August 12th, 1099 - The Battle of Ascalon

Conflict: First Crusade

Combatants: Crusaders vs. Fatamids

Location: Israel

Outcome: Crusader victory

After the victory at Jerusalem, the Duke Godfrey du Bullion of Lorraine and 10,000 Crusaders marched out to meet an Egyptian relief army of 50,000 Fatamid soldiers. The Fatamids were, however, outmatched by the heavily armored Europeans and were badly defeated by Godfrey's troops.

1099 Ascalon by Victory Schnetz

Points of Interest:

• After the capture and sacking of Jerusalem, Godfrey was made "Guardian of Jerusalem" when he refused to be crowned a king.

• While most crusaders returned to Europe, Godfrey and a handful of other crusader leaders remained to form the Crusader States.

  
  

Battle of Ascalon by Gustave Dore

Ascalon 1099 by Prosper Lafaye

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Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Riley-Smith, Jonathan (2005). The Crusades. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.