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What events led to the Third Crusade?
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Crusades
Crusaders departing for the Holy Land, chromolithograph of a 15th-century illuminated manuscript.
The Third Crusade (1189ā1192) was precipitated by the collapse of the Crusader states following the military successes of the Muslim leader Saladin.12
The primary events leading to this conflict included:
- Internal Instability: Following the death of King Baldwin IV in 1185, the kingdom of Jerusalem suffered from succession disputes and intense factionalism among the nobility, which weakened the state's defense.3
- Violation of Truce: Reginald of ChĆ¢tillon provoked Saladin by plundering a Muslim caravan, leading the sultan to proclaim jihad against the Latin kingdom.23
- Battle of Hattin: On July 4, 1187, Saladinās forces decisively defeated the army of King Guy of Jerusalem at the Battle of įø¤aį¹į¹Ä«n. This victory effectively destroyed the kingdom's military power.23
- Fall of Jerusalem: In the wake of Hattin, Saladin rapidly captured most Crusader strongholds, culminating in the fall of Jerusalem on October 2, 1187.23
In response to the loss of the holy city, Pope Gregory VIII issued a Crusade bull, calling for fasting and penitence, which initiated the mobilization of Western European leaders to retake the Levant.45