Massacre at Ayyadieh

Massacre at Ayyadieh
Part of the Third Crusade
Massacre of the Saracen prisoners, ordered by King Richard the Lionheart (Alphonse de Neuville).
Date20 August 1191 (1191-08-20)
TargetPrisoners of war from Saladin's army
Prisoners of war from King Richard I's army
Attack type
Massacre
Deathsc. 2700 Ayyubid prisoners[1]
Unknown number of Crusader prisoners of war[2][3][1]
Injured2000[citation needed]
PerpetratorKing Richard I's army
Saladin's army

The Massacre of Ayyadieh occurred during the Third Crusade after the fall of Acre when King Richard I had more than two thousand Muslim prisoners of war from the captured city beheaded in front of the Ayyubid armies of sultan Saladin on 20 August 1191. Despite attacks by Muslim forces during the killings, the Christian Crusaders were able to retire in good order. Saladin subsequently ordered various Crusader prisoners of war to be executed in retaliation.[2][1]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Runciman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Payne was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Robinson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).