The Changing Muslim Response To The Crusades, 1095 - 1192

Question 1

In the 11th century what did the Islamic world look like?s

Answer 1

They were split into two rivalries, the Sunni Seljuk Turks and the Shi’ah Fatimids

Question 2

Why did the rivalry cause problems?

Answer 2

They both have different attitudes to power and a strong desire to rule over the entire Islamic world. Their disunity meant the Crusaders were able to take back Jerusalem in the First Crusade

Question 3

❗️What was the early weakness for the Muslims before the First Crusade?

Answer 3

In 1092, their powerful leader Malik Shah had died

Question 4

What was the effect of Malik Shahs death?

Answer 4

The Empire began to collapse into rival territories, the Seljuks became divided. Malik left Aleppo to his nephew - Ridwad, however, he was very unpopular and this created infighting. As a result of this people began to try and establish their own lands, losing loyalty

Question 5

What opportunity did Kilij Arslan miss when the crusaders were travelling to Nicaea?

Answer 5

He had the opportunity to strike at the individual contingents rather than the whole force of the Crusader armies as they arrived by separate routes at separate times. If he had attacked, the siege of Nicaea would’ve ended before it began

Question 6

Why did Kilij Arslan fail at the siege of Nicaea?

Answer 6

He had arrived at the siege after it had begun, by then the other contingents had time to arrive, discuss strategy, and secure supplies. Arslan would have to break into the city first and then defend the rest of the army. However, his forces were weakened by the campaign they have just left and could not break through

Question 7

Why did Arslan decide to make one more attack on the Crusaders after the siege on Nicaea?

Answer 7

the Crusaders numbers have dropped. He believed he might be able to hold or slow down their progress

Question 8

What was Arslan’s plan on attacking them?

Answer 8

His plan was to pick a moment when the full force of the crusading army was divided into smaller continue and then launch a surprise attack with his mounted arches. He would then withdraw and attack the next time the Crusaders split up

Question 9

When was Arslan’s first opportunity for this plan?

Answer 9

1 July 1097, when Bohemond’s contingent marched ahead of the army

Question 10

Why was the attack on Doryaleum a fail?

Answer 10

The Crusaders were able to hold the ground and stay in formation and contact the other half of their division. When Godrey’s contingent arrived Arslan was outnumbered and stood very little chance of victory. His army chose to flee

Question 11

How did the failure of Doryaleum effect Arslan?

Answer 11

His reputation as a powerful Sultan was shattered. The crusading army face also faced very little opposition from other towns (they have found that a town had been abandon ahead of the arrival) - the locals realised that Arslan did not have the strength to defend his territory and resistance in the west had failed

Question 12

What were the main consequences of Arslans defeat at Doryaleum? (2)

Answer 12

1: around 3,000 Muslims were killed during the counter-attack at Doryaleum
2: the Crusaders had witnessed the tactics of the Turks, and had seen how powerful the mounted arches were and learnt how the Turks would pretend to retreat in order to get the army to break formation

Question 13

During the siege Antioch, what was Kerbogha’s (a Turk) mistake when he first attempted to stop the Crusaders?

Answer 13

When they were attacked by Robert of Flanders, the Turks managed to force Robert to defeat but then chose to take no further action, this meant the Crusaders survived to continue the siege

Question 14

Despite 12,000 men, how were the Turks defeated at Antioch?

Answer 14

Bohemond’s leadership skills meant the Franks were able to surprise the Turks and force them into retreat

Question 15

What was Kerbogha’s final attempt to stop the Crusaders at Antioch?

Answer 15

Fear of a crusader victory, he gathered 35,000 Turks to bring an end to the siege - drawing troops from across the different territories. Unfortunately the number of troops were not enough to defeat the Crusaders

Question 16

What factors contributed to the outcome of failure to stop the Crusaders taking Antioch? (2)

Answer 16

1: Kerbogha spent three weeks in Edessa wasting time
2: Kerbogha lacked authority over some one the troops. He lacked the power to rally his troops which meant that when the Crusaders defeated the first wave of the Turks and they began to flee, he was unable to prevent the rest of his army from joining them

Question 17

What was one large factor as to why the Muslims fail to defend Jerusalem?

