Ascalon, two years before, and had fitted out an
expedition under the command of the Mameluk, Sa’ad ed-Daulah al-Qawasi. It
reached Ascalon in mid-May and advanced as far as Ramleh, hoping, perhaps, to
penetrate to Jerusalem while Baldwin was still occupied at Caesarea. Baldwin
hastened with his forces to Ramleh; whereupon Sa’ad fell back on Ascalon to
await reinforcements. After fortifying Ramleh, Baldwin set up his headquarters
at Jaffa, so as to be able to watch the Egyptians’ movements and at the same
time keep in touch with his maritime communications. Apart from a short visit
to Jerusalem for administrative purposes in July, he remained at Jaffa all
through the summer. At the end of August an intercepted letter told him that
new detachments had reached the Egyptians and that they were preparing to march
on Jerusalem.
1101: First
Battle of Ramleh
On 4 September Sa’ad moved his forces slowly up
to the outskirts of Ramleh. Two days later Baldwin held a council of war and
decided to attack at dawn, without waiting to be attacked. He had only two
hundred and sixty horsemen and nine hundred infantrymen; but they were well
armed and experienced; while the huge army of the Egyptians, which he estimated
at eleven thousand horsemen and twenty-one thousand infantry, was lightly armed
and untrained. He divided his troops into five corps, one under a knight called
Bervold, the second under Geldemar Carpenel, lord of Haifa, the third under
Hugh of Saint-Omer, who had succeeded Tancred as Prince of Galilee, and the
fourth and fifth under himself. Inspired by the presence of the True Cross, by
a stirring sermon delivered by Arnulf of Rohes, and by a special absolution
given by the Cardinal-Legate, the Franks marched out to Ramleh and at sunrise
fell on the Egyptians, near Ibelin, south-west of the town.
Bervold led the attack; but his troops were
mown down by the Egyptians and he himself slain. Geldemar Carpenel hurried to
his rescue, only to perish also with all his men. The Galilean corps followed;
but they made no effect on the Egyptian masses. After heavy losses Hugh of
Saint-Omer extricated his men and fled towards Jaffa, pursued by the Egyptian
left. It seemed that all was lost. But King Baldwin, after publicly confessing
his sins before the True Cross and then haranguing his company, mounted on his
brave Arab charger, Gazelle, galloped at the head of his knights into the heart
of the enemy. The Egyptians, confident of victory, were taken by surprise.
After a brief struggle their centre turned and fled; and the panic spread to
their right. Baldwin, forbidding his men to stop to pillage corpses or to sack
the enemy camp, chased them to the walls of Ascalon. Then he rallied his men
and retired to divide the spoils won on the battlefield.
Meanwhile Hugh of Saint-Omer had arrived at
Jaffa, to report that the battle was lost. The Queen and her court were waiting
there. Hearing of the disaster and believing that the King was dead, they sent
a messenger at once to the only man that they thought could help them now, to
Tancred at Antioch. Next morning an army came into sight. They thought that it
was the Egyptians; and great was their rejoicing when they discerned the
Frankish banners and recognized the King. A second messenger was dispatched to
Antioch, with the news that all was well; and Tancred, who had been prepared,
with some relish, to set out for the south, was told that he could stay at
home.
For the moment the danger was averted. The
Egyptians had suffered heavy losses and were not disposed to renew the campaign
that season. But the resources of Egypt were enormous. Al-Afdal had no
difficulty in equipping a second army that should continue the struggle next
year. In the meantime Baldwin received the visit of the princes that had
survived the Anatolian Crusades of 1101. Led by William of Aquitaine, Stephen
of Blois and Stephen of Burgundy and the Constable Conrad, and accompanied by
various barons from the Low
expedition under the command of the Mameluk, Sa’ad ed-Daulah al-Qawasi. It
reached Ascalon in mid-May and advanced as far as Ramleh, hoping, perhaps, to
penetrate to Jerusalem while Baldwin was still occupied at Caesarea. Baldwin
hastened with his forces to Ramleh; whereupon Sa’ad fell back on Ascalon to
await reinforcements. After fortifying Ramleh, Baldwin set up his headquarters
at Jaffa, so as to be able to watch the Egyptians’ movements and at the same
time keep in touch with his maritime communications. Apart from a short visit
to Jerusalem for administrative purposes in July, he remained at Jaffa all
through the summer. At the end of August an intercepted letter told him that
new detachments had reached the Egyptians and that they were preparing to march
on Jerusalem.
1101: First
Battle of Ramleh
On 4 September Sa’ad moved his forces slowly up
to the outskirts of Ramleh. Two days later Baldwin held a council of war and
decided to attack at dawn, without waiting to be attacked. He had only two
hundred and sixty horsemen and nine hundred infantrymen; but they were well
armed and experienced; while the huge army of the Egyptians, which he estimated
at eleven thousand horsemen and twenty-one thousand infantry, was lightly armed
and untrained. He divided his troops into five corps, one under a knight called
Bervold, the second under Geldemar Carpenel, lord of Haifa, the third under
Hugh of Saint-Omer, who had succeeded Tancred as Prince of Galilee, and the
fourth and fifth under himself. Inspired by the presence of the True Cross, by
a stirring sermon delivered by Arnulf of Rohes, and by a special absolution
given by the Cardinal-Legate, the Franks marched out to Ramleh and at sunrise
fell on the Egyptians, near Ibelin, south-west of the town.
Bervold led the attack; but his troops were
mown down by the Egyptians and he himself slain. Geldemar Carpenel hurried to
his rescue, only to perish also with all his men. The Galilean corps followed;
but they made no effect on the Egyptian masses. After heavy losses Hugh of
Saint-Omer extricated his men and fled towards Jaffa, pursued by the Egyptian
left. It seemed that all was lost. But King Baldwin, after publicly confessing
his sins before the True Cross and then haranguing his company, mounted on his
brave Arab charger, Gazelle, galloped at the head of his knights into the heart
of the enemy. The Egyptians, confident of victory, were taken by surprise.
After a brief struggle their centre turned and fled; and the panic spread to
their right. Baldwin, forbidding his men to stop to pillage corpses or to sack
the enemy camp, chased them to the walls of Ascalon. Then he rallied his men
and retired to divide the spoils won on the battlefield.
Meanwhile Hugh of Saint-Omer had arrived at
Jaffa, to report that the battle was lost. The Queen and her court were waiting
there. Hearing of the disaster and believing that the King was dead, they sent
a messenger at once to the only man that they thought could help them now, to
Tancred at Antioch. Next morning an army came into sight. They thought that it
was the Egyptians; and great was their rejoicing when they discerned the
Frankish banners and recognized the King. A second messenger was dispatched to
Antioch, with the news that all was well; and Tancred, who had been prepared,
with some relish, to set out for the south, was told that he could stay at
home.
For the moment the danger was averted. The
Egyptians had suffered heavy losses and were not disposed to renew the campaign
that season. But the resources of Egypt were enormous. Al-Afdal had no
difficulty in equipping a second army that should continue the struggle next
year. In the meantime Baldwin received the visit of the princes that had
survived the Anatolian Crusades of 1101. Led by William of Aquitaine, Stephen
of Blois and Stephen of Burgundy and the Constable Conrad, and accompanied by
various barons from the Low
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