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Downfall of the Crusader Kingdom
The Third Crusade of Richard the Lionheart is well known but the build-up to it less so. Downfall of the Crusader Kingdom is a story of intrigue, plot and counter-plot, and the abuse of power culminating in one of the fiercest battles of the medieval epoch, the Battle of Hattin in 1187.
Hattin is one of the few battles in history that can truly be called decisive, and it was a catastrophe for the Crusaders. The leading men of the kingdom of Jerusalem, including the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers, were trapped in an arid wasteland, without water and surrounded by hostile forces. The battle ended with thousands of them being taken prisoner. It was the culmination of a series of events that had been progressively leading the kingdom of Jerusalem down the road to oblivion. It was partly the resurgence of the Muslim Middle East and the rise of Saladin that led to the loss of Jerusalem, but there was another equally dangerous element at work - the enemy within.
W.B. Bartlett brings to life the bitter infighting and political battles which ultimately led to the disaster at Hattin and the downfall of the Crusader kingdom.
Hattin is one of the few battles in history that can truly be called decisive, and it was a catastrophe for the Crusaders. The leading men of the kingdom of Jerusalem, including the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers, were trapped in an arid wasteland, without water and surrounded by hostile forces. The battle ended with thousands of them being taken prisoner. It was the culmination of a series of events that had been progressively leading the kingdom of Jerusalem down the road to oblivion. It was partly the resurgence of the Muslim Middle East and the rise of Saladin that led to the loss of Jerusalem, but there was another equally dangerous element at work - the enemy within.
W.B. Bartlett brings to life the bitter infighting and political battles which ultimately led to the disaster at Hattin and the downfall of the Crusader kingdom.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
W.B. Bartlett
24 books16 followersW.B. Bartlett has worked across the globe in almost twenty countries and has spent time in over fifty. He is the author of many history books for Amberley Publishing, including titles on the Titanic, Medieval History and Dam Busters. He lives in Bournemouth.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 6, 2025
This is exciting history and history that gives some background to today's crisis in the Middle East. Bartlett tells the story of the defeat and downfall of the Crusader Kingdom. Due to divisions between Christian factions and overall poor leadership, the Crusaders launched a campaign against the Muslims which led to total disaster in the Battle of Hattin. This led to the loss of Jerusalem. Could the Crusader Kingdom have lasted longer? Yes, but should it have???
August 24, 2015
Oh frabjous day! At last, a well researched, sane, balanced book about the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem... which is also a pleasure to read!
Bartlett's DOWNFALL OF THE CRUSADER KINGDOM, I presume, was written to present the true story mangled by Ridley Scott in KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. It's well written, comprehensive, and far more accessible than either Malcolm Barber's or Bernard Hamilton's accounts of the same period. Bartlett writes with an eye to the bigger themes, the grandeur of the stories being played out here, rather than slogging through minute details. While details can be helpful (and details there are aplenty), it's sometimes more useful to pull back and see the bigger picture.
On the other hand, while Bartlett gains one's respect for his careful and evenhanded treatment of the different characters and factions involved in the history, his research isn't quite up to date and I would disagree with some of his evaluations. For example, he puts the blame for Saladin's aggression against Jerusalem on Reynald of Chatillon for attacking Muslim caravans. Though time-honoured, this theory fails to take into account the fact that Saladin subscribed to an ideology of jihad and was already preparing to invade the kingdom when Reynald organised his 1187 raid. I don't agree with trucebreaking as a military tactic, but more recent scholars like Bernard Hamilton have argued persuasively that Reynald showed good strategic thinking in his raids, which may have infuriated the Muslim world but certainly didn't provoke them to take any action they wouldn't have taken anyway.
Similarly, Bartlett makes much of the ill effects of the warring nobility on the kingdom's chances, arguing that Baldwin IV's reign saw the nobles becoming too powerful for the kingdom's good. I'm not so convinced. Baldwin IV was able to lead them well enough when his health was up to it, and the major problem seems to have been not that the nobles were too strong but that Guy of Lusignan was too weak and too controversial to lead them.
There were other quibbles I had, but those are the main ones. Overall, this was a splendid introduction to a truly amazing and spectacular period of history. If your previous exposure to the fall of Jerusalem in 1187 had been limited to novels like Welch's KNIGHT CRUSADER or Haggard's THE BRETHREN, or (alas) that Ridley Scott movie, Bartlett's DOWNFALL OF THE CRUSADER KINGDOM is a fantastic way to delve into the history behind.