Answer 17

When the Crusaders arrived outside Jerusalem, the city had just been captured by Fatimids. As a result the Fatimids had little time to prepare for the Battle of Jerusalem. Additionally the siege machines that they have used to take the city was found by the Crusaders which made it quicker for them to assemble it

Question 18

Why was Zengi different from the other leaders?

Answer 18

He was the first Muslim ruler to present himself as a leader of Jihad - spread Islam until the whole world was under its influence

Question 19

What was the limitation to Zengi’s power?

Answer 19

He faced a number of rivals who restricted his influence. For example, Muin al-Din Unur had an alliance with the Franks against Zengi

Question 20

Why did Zengi attack Edessa?

Answer 20

An attack on a Edessa would be a way for Zengi to restore his reputation and reduce Frankish influence in the region

Question 21

Explain Zengi’s victory at Edessa

Answer 21

In November 1144, Zengi lay siege to Edessa. He had tunnels dug under the northern walls, and on 23 December ordered the wooden planks of the tunnels to be set on fire causing them to collapse - the city was completely destroyed

Question 22

When did Zengi die and what happened to his territories?

Answer 22

He was stabbed to death on 14 September 1146, his territories were inherited by his sons

Question 23

What was Nur ad-Din’s two goals?

Answer 23

1: to unite Syria under one Muslim leader
2: to reduce the threat from the Franks
(while these goals were more limited than his fathers, he had a much greater chance of success)

Question 24

❗️In Edessa, how did Nur ad-Din tackle his threats?

Answer 24

In November 1146, the people of Edessa tried to take back control of their city however, Nur as-Din forced them to surrender or flee the city. In a total, around 30,000 were killed - this insured that there was no further uprising against his authority in the city

Question 25

What did Nur ad-Din achieve in 1155?

Answer 25

Nur ad-Din achieved his goal of unifying Syria under the hands of one ruler

Question 26

What was the main reason Nur ad-Din was unable to pursue an all-out jihad against the crusaders states?

Answer 26

Syria did not have a lot of resources to defeat them. However, Egypt could provide the answer to this problem. It was a powerful and wealthy country that could provide him with enough troops to launch an attack - however, Egypt was still under Fatimid control

Question 27

Why was Nur ad-Din rushing to get Egypt under his control?

Answer 27

He couldn’t afford for the country to fall under Frankish control, they would be able to use its wealth against him. The Franks had already launched five attempts to Egypt in the 1160s

Question 28

Who was Saladin?

Answer 28

Nur ad-Dins Second in command

Question 29

Why was Saladin a threat to Nur ad-Din?

Answer 29

Saladin made it clear that he wanted to build his own power base

Question 30

What were the 3 times Saladin ignored Nur ad-Dins wishes?

Answer 30

1: in 1171, Saladin and Nur ad-Din planned a joint attack against the Franks. Once he succeed, Saladin retreat before Nur ad-Din could reach him
2: in 1173, Saladin began an attack on the castles at Montreal and Kerak, Nur ad-Din planned to join him, however, once again Saladin retreated before his arrival
3: Nur ad-Din wanted to use Egypt as its financial resource to fund his campaign. Saladin aware that the less resources meant that his own position was threatened - ignored his wishes of an annual paying him

Question 31

Summarise how Saladin strengthened his hold on power in Egypt? (3)

Answer 31

1: he placed his family members into key positions within Egypt’s government
2: created his own military unit
3: prioritised Egypt’s needs over Nur as-Dins

Question 32

How did Saladin strengthen his position by improving his image?

Answer 32

He decided to cancel the unpopular trading tax - Mukus. This showed that Saladin wasn’t a foreigner who came to steal from Egypt

Question 33

❗️When did Nur ad-Din die, and what did this mean for Saladin?

