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Arsuf September 7, 1191
Strategic Context
Caught up in the religious fervor of the Third Crusade, a Crusader army under Richard Couer de Lion executes the Saracen garrison of Acre and carefully travel south to capture the logistically vital port of Jaffa. Another Saracen force led by Saladin shadows the Crusader caravan for some time, harrying it with skirmishers and missiles. Richard maintains tight discipline in his ranks as his formation slowly moves south, while the Crusader fleet follows along the coast to keep the army supplied. Saladin concentrates to ambush the Crusaders before they reach Arsuf.
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Stakes
+ A Saracen victory would block the Crusaders from the port of Jaffa or scatter the caravan, either of which would deny them necessary supplies.
+ A Crusader victory would allow them to reach the port of Jaffa, an intended launching pad for the capture of Jerusalem.
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

2. Arsuf, 1191 Strength Saracens Well Crusaders Well
Salah al-Dīn ibn Ayyub
Richard Couer de Lion
10,000 light infantry
14,000 infantry
10,000 cavalry
4,000 knights
2,000 turcopoles
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

3. Europe and Near East c. 1189

4. The battlefield consists of an austere grassy desert plain on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea just north of Arsuf. The only other features are the low wooded hills to the east.
Crusaders
(Richard)
Mediterranean Sea
Arsuf
Saracens
(Saladin)

5. (Richard de Couer de Lion) 10,000 infantry 4,000 knights
Saladin deploys his light infantry in a crescent against Richard’s left flank with his cavalry in reserve. He seeks to use his infantry in skirmishing order to lure the Crusaders out of their lines and then mow them down with cavalry. Richard deploys his baggage train in the rear along with his elite knights: Knights Templar on his right, Hospitallers on his left. He deploys his infantry in a box formation to protect his left flank against Saladin’s concentrated harassment.
Saladin notes the discipline of the Crusaders and doubles his efforts to lure them out into the open by doubling his infantry’s harassment and ordering a cavalry charge on Richard’s left wing. The Crusaders are losing many horses and the left wing is in trouble; the Hospitallers again call for their own cavalry charge. However, the Saracens are exhausting themselves in close combat.
Saladin’s light infantry harass the Crusader left with arrows and javelins in an attempt to provoke a response. The Hospitallers call for reinforcements and a cavalry charge but Richard has anticipated Saladin’s tactics and strictly orders his knights not to charge until the trumpet sounds, despite the rain of missiles.
Crusaders
(Richard)
Crusaders
(Richard de Couer de Lion)
10,000 infantry
4,000 knights
2,000 turcopoles
Saracens
(Salah al-Dīn ibn Ayyub)
10,000 light infantry
10,000 cavalry
Saracens Crusaders
Light infantry Infantry
Cavalry Knights
Baggage train
Symbol guide
Saracens
(Saladin)

6. (Richard de Couer de Lion) 10,000 infantry 4,000 knights
In a final attempt to restore the situation, Saladin sends his personal bodyguard in an attack on Richard’s left flank, hoping the dispersed Crusaders can be routed. Richard regroups and orders a third cavalry charge; the Saracen attack is repulsed and its ranks disintegrate. The Crusader infantry join the cavalry in pursuit of the Saracens, skewering them in swathes.
The Hospitallers can wait no longer and suddenly surge forward, piercing a hole in the center of the Saracen crescent. Saladin directs reinforcements to surround the Hospitallers but Richard immediately orders a second cavalry charge, this one by the Knights Templar, on Saladin’s left flank to avoid this scenario. Instead, it is the Saracens that are forced to fall back to avoid encirclement.
Saladin notes the discipline of the Crusaders and doubles his efforts to lure them out into the open by renewing his infantry’s harassment and ordering a cavalry charge on Richard’s left wing. The Crusaders are losing many horses and the left wing is in trouble; the Hospitallers again call for their own cavalry charge. However, the Saracens are exhausting themselves in close combat.
Crusaders
(Richard)
Crusaders
(Richard de Couer de Lion)
10,000 infantry
4,000 knights
2,000 turcopoles
Saracens
(Salah al-Dīn ibn Ayyub)
10,000 light infantry
10,000 cavalry
Saracens Crusaders
Light infantry Infantry
Cavalry Knights
Baggage train
Symbol guide
Saracens
(Saladin)

7. Arsuf, 1191 Casualties & Aftermath
Saracens:
Crusaders:
7,000 or
35%
700 or 4%
The Crusaders survived the winter before marching on Jerusalem in spring of the next year. Although Saladin never again risked battle against Richard, Richard also never captured Jerusalem. Instead, Saladin utilized a “scorched earth” policy to deny Richard the supplies he needed to besiege Jerusalem. The two leaders negotiated a treaty to end the Third Crusade in 1193.
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

8. The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps
By Jonathan Webb, 2009