The Third Crusade

By the end of the Second Crusade, Christian Crusaders had accomplished absolutely nothing and had, in fact, lost a significant amount of territory in the Middle East. Additionally, as Christian unity weakened, Saladin, a Muslim military commander had risen to power and had taken over the majority of Christian territory. The most significant event he ever took part in was the Battle of Hattin. After a Reynald of Chatillion attacked a large Muslim caravan, Saladin declared war on the Christians. Because the Christians had no water resources and were not used to the land, Saladin sneakily waited for Guy of Chatillion, the King of Jerusalem, to command his army to fight Saladin. Guy of Chatillion's army essentially fought a hopeless battle. The whole army was either killed or captured, and those "who could not purchase their freedom were sold on the slave markets" (Madden 75). Not only was the defeat at Hattin horrendous in terms of civilian losses, but the Christian's greatest possession-the holy cross, had now been taken by the Muslims. The rise of Saladin and Battle of Hattin marked an extreme shift of power and dominance toward the Muslim side after the Second Crusade. As a result of these defeats since the Second Crusade, European powers decided to return to the Middle East to attempt to regain what they had lost.

For the defeated and battered Christians, it was time to declare a Third Crusade in order to gain the Holy Land back from Muslim hands. King Philip of France, King Richard I of England, and German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa were powerful rulers that joined together to attempt to reclaim Christian supremacy. While they set out to reclaim Jerusalem, an unfortunate tragedy occurred when Frederick of Barbossa died afte...

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... again offered an alternative choice, which was to invade Egypt. At the same time, Richard was still trying to negotiate a treaty with Saladin and finally "Saladin, whose armies were exhausted and eager for peace," agreed (Madden 90).

Although Richard became ill at the end of the third Crusade and returned to England, his triumphs and successes shifted power back toward the Christians in the Middle East after the failures of the Second Crusade. Richard "had put the Christians of East back on their feet again" by restoring most of the land back into Christian hands and by ensuring Christians were "secured in peace with [their] greatest enemy" (Madden 91). Ultimately, with numerous cities captured, the Christian triumphs and battles of the Third Crusade signified that the crusades had become less religiously motivated and more about power over land and resources.