Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1187
- Thread starter el t
- Start date
Definitely not. It was a small kingdom with a viable population. After 1187 it was different. Cities such as Acre and Tyre were practically independent of each other and the Kings of Jerusalem were virtually absentee rulers who resided in Cyprus or Western Europe.
And/or minors.
There's a map of the kingdom in 1187 here:
I suspect how much Saladin does depends on how cautious Guy is being - if Guy doesn't confront him at all, Saladin doesn't have to come at Guy to attack the frontiers, which is not good for Guy's standing within the kingdom.
There's a map of the kingdom in 1187 here:
I suspect how much Saladin does depends on how cautious Guy is being - if Guy doesn't confront him at all, Saladin doesn't have to come at Guy to attack the frontiers, which is not good for Guy's standing within the kingdom.
It is a difficult decision to confront or not Saladin. Guy de Lusignan was an upstart who needed to prove that he was capable of defending the kingdom and being a succesful leader on the battlefield. From a strategic standpoint leaving your bases in pursuit of a numerical superior enemy is a grave error but one might wonder whether Saladin plundering Palestine at will would not have disqualified Guy further în the eyes of the nobility especially given the fact that he îs an upstart.
If Guy holds his position, Saladin will plunder Palestine but he will retreat. He cannot feed his huge army and fighting a series of endless sieges will cause his commanders and soldiers to revolt. If revolt doesn't occur then famine and disease will drive him back. He will be back next year as now KOJ is isolated and can be grinded down gradually.
If Guy holds his position, Saladin will plunder Palestine but he will retreat. He cannot feed his huge army and fighting a series of endless sieges will cause his commanders and soldiers to revolt. If revolt doesn't occur then famine and disease will drive him back. He will be back next year as now KOJ is isolated and can be grinded down gradually.
From what I remember, Guy and his vassals agreed to wait at Zippori where there was a lot of water but it was the grand master of the Templars who changed Guy's mind so it is possible that Saladin would also wait, not wanting to engage the Christian army and beyond some skirmishes there wouldn't be much fighting
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