Hattin, Battle of

Crushing defeat of the crusaders by Saladin on 4 July 1187 at a village in Palestine 8 km/5 mi northwest of Tiberias. A force of Frankish crusaders was completely wiped out, destroying the military power of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

A column of Frankish crusaders was marching to the relief of the citadel of Tiberias which was under siege by Saladin. The column was attacked by a Saracen army and brought to a halt at Hattin, a place with no water. Harassing attacks during the night ensured that the crusaders had no rest, and the lack of water demoralized them. On the following morning they were in no condition to withstand attack; the Saracens swept around in two wings and completely annihilated the crusader force.