his
recapture of it. He said he had been unarmed and not even had time to change
his shoes. But he agreed at once with Abu-Bakr that the war must stop. Saladin’s
message suggested, as a bargaining point, that as Jaffa was now half ruined the
Frankish frontier should stop at Caesarea. Richard countered by offering to
hold Jaffa and Ascalon as a fief under Saladin, without explaining how the
vassaldom would work when the King was in Europe. Saladin’s answer was to offer
Jaffa, but to insist on keeping Ascalon. Once again Ascalon proved the
stumbling-block. Negotiations were broken off.
The Frankish army which Richard had
summoned to rescue Jaffa was advancing past Caesarea. Saladin, well aware now
how small was Richard’s force at Jaffa, determined to strike at his camp
outside the walls before the fresh army could arrive. At daybreak on Wednesday,
5 August, a Genoese, wandering about outside the camp, heard the neighing of
horses and the tramp of soldiers and saw afar off steel glistening in the light
of the rising sun. He roused the camp; and when the Saracens appeared Richard
was ready. His men had not had time to arm themselves. Each took what was at
hand. There were only fifty-four knights fit for battle and only fifteen
horses, and about two thousand infantrymen. Behind a low palisade of tent-pegs,
designed to disconcert the enemy horses, Richard set his men in pairs, their
shields fixed as a fence in front of them and their long spears planted in the
ground at an angle to impale the oncoming cavalry. Between each pair an archer
was stationed. The Moslem cavalry charged in seven waves of a thousand men
each. But they could not pierce the wall of steel. These charges continued till
the afternoon. Then, when the enemy horses seemed to be tiring, Richard passed
his bowmen through to the front line and discharged all his arrows into the
oncoming host. The volley checked the enemy. The archers passed back again
behind the spearmen, who charged with Richard on horseback at their head.
Saladin was lost in angry admiration at the sight. When Richard’s horse fell
under him, he gallantly sent a groom through the midst of the turmoil with two
fresh horses as a gift to the brave King. Some Moslems crept round to attack
the town itself, and the marines guarding it fled towards their ships, till
Richard rode up and rallied them. By evening Saladin called off the battle and
retreated to Jerusalem, adding to the fortifications there lest Richard still
might pursue him.
1192: Treaty between Saladin and Richard
It was a superb victory, won by Richard’s
tactics and his personal bravery. But it was not followed up. Within a day or
two Saladin was back at Ramleh, with a fresh army of levies from Egypt and
northern Syria; while Richard, worn by his exertions, lay seriously ill of a
fever in his tent. Richard now longed for peace. Saladin repeated his former
offer, still insisting on the cession of Ascalon. It was hard for Richard to
bear. He wrote to his old friend al-Adil, who himself was on a sick-bed near
Jerusalem, to beg him to intercede with Saladin to leave him Ascalon. Saladin
held firm. He sent the fevered King peaches and pears and snow from Mount
Hermon to cool his drinks. But he would not yield Ascalon. Richard was in no
position to bargain. His health, as well as his brother’s misdeeds in England,
demanded his swift return to his home. The other Crusaders were weary. His
nephew Henry and the Military Orders showed that they distrusted his politics.
Of what use would Ascalon be to them if he and his army had left? He had made
public too often his determination to leave Palestine. On Friday, 28 August,
al-Adil’s courier brought him Saladin’s final offer. Five days later, on 2
September 1192, he signed a treaty of peace for five years, and the Sultan’s
ambassadors added their names to his. The ambassadors then took Richard’s hand
and swore on their master’s behalf. Richard as a King refused to take an
recapture of it. He said he had been unarmed and not even had time to change
his shoes. But he agreed at once with Abu-Bakr that the war must stop. Saladin’s
message suggested, as a bargaining point, that as Jaffa was now half ruined the
Frankish frontier should stop at Caesarea. Richard countered by offering to
hold Jaffa and Ascalon as a fief under Saladin, without explaining how the
vassaldom would work when the King was in Europe. Saladin’s answer was to offer
Jaffa, but to insist on keeping Ascalon. Once again Ascalon proved the
stumbling-block. Negotiations were broken off.
The Frankish army which Richard had
summoned to rescue Jaffa was advancing past Caesarea. Saladin, well aware now
how small was Richard’s force at Jaffa, determined to strike at his camp
outside the walls before the fresh army could arrive. At daybreak on Wednesday,
5 August, a Genoese, wandering about outside the camp, heard the neighing of
horses and the tramp of soldiers and saw afar off steel glistening in the light
of the rising sun. He roused the camp; and when the Saracens appeared Richard
was ready. His men had not had time to arm themselves. Each took what was at
hand. There were only fifty-four knights fit for battle and only fifteen
horses, and about two thousand infantrymen. Behind a low palisade of tent-pegs,
designed to disconcert the enemy horses, Richard set his men in pairs, their
shields fixed as a fence in front of them and their long spears planted in the
ground at an angle to impale the oncoming cavalry. Between each pair an archer
was stationed. The Moslem cavalry charged in seven waves of a thousand men
each. But they could not pierce the wall of steel. These charges continued till
the afternoon. Then, when the enemy horses seemed to be tiring, Richard passed
his bowmen through to the front line and discharged all his arrows into the
oncoming host. The volley checked the enemy. The archers passed back again
behind the spearmen, who charged with Richard on horseback at their head.
Saladin was lost in angry admiration at the sight. When Richard’s horse fell
under him, he gallantly sent a groom through the midst of the turmoil with two
fresh horses as a gift to the brave King. Some Moslems crept round to attack
the town itself, and the marines guarding it fled towards their ships, till
Richard rode up and rallied them. By evening Saladin called off the battle and
retreated to Jerusalem, adding to the fortifications there lest Richard still
might pursue him.
1192: Treaty between Saladin and Richard
It was a superb victory, won by Richard’s
tactics and his personal bravery. But it was not followed up. Within a day or
two Saladin was back at Ramleh, with a fresh army of levies from Egypt and
northern Syria; while Richard, worn by his exertions, lay seriously ill of a
fever in his tent. Richard now longed for peace. Saladin repeated his former
offer, still insisting on the cession of Ascalon. It was hard for Richard to
bear. He wrote to his old friend al-Adil, who himself was on a sick-bed near
Jerusalem, to beg him to intercede with Saladin to leave him Ascalon. Saladin
held firm. He sent the fevered King peaches and pears and snow from Mount
Hermon to cool his drinks. But he would not yield Ascalon. Richard was in no
position to bargain. His health, as well as his brother’s misdeeds in England,
demanded his swift return to his home. The other Crusaders were weary. His
nephew Henry and the Military Orders showed that they distrusted his politics.
Of what use would Ascalon be to them if he and his army had left? He had made
public too often his determination to leave Palestine. On Friday, 28 August,
al-Adil’s courier brought him Saladin’s final offer. Five days later, on 2
September 1192, he signed a treaty of peace for five years, and the Sultan’s
ambassadors added their names to his. The ambassadors then took Richard’s hand
and swore on their master’s behalf. Richard as a King refused to take an
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