Battle of Ramla (1102)
Encyclopedia
The second Battle of Ramla (or Ramleh) took place on 17 May 1102 between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem
and the Fatimids of Egypt
.
lay on the road from Jerusalem to Ascalon
, the latter of which was the largest Fatimid fortress in Palestine
. From Ascalon the Fatimid vizier, Al-Afdal Shahanshah
, launched almost annual attacks into the newly-founded Crusader kingdom from 1099 to 1107. It was thrice the case that the two armies met each other at Ramla.
Egyptian armies of the period relied on masses of Sudanese bowmen supported by Arab and Berber cavalry. Since the archers were on foot and the horsemen awaited attack with lance and sword, an Egyptian army provided exactly the sort of immobile target that the Frankish heavy cavalry excelled in attacking. Whereas the Crusaders developed a healthy respect for the harass and surround tactics of the Turkish horse archers, they tended to discount the effectiveness of the Egyptian armies. While overconfidence led to a Crusader disaster at the second battle of Ramla, the more frequent result was a Fatimid defeat. "The Franks never, until the reign of Saladin
, feared the Egyptian as they did the armies from Muslim Syria and Mesopotamia."
, underestimated the size of the Egyptian force and rode to battle with only five hundred mounted knights to meet an army of several thousand. Realising his error too late and already cutoff from escape, many of the knights charged into the heart of the Egyptian lines and were slaughtered, but Baldwin and some survivors newly-arrived from Europe
were able to barricade themselves in Ramla's single tower. Baldwin escaped under the cover of night, traveling to Arsuf
, where he convinced an English ship captain to break through the Egyptian blockade of Jaffa
which was being besieged also by land. With the arrival of a fleet of French and German Crusaders, Baldwin was able to assemble an army of eight thousand men. In the subsequent Battle of Jaffa
, he led a cavalry charge that once again broke the Egyptian lines and forced the Fatimid forces to flee to Ascalon. Despite the loss of numerous knights, and the capture of Conrad, Constable of Jerusalem, and death of Stephen of Blois
in the final charge from the doomed tower of Ramla, Baldwin was able to profit off the plunder left behind by the fleeing Egyptians.
Odo Arpin of Bourges
was taken prisoner at the battle.
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
and the Fatimids of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Background
The town of RamlaRamla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
lay on the road from Jerusalem to Ascalon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
, the latter of which was the largest Fatimid fortress in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. From Ascalon the Fatimid vizier, Al-Afdal Shahanshah
Al-Afdal Shahanshah
al-Malik al-Afdal ibn Badr al-Jamali Shahanshah was a vizier of the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt.- Ascent to power :He was born in Acre, the son of Badr al-Jamali, an Armenian who became Muslim. Badr was vizier for the Fatimids in Cairo from 1074 until his death in 1094, when al-Afdal succeeded him...
, launched almost annual attacks into the newly-founded Crusader kingdom from 1099 to 1107. It was thrice the case that the two armies met each other at Ramla.
Egyptian armies of the period relied on masses of Sudanese bowmen supported by Arab and Berber cavalry. Since the archers were on foot and the horsemen awaited attack with lance and sword, an Egyptian army provided exactly the sort of immobile target that the Frankish heavy cavalry excelled in attacking. Whereas the Crusaders developed a healthy respect for the harass and surround tactics of the Turkish horse archers, they tended to discount the effectiveness of the Egyptian armies. While overconfidence led to a Crusader disaster at the second battle of Ramla, the more frequent result was a Fatimid defeat. "The Franks never, until the reign of Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, feared the Egyptian as they did the armies from Muslim Syria and Mesopotamia."
Battle
Due to faulty reconnaissance, the Crusade leader, Baldwin I of JerusalemBaldwin I of Jerusalem
Baldwin I of Jerusalem, formerly Baldwin I of Edessa, born Baldwin of Boulogne , 1058? – 2 April 1118, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade, who became the first Count of Edessa and then the second ruler and first titled King of Jerusalem...
, underestimated the size of the Egyptian force and rode to battle with only five hundred mounted knights to meet an army of several thousand. Realising his error too late and already cutoff from escape, many of the knights charged into the heart of the Egyptian lines and were slaughtered, but Baldwin and some survivors newly-arrived from Europe
Crusade of 1101
The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade of three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade. It is also called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted due to the number of participants who joined this crusade after having turned back from the First...
were able to barricade themselves in Ramla's single tower. Baldwin escaped under the cover of night, traveling to Arsuf
Arsuf
Arsuf also known as Arsur or Apollonia, was an ancient city and fortress located in Israel, about 15 kilometres north of modern Tel Aviv, on a cliff above the Mediterranean Sea. The city site, Tel Arsuf, was intensively excavated from 1994...
, where he convinced an English ship captain to break through the Egyptian blockade of Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
which was being besieged also by land. With the arrival of a fleet of French and German Crusaders, Baldwin was able to assemble an army of eight thousand men. In the subsequent Battle of Jaffa
Battle of Jaffa
The Battle of Jaffa took place during the Crusades, as one of a series of campaigns between Saladin's army and the forces of King Richard the Lionheart. It was the final battle of the Third Crusade, after which Saladin and King Richard were able to negotiate a truce...
, he led a cavalry charge that once again broke the Egyptian lines and forced the Fatimid forces to flee to Ascalon. Despite the loss of numerous knights, and the capture of Conrad, Constable of Jerusalem, and death of Stephen of Blois
Stephen II, Count of Blois
Stephen II Henry , Count of Blois and Count of Chartres, was the son of Theobald III, count of Blois, and Garsinde du Maine. He married Adela of Normandy, a daughter of William the Conqueror around 1080 in Chartres...
in the final charge from the doomed tower of Ramla, Baldwin was able to profit off the plunder left behind by the fleeing Egyptians.
Odo Arpin of Bourges
Odo Arpin of Bourges
Odo Arpin of Bourges was a medieval viscount, crusader and monk.He inherited the lordship of Dun and became viscount of Bourges between 1092 and 1095 after marrying Matilda of Sully, whose sister Alice was the daughter-in-law of Stephen II, Count of Blois. He may have shared the viscountcy with...
was taken prisoner at the battle.