Richard’s aim? To make himself the Gaffer of the city of Jaffa!

The Christians march to Jaffa, along the Palestinian coast!

To take the ancient port is their oft-mentioned boast!

Saladin’s Saracens will harry them from the eastern side!

Thus ensuring that the invading infidels have a most uncomfortable ride!

The crusaders, having being victorious at Acre in the first battle of the Third Crusade, now turned their gaze south towards Jerusalem.  Each and every man was engulfed with an overwhelming  sense of burning desire to defeat the Saracens and retake the city of Jerusalem for Christendom.

Their hearts, enthused with the passion inherent in their souls, ensured that their eyes remained constantly and resolutely on the prize!

Contemplate the figure below, a soldier armed with sword and shield!

Ready to stand and face the eastern enemy in the field!

To Christians, the epitome of the brave, honourable, unknown crusader!

But to the Muslims, a blasphemous,  crazed, insidious and rapacious invader!

I, with my fellows here and now do solemnly swear!

That we will enter the portals of that holy city so fair!

This much I, as a soldier of Christ am obliged to declare!

However, the sacred mission had to be proceeded through a process of stages.  No one understood this more clearly than the Lionheart himself and he acted accordingly.  On the 25th of August Richard led his army, some 15,000 strong, out of Acre for the 80 mile trek south to Jaffa, the port used by the city of Jerusalem.

The Lionheart leads the way.

The Lionheart saw that synchronization

was the key to successful organisation!

Each and every decision

would be characterised by strict military precision!

 Here Richard showed himself to be the great commander that he undoubtedly was.  Sticking close to the shore line, the army was protected by ranks of well armed infantry, ready to repel any attack from the land on their left. These included archers and crossbow men who, equipped with ample supplies of arrows would provide a sturdy defence of the crusader army. The fact that the crusaders were drawn from all of the corners of Christendom and spoke a variety of languages, meant that a linguistic misunderstanding in the heat of battle could prove fatal. This was an eventuality for which Richard had prepared. The king  took the precaution of organising the troops into  sections where they all spoke a common tongue.  This was a most prudent initiative, given that military success or disaster can depend on a swift mode of communication.

The Saracens deployed immensely effective hit and run techniques.  They would pelt the ranks of the crusaders with a veritable hailstorm of arrows which resulted in terrible casualties.  The knights were under strict orders from the Lionheart to keep formation and resist the temptation to break out and pursue their Islamic  tormentors.  Richard impressed upon his men the fact that a force which loses its formation will become confused and therefore rather more susceptible to attack.

Meanwhile the Christian supply ships sallied south in sight of their comrades on land.  The captains timed the speed of their vessels to the progress of the crusaders as they marched south. At midday the weary troops would halt and set up camp, as the intensity of the afternoon heat could cause heatstroke.  The crusader fleet would drop anchor,  supplies would be brought hither to land, and the wounded ferried aboard the waiting vessels.

The remaining hours of daylight would be spent securing a strongly defensive perimeter in the event of a Saracen attack.  As the darkness descended, the weary crusaders would take their rest underneath the galaxy of stars in preparation for the  rigours of the morrow.

‘Anyone got a clue about what is on the menu?

Barbaqued horse of course!

Mmm, tasty…… any chance of a little sauce?

None for the likes of me and you, but plenty for the select few’!

The Saracens often found that it was more effective to direct their aim at the horses rather than their mounted knights. This provided many a knight with an unexpected source of income as their steeds were their own personal property. The knight could now sell the horse’s carcase to the hungry crusades who were in need of  sustenance. The men had no choice but to pay the knight the high price demanded.

Richard, recognising the hungry soldiers dire need.

Moved by the amount these poor men paid for a morsel on which to feed!

Decided to pay for the carcase of each and every steed!

It was this development which illustrated the genuine generosity inherent in Richard’s character. Richard decided that he would give a horse from his own stable to any knight who donated the carcase of his steed to the soldiers free of charge.

Gosh! We’re getting free nosh!

Yeah, and without having to part with our hard earned dosh!

By early September the crusaders were a mere 25 miles from Jerusalem, something that troubled Saladin greatly and prompted him to act.

Saladin had discovered that dealing with the Lionheart was not a piece of  cake!

Richard’s success meant that the Sultan’s reputation for invincibility was now at stake!

To Saladin, this looked like a time for either make or break!

The battle of Arsuf.

Saladin decided to attack Richard at Arsuf, a mere 10 miles from Jerusalem.  The Sultan had some 30,000 troops under his command including the much-feared bowmen.  Richard was resolute in his determination to keep his army proceeding in formation.  Saladin was equally resolved to break the crusader pattern of defence.  Under the relentless barrage of arrows from Islamic lines, a large number of knights, tormented beyond measure broke formation and attacked the Saracen troops just as Saladin had hoped.

Seeing this, Richard was incandescent with rage but also overwhelmed with worry. What to do?

Saracens and crusaders engage in battle.

There was no alternative but to attack.  Richard divided his forces into two and took the offensive. The Saracens buckled under the sheer ferocity of the onslaught and began to flee from the field.  Saladin’s strategy had failed due to the superior generalship of the Lionheart.  In the wake of this defeat, Saladin withdrew from Jaffa, although he did raze the city’s walls before doing so.  This presenting a great problem, Richard resolved to raise the walls as swiftly as possible.  Richard had won a major victory and he was now the  undisputed ‘Gaffer’ of Jaffa.