The army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was the Crusader kingdom's military force after the First Crusade: a core of armored feudal knights on horseback, backed by a much larger body of infantry archers and spearmen, joined by lightly armed mounted turcopoles and reinforced by the military orders of the Temple and the Hospital. It was effectively destroyed as a field army at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Force TypeFeudal knightly cavalry and infantry levy, reinforced by turcopole light cavalry and the military orders (the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller) 2 Founded YearDated to the kingdom's own founding after the First Crusade's capture of Jerusalem in 1099, not to a single reorganization of the army itself. Force Type
Force Type (category) Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Military history of the Crusader states
Fought In
Source Wikipedia: Military history of the Crusader states
Open Questions
Source Wikipedia: Battle of Hattin
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Kingdom of Jerusalem
Loss of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade sectionQuote, Loss of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade section
On 4 July 1187, the army of the kingdom was utterly destroyed at the Battle of Hattin.
2. Wikipedia: Military history of the Crusader states
WikipediaCrusader armies section
The knights were sometimes joined by mounted squires or turcopoles who were less heavily armed.
- Background section
- Fought In: Ayyubid-Crusader War
- Associated With: Frankish Heavy Cavalry Charge
View the Source Open Questions (1 open question)
What was the true strength and composition of the Frankish army mustered before the Battle of Hattin?
Muslim and Christian chroniclers give differing figures for the knights, sergeants, infantry and mercenaries Guy of Lusignan mobilized in 1187, and modern historians have not converged on a precise breakdown, only a rough range for the whole army.
What would resolve this A systematic reconciliation of the primary chronicle troop figures against feudal service-list assessments and modern demographic estimates for the kingdom's knightly class.
Crusader military history and historical demographyWikipedia: Battle of Hattin
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