Bartlett's DOWNFALL OF THE CRUSADER KINGDOM, I presume, was written to present the true story mangled by Ridley Scott in KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. It's well written, comprehensive, and far more accessible than either Malcolm Barber's or Bernard Hamilton's accounts of the same period. Bartlett writes with an eye to the bigger themes, the grandeur of the stories being played out here, rather than slogging through minute details. While details can be helpful (and details there are aplenty), it's sometimes more useful to pull back and see the bigger picture.
On the other hand, while Bartlett gains one's respect for his careful and evenhanded treatment of the different characters and factions involved in the history, his research isn't quite up to date and I would disagree with some of his evaluations. For example, he puts the blame for Saladin's aggression against Jerusalem on Reynald of Chatillon for attacking Muslim caravans. Though time-honoured, this theory fails to take into account the fact that Saladin subscribed to an ideology of jihad and was already preparing to invade the kingdom when Reynald organised his 1187 raid. I don't agree with trucebreaking as a military tactic, but more recent scholars like Bernard Hamilton have argued persuasively that Reynald showed good strategic thinking in his raids, which may have infuriated the Muslim world but certainly didn't provoke them to take any action they wouldn't have taken anyway.
Similarly, Bartlett makes much of the ill effects of the warring nobility on the kingdom's chances, arguing that Baldwin IV's reign saw the nobles becoming too powerful for the kingdom's good. I'm not so convinced. Baldwin IV was able to lead them well enough when his health was up to it, and the major problem seems to have been not that the nobles were too strong but that Guy of Lusignan was too weak and too controversial to lead them.
There were other quibbles I had, but those are the main ones. Overall, this was a splendid introduction to a truly amazing and spectacular period of history. If your previous exposure to the fall of Jerusalem in 1187 had been limited to novels like Welch's KNIGHT CRUSADER or Haggard's THE BRETHREN, or (alas) that Ridley Scott movie, Bartlett's DOWNFALL OF THE CRUSADER KINGDOM is a fantastic way to delve into the history behind.
July 29, 2014
Bartlett’s "Downfall of the Crusader Kingdom: The Battle of Hattin and the Loss of Jerusalem" is a first rate account of the events leading up to the fall of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Bartlett has clearly based his account on the sources, Christian and Muslim, and he has a firm and balanced grasp of the history, yet he writes in a fluid and comprehensible prose.
One great strength of this book is its comprehensive approach. Bartlett explains the critical importance of Byzantium’s waning strength upon the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He reminds the reader of developments in Western Europe that impacted crusading enthusiasm and so the resources of the kingdom. He touches on economic factors of importance, and provides succinct and useful descriptions of the comparative arms, armor and tactics of the antagonists. He is careful to stress the ethnic and religious diversity of both the Christian kingdom and Saladin’s vast empire, for neither the Christian Kingdom nor Saladin’s empire were monolithic but rather fractured by many internal divisions.
Bartlett is particularly adept — unlike far too many academics — at putting himself into the shoes of his subjects and examining possible explanations of known behavior and their motives. In consequence, Bartlett avoids making demons and saints out of any of the actors. Saladin’s military achievements and famed chivalry are duly noted and praised — but so are his mistakes, ruthlessness and occasional acts of barbarism. Guy de Lusignan is rightly castigated for his indecisiveness and weakness, but Bartlett also highlights his difficult situation. The very complex character of Raymond de Tripoli is carefully analyzed and both his apologists and detractors sited, enabling a balanced analysis of his actions. Balian d’Ibelin’s significant role as a voice of reason, a mediator and an effective defender of Jerusalem is likewise highlighted. Only in the case of Reynald de Chatillion and Gerard de Rideford does Bartlett’s objectivity break-down somewhat.
One small weakness with the book is that Bartlett appears unfamiliar with Bernard Hamilton’s well-argued thesis about the strategic utility of Chatillon’s acts of aggression. Likewise, Bartlett seems to have confused the period at which Isabella was forcibly separated from her mother (from the age of 8 to 11), and so blithely glosses over this brutal act of power politics on the part of Agnes de Courtney as a mere “mother-daughter spat.” He also did not benefit from more recent studies on leprosy in the Middle Ages and so inaccurately suggests that leprosy was seen as a punishment for sin when, in fact and particularly in the Latin East, it was more often seen as a sign of God’s grace. Yet these are very minor flaws in an otherwise excellent historical account written for the public rather than the academic community.
