20 Sep 1187: Saladin besieges Jerusalem

On this day in 1187, Muslim leader Saladin began his siege on Jerusalem. He would capture it on October 2, ending nearly a century of Christian rule.

Here are some of the major Crusades and their outcomes:

• First Crusade (1096-1099): led by Pope Urban II – I point you to the Papal Pedant’s take on Urban’s speech – Christians capture Jerusalem in 1099.
• Second Crusade (1145-1149): mostly a failure for the Crusaders, although they did expel the Moors from Portugal
• Third Crusade (1189-1192): Christians reclaim Acre but fail to retake Jerusalem, leading to the…
• Fourth Crusade (1202-1204): Christians never make it to Jerusalem, conquering Constantinople instead.
• Children’s Crusade (1212): allegedly, around 30,000 children made their way toward the Holy Land to peaceably convert Muslims; many were captured and sold into slavery en route.

Christians would retake Jerusalem in 1229 as a result of the Sixth Crusade, but would lose control in 1244. The Ninth Crusade (1271-1272) is generally considered the last major attempt to conquer the Holy Land.

Image: Saladin and Guy of Lusignan after Battle of Hattin in July 1187.