Richard I at Jaffa, 1192 Richard I (Richard Coeur de Lion) landing at Jaffa to lift the Saracen siege. © Photos.com/Getty Images. (more) Battle of Jaffa Middle Eastern history [1192] Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Jaffa Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites HistoryNet - Battle of Jaffa: Lionheart's Greatest Victory Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - Battle of Jaffa, 21-22 December 1917 Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Rupert Matthews Rupert Matthews has been fascinated by battlefields since his father took him to Waterloo when he was nine years old. As an adult, Rupert has written about numerous battles from the ancient world to the... Rupert Matthews Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 19, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question Quick Facts Date: August 5, 1192 (Show more) Location: Israel (Show more) Participants: Ayyubid dynasty England (Show more) Context: Crusades Third Crusade (Show more) Key People: Richard I Saladin (Show more) See all related content The Battle of Jaffa, which was fought on August 5, 1192, was the final battle of the Third Crusade. It led directly to a peace deal between England’s King Richard I (popularly known as Richard Coeur de Lion, or Lionheart) and Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, that restricted the Christian presence in the Holy Land to a thin coastal strip but ensured its survival for another century.

　　After his victory at the Battle of Arsūf, Richard spent months capturing castles and winning skirmishes, but he never reached his goal of retaking Jerusalem. He was in Acre planning his return to England when, in late July, Saladin attacked Jaffa (now part of Tel Aviv, Israel), taking the town but not the citadel, whose garrison consisted largely of sick and wounded troops whom Richard had left there after an earlier campaign against Saladin. On August 1, Richard arrived unexpectedly by sea with a force including 80 knights and 400 (some estimates give as many as 2,000) crossbowmen and waded ashore to drive the Muslims out of the town.

　　Crusades Events keyboard_arrow_left

　　Siege of Antioch October 20, 1097 - June 28, 1098

　　Battle of Harran May 7, 1104

　　Siege of Edessa November 28, 1144 - December 24, 1144

　　Battle of Lisbon July 1, 1147 - October 25, 1147

　　Siege of Damascus July 23, 1148 - July 28, 1148

　　Battle of Ḥaṭṭīn July 4, 1187

　　Battle of Jaffa August 5, 1192

　　Albigensian Crusade 1209 - 1229

　　Siege of Toulouse 1217 - 1218 keyboard_arrow_right A few days later Saladin, having gathered a force of about 7,000 cavalrymen and perhaps twice as many foot soldiers and auxiliaries, attacked Richard’s camp outside Jaffa at dawn. Richard put his infantry in the front line and the crossbowmen behind them with orders to aim at the enemy horses. Richard and 17 mounted knights were positioned at the rear ready to deliver a charge where and when it would do the most good. The 63 knights without horses were put among the infantry. Several Muslim cavalry charges were driven off with loss. Richard countercharged several times to cut down dismounted Muslims and hasten the retreat of the rest. In a chivalrous gesture, Saphadin, Saladin’s brother, noticing that Richard’s horse was wounded, sent him a fresh mount.

　　About midafternoon Saladin launched a ferocious assault designed to mask a column of cavalry hurrying around Richard’s flank to make a surprise attack on Jaffa. Richard saw the move and led his mounted knights back to block the city gates. Desultory fighting continued until nightfall, when Saladin retreated from Jaffa and then opened peace negotiations, concluding with a three-year truce signed before Richard sailed to England in October, never returning to the Holy Land.