the Fatimid side, the city was garrisoned by members of the local Kananiyya tribe, as well as a cavalry contingent from Cairo, some 400 to 600 strong, that was rotated into the city every six months.

Ibn as-Sallar began preparing reinforcements for the city in March, as well as a naval expedition.[4]

The army set off and got as far as

Bilbays, while Ibn al-Sallar supervised the final preparations of the fleet, including a naval review and the payment of the crews. The army commanders at Bilbays, led by Ibn al-Sallar's stepson Abbas ibn Abi al-Futuh, hatched a plot to kill the vizier, which was carried out on 3 April. The army returned to Cairo, where Abbas became vizier, leaving Ascalon largely to its fate.[1][5] The Fatimid fleet sailed to Ascalon and easily dispersed the weak Crusader squadron of 15 ships, but as the city's harbour was unsuitable for sustaining a fleet for long periods of time, it had to return to Egypt.[1]

Battles and surrender

Siege towers were constructed, and for five months there were many skirmishes and victories and defeats on both sides. Ascalon was vast and virtually impenetrable; behind its massive walls and gates were twice as many defenders as there were besiegers outside, and there were supplies of food to last for years. In May the Egyptian fleet arrived to resupply the city; Gerard of Sidon's little fleet could do nothing to stop them.

However, a setback for Ascalon occurred in August when the besieged tried to burn down one of the crusader siege towers; the wind pushed the fire back against their own walls, causing a large section to collapse. According to William of Tyre, knights of the Order rushed through the breach without Baldwin's knowledge while Bernard de Tremelay and about forty of his Templars were killed by the larger Egyptian garrison. Their bodies were displayed on the ramparts and their heads were sent to the caliph in Cairo. In a differing account by a Damascene chronicler in the city, the breach of the wall is simply mentioned as a precursor to the fall of the city; he makes no mention of the incident with the Templars. Because of William of Tyre's dislike of the Order, and the wildly inaccurate news that reached Europe during the crusades, his account must be treated with caution; but regardless of which account is believed, Bernard was killed during the fighting.

By now the crusaders were becoming fatigued and it was suggested that they abandon the siege. The Hospitallers and the Patriarch, however, convinced the king that they were on the verge of victory. Three days later another assault was made, and another entrance was forced. After bitter fighting the city fell to the crusaders on August 19, and the fortress was formally surrendered to them three days later. The citizens were allowed to leave in peace; most fled back to Egypt.

Aftermath

Ascalon was turned into a

apanage
to the crown or granted to influential barons.

The fall of Ascalon contributed to the downfall of Fatimid Egypt. Amalric succeeded his brother as king of Jerusalem in 1162, and throughout the 1160s led numerous expeditions from Ascalon into Egypt. These

Crusader invasions of Egypt
failed to bring that country under Amalric's control.

References

  1. ^ a b c Lev 1991, p. 104.
  2. ^ Smail, p 211
  3. ^ Lev 1991, pp. 103, 126–127.
  4. ^ Lev 1991, pp. 103–104.
  5. ^ Daftary 1992, p. 250.

Sources

  • The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusaders, extracted and translated from the Chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi. Edited and translated by H. A. R. Gibb. London, 1932.
  • William of Tyre. A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea. Edited and translated by E. A. Babcock and A. C. Krey. Columbia University Press, 1943.
  • ISBN 978-0-521-42974-0
    .
  • Lev, Yaacov (1991). State and Society in Fatimid Egypt. Leiden: Brill.
    ISBN 978-9004093447
    .
  • Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100–1187. Cambridge University Press, 1952.
  • Malcolm Barber, The New Knighthood (Great Britain; Cambridge University Press, 1994), pp. 74–75.
  • Smail, R. C. Crusading Warfare 1097–1193. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, (1956) 1995.
    ISBN 1-56619-769-4
    .
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