Battle of Montgisard

Battle of Montgisard
Part of the Crusades

The Battle of Montgisard, 1177. Charles Philippe Larivière, 1842–1844
Date25 November 1177
Location
Montgisard (possibly Gezer), near Ramla, Kingdom of Jerusalem
Result Crusader victory
Belligerents
link Kingdom of Jerusalem
link Knights Templar		 link Ayyubid Dynasty
Commanders and leaders
link Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
link Renaud de Châtillon
link Eudes de Saint-Amand		 link Saladin
link Taqi al-Din Umar
Strength

3,000–4,500 men

  • 80 Templars
  • 375 Knights
  • 2,500–4,000 infantry and archers[1]
 21,000–26,000 men (exaggerated)[2][a]
Casualties and losses

1,850 casualties[2][3]

  • 1,100 killed
  • 750 wounded
 Most of the army killed
Late 15th century depiction of the battle from a copy of the Passages d'outremer

The Battle of Montgisard was fought between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ayyubid Dynasty on 25 November 1177 at Montgisard, in the Levant between Ramla and Yibna.[4] The 16-year-old Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, severely afflicted by leprosy, led outnumbered Christian forces against Saladin's troops in what became one of the most notable engagements of the Crusades. The Muslim Army was quickly routed and pursued for twelve miles.[5] Saladin fled back to Cairo, reaching the city on 8 December, with only a tenth of his army.[2] Muslim historians considered Saladin's defeat to be so severe that it was only redeemed by his victory ten years later at the battles of Cresson and Hattin and the Siege of Jerusalem in 1187. Saladin did defeat Baldwin IV in the Battle of Marj Ayyun and the Siege of Jacob’s Ford in 1179, only to be defeated by Baldwin again at the Battle of Belvoir Castle in 1182 and the Siege of Kerak in 1183.[2]

  1. ^ Jean Richard: The Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. Volume 1, North-Holland Pub. Co. Amsterdam 1979, ISBN 0444850929, p. 149
  2. ^ a b c d e Stevenson 1907, p. 218.
  3. ^ Jean Richard: The Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. Volume 1, North-Holland Pub. Co. Amsterdam 1979, ISBN 0444850929, p. 149
  4. ^ "Baldwin, Marshall W., and Setton, Kenneth M, A History of the Crusades: Volume One, The First Hundred Years, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1969, pp. 571, 595, 625, 650".
  5. ^ Stevenson 1907, pp. 217–218.


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