July 4, 1187

Muslims Led by Saladin Capture the Holy Land

Read while you listen

In 1187 CE, the Egyptian Sultan Saladin defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, named after the extinct volcano near Tiberias in the Galilee.

The Muslims killed the vast majority of the Crusader army of 20,000.

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According to Saladin’s secretary, Imad ed-Din:

“Saladin ordered that they (200 of the Templar and Hospitaller Knights taken prisoner) should be beheaded, choosing to have them dead rather than in prison.”

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The Battle of Hattin, from a 13th-century manuscript of the Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris

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Overview

At the battle of Hattin, near Tiberias in the Galilee, the Muslims killed the vast majority of the Crusader army of 20,000. According to Saladin’s secretary, Imad ed-Din:

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“Saladin ordered that they (200 of the Templar and Hospitaller Knights taken prisoner) should be beheaded, choosing to have them dead rather than in prison.”

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