Answer 33

15 May 1174. It meant that his empire was up for grabs - Saladin aimed to be the most powerful leader in the Islamic world and model himself as the new leader of jihad

Question 34

❗️What was stage one in taking the empire? Explain

Answer 34

Damascus: on 28 October 1174, Saladin marched peacefully into Damascus - the Franks did not come to Damascus’ aid and Saladin proclaimed himself ruler of the city. To strengthen his claim he married Nur ad-Dins wife. Troops in Damascus were provided for stage two

Question 35

❗️What was stage two in taking the empire? Explain

Answer 35

Aleppo: in order to Saladin to take Aleppo, he had to take the territory around the area and force the ruler to surrender. On 11 June 1183 the city surrendered

Question 36

❗️What was the last stage in taking the empire? Explain

Answer 36

Mosul: in 1185 he began his campaign against the city, adopting the approach he had taken with Aleppo. However, it’s king refused to be drawn into a battle with Saladin. Saladin because seriously ill and this led to a peace treaty in March. The new alliance mean Mosul could provide Saladin with troops

Question 37

❗️How did Saladin deal with personal threats?

Answer 37

Saladin was a target of assassination. In one case in 1174, 13 Assassins tried to murder Saladin. As revenge in 1176, Saladin took his army to the Assassins castle and pretended to besiege - once the Assassins gathered around the castle, he attacked - it was a message to show he was not to be messed with

Question 38

What were Saladin’s attempts at tackling Frankish threat?

Answer 38

He launched successful attacks to the kingdom of Jerusalem in 1170, 1179, 1182, 1183 (70-83)

Question 39

What were some of his failures when tackling Frankish threats?

Answer 39

In 1177, he was defeated by a surprise attack from the Franks during his raid at Antioch. He lost 1,000 men and 750 men were wounded

Question 40

❗️Explain the attack on Tiberias

Answer 40

Saladin’s plan was to draw the Franks into a battle - a big confrontation would be an advantage to Saladin as his number were more superior. On 2 July 1187, a small contingent from Saladin’s force attack Tiberias - Saladin hoped King Guy of Jerusalem would chose to lead his entire army down the steep path towards Tiberias. Which he did

Question 41

Explain the battle of Hattin

Answer 41

As Guy’s forces journeyed towards Tiberias, the Muslims launched countless attacks on the Frankish army. Guy ordered a stop, camping for the night. Saladin’s troops raided Guy’s camp on and off throughout the night - the Franks were left without water and denied sleep. On 4 July, Guy - worried for his dehydrated troops - began to head the springs of Hattin. However, Saladin and his army stood in their way - the battle was lengthy and Guy and other important nobles were taken as prisoners

Question 42

What were the effects of the Battle of Hattin?

Answer 42

It allowed Saladin to take control of the kingdom of Jerusalem

Question 43

How was Saladin able to to Jerusalem?

Answer 43

Jerusalem defence was extremely undermanned, they stood little chance. On 2 October 1187, Saladin took the city

Question 44

Why did the 1190 campaign to relieve Acre fail?

Answer 44

Both sides were trapped in stalemate. Saladin’s forced either arrived to early or late which delayed it further. Additionally the cost of keeping troops in the field were extremely expensive - 20,000 dinars a day

Question 45

What were the main causes for why Saladin failed to stop the fall of Acre in 1191? (2)

Answer 45

1: he left a 2 year breathing space to allow Guy to strengthen his troops
2: Guy now had support from King Philip II of France and King Richard I of England.
This then led to the Battle of Jaffa/Asurf where Saladin was defeated

Question 46

How did Saladin prepare for the Richards second march to Jerusalem? (3)

Answer 46

1: he allowed his troops to return home which allowed them to rest
2: he deployed his field army sensibly - harder to target
3: it was his spies that he knew what the Franks were planning - enabled him to poison the wells

However, on 4 July Richard retreated