Third Crusade

On September 2, 1192, Sultan Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart of England signed a treaty over Jerusalem at end of the Third Crusade. From the article:

"The Siege of Acre
The first major battle of the campaign was at Acre, on the coast of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Actually, the city had already been under siege for some time by an army led by the French nobleman Guy of Lusignan, king of what remained of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (r. 1186-1192 CE). However, Guy was struggling as he now faced an army sent by Saladin to relive the city. Fortunately for the Latin ruler, several Crusader armies shortly arrived in support: the remains of Frederick's army, a German contingent led by Duke Leopold of Austria which had travelled by sea, a French force led by Henry of Champagne, and the armies of Richard I and Philip II. By early June 1191 CE, all the Crusaders were in place and ready to take the city.

A heavy and sustained bombardment using catapults was launched but the protracted siege was only finally successful when sappers, offered cash incentives by Richard, undermined the fortification walls of the city on the land side. The English king's siege engines and reputation, and divisions in Saladin's own army were additional factors in the victory. The 'Lionhearted', as Richard was now known thanks to his courage and audacity in warfare, had achieved in five weeks what Guy had failed to do in 20. The city was finally captured on 12 July 1191 CE, and with it, significantly, 70 ships, the bulk of Saladin's navy. According to legend, Richard had been ill at the time, perhaps struck down by scurvy, although he had retainers carry him on a stretcher so that he could fire at the enemy battlements with his crossbow. Richard then rather blemished his 'good king' reputation when he ordered 2,500 prisoners to be executed. The English king felt the delay in paying the agreed ransom for them needed a firm riposte, and to release them would only have meant they sooner or later rejoined the enemy army.

From the original three kings, the Crusader army now had only one, although Richard I was probably the greatest general of his generation.
Guy of Lusignan, meanwhile, was made the new king of Cyprus which had been sold by Richard to the Knights Templar (more cash for the cause). Back in the Levant, unfortunately, Philip was obliged to return home in August 1191 CE due to political problems in Flanders which threatened his throne. Thus, from the original three kings, the Crusader army now had only one. Still, Richard was probably the greatest general of his generation, and the campaign, despite its setbacks, was off to a fine start.

The Battle of Arsuf
The Crusader army next set its sights on Jaffa, the vital port which supplied Jerusalem, but on their way there Saladin, after a few days of ineffective harassing tactics on the marching army, decided that the best way to deal with the invaders was a full-on field engagement. On 7 September 1191 CE, on the plain of Arsuf, the two armies clashed in a running battle, the Crusaders being careful to follow the coast and so leave only one flank of their column exposed. The Muslim mounted and infantry archers, as well as infantry lance-bearers, attacked the marching Crusader infantry who, as usual, formed a protective block around the heavy cavalry units. After skirmishes for most of the day, the westerner's heavy cavalry was unleashed to devastating effect, although the initial charge was perhaps an unauthorised one by the Knights Hospitaller. The Crusaders won the battle but the Muslim losses were not substantial - Saladin having had no choice but to withdraw to the relative safety of the forest which bordered the plain.

The Crusaders then marched on to Jaffa to rest and regroup. Although Richard preferred to first secure Egypt and so isolate the enemy's logistical base, most of the Crusaders were intent on striking straight for Jerusalem, which was, after all, the original goal of the Crusade. The English king bowed to popular demand and moved for the Holy City but only after a cautious advance where strategically important castles protecting the army's supply lines were captured and fortified. Consequently, the Crusader army had still not reached its goal by January 1192 CE. The wet weather was not speeding up the advance either, and still 19 kilometres from their ultimate goal and with their supply lines precarious, a fateful decision was made.

Jerusalem & A Negotiated Peace
Richard had marched to within sight of Jerusalem, but he knew that even if he could storm the city's formidable fortifications, his army had been so reduced by the various battles over the past two years that he would most likely not be able to hold it against an inevitable counterattack. It was a decision supported by the commanders of both of the army's two most experienced fighting units: the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller. Now more than ever the loss of Frederick's army was most keenly felt. Another march was made on Jerusalem the following year, but, as before, it stopped short and the leaders once again decided they might, as at Acre, take the city after a long siege but they would almost certainly be unable to stave off a counterattack from Saladin.

Meanwhile, the Muslim leader decided to attack Jaffa, which was taken in July 1192 CE. Richard, by then at Acre, sailed and arrived at Jaffa on 1 August, determined to get the city back again. Leading from the front, the “Lionhearted” achieved his goal against improbable odds, but in terms of the bigger picture not much had changed. The Muslims still controlled Jerusalem and Saladin still had his army intact. It was something of a stalemate and, in any case, as with Philip, domestic affairs in England necessitated Richard's prompt return home to safeguard his throne in October 1192 CE. The whole Crusade project was effectively abandoned. No Crusader army would ever get as close to Jerusalem again.

Richard salvaged something for all the effort and negotiated a peace deal with Saladin at Jaffa. The Crusader-held fortress of Ascalon had to be given up and dismantled while a small strip of land around Acre was to be kept by the Crusaders, and the future safe treatment of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land was also bargained for. It was not quite what was hoped for at the outset, but there could always be a Fourth Crusade at some time in the future. Indeed, Richard noted that in any future campaign against the Arabs it would be advantageous to attack from Egypt, the weak underbelly of their empire. It was precisely this plan which the Fourth Crusaders (1202-1204 CE) adopted, even if they again were distracted from their original objective, this time by the jewel of Byzantium: Constantinople."