While Malcolm Barber’s "The Crusader States" is the more valuable reference book to the student of Christian Jerusalem, Bartlett is far and above the better read. For anyone who is not — and does not want to be — a specialist in the subject, Bartlett’s book provides a rapid, comprehensive and on the whole accurate introduction to the main issues and personalities of this fascinating period. Highly recommended.
One great strength of this book is its comprehensive approach. Bartlett explains the critical importance of Byzantium’s waning strength upon the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He reminds the reader of developments in Western Europe that impacted crusading enthusiasm and so the resources of the kingdom. He touches on economic factors of importance, and provides succinct and useful descriptions of the comparative arms, armor and tactics of the antagonists. He is careful to stress the ethnic and religious diversity of both the Christian kingdom and Saladin’s vast empire, for neither the Christian Kingdom nor Saladin’s empire were monolithic but rather fractured by many internal divisions.
Bartlett is particularly adept — unlike far too many academics — at putting himself into the shoes of his subjects and examining possible explanations of known behavior and their motives. In consequence, Bartlett avoids making demons and saints out of any of the actors. Saladin’s military achievements and famed chivalry are duly noted and praised — but so are his mistakes, ruthlessness and occasional acts of barbarism. Guy de Lusignan is rightly castigated for his indecisiveness and weakness, but Bartlett also highlights his difficult situation. The very complex character of Raymond de Tripoli is carefully analyzed and both his apologists and detractors sited, enabling a balanced analysis of his actions. Balian d’Ibelin’s significant role as a voice of reason, a mediator and an effective defender of Jerusalem is likewise highlighted. Only in the case of Reynald de Chatillion and Gerard de Rideford does Bartlett’s objectivity break-down somewhat.
One small weakness with the book is that Bartlett appears unfamiliar with Bernard Hamilton’s well-argued thesis about the strategic utility of Chatillon’s acts of aggression. Likewise, Bartlett seems to have confused the period at which Isabella was forcibly separated from her mother (from the age of 8 to 11), and so blithely glosses over this brutal act of power politics on the part of Agnes de Courtney as a mere “mother-daughter spat.” He also did not benefit from more recent studies on leprosy in the Middle Ages and so inaccurately suggests that leprosy was seen as a punishment for sin when, in fact and particularly in the Latin East, it was more often seen as a sign of God’s grace. Yet these are very minor flaws in an otherwise excellent historical account written for the public rather than the academic community.
While Malcolm Barber’s "The Crusader States" is the more valuable reference book to the student of Christian Jerusalem, Bartlett is far and above the better read. For anyone who is not — and does not want to be — a specialist in the subject, Bartlett’s book provides a rapid, comprehensive and on the whole accurate introduction to the main issues and personalities of this fascinating period. Highly recommended.
March 18, 2024
This is a great book about the victory of the Palestinian and other Arab peoples led by the great leader Salah-a-Din against the so-called Crusades, the early form of Western imperialism and colonialism that tried to invade Palestine and other Western Asian lands during the medieval period.
The Arab peoples' victory against the so-called Crusades can serve as an inspiration that the Arab countries, with the help of the rest of the world, can help liberate Palestine from its current occupation by the zionist abomination.
The Arab peoples' victory against the so-called Crusades can serve as an inspiration that the Arab countries, with the help of the rest of the world, can help liberate Palestine from its current occupation by the zionist abomination.
March 9, 2025
Few events in history feel as tragic as the fall of Jerusalem in 1187. When one discovers the fate of Bladwin IV, the other figures that seemed intent on destruction, such as Reynald or Gérard of Ridefort, how the next king was utterly unfit to rule, one gets the feeling that the end result could not have been avoided. Bartlett offers a lively and comprehensive account of the events that led to the fall of Jerusalem and its consequences.
Bartlett's book conveys the events that took place well, and I sometimes had the impression of reading a written version of the Ridley Scott movie, Kingdom of Heaven, with references about the dream of Jerusalem. Bartlett's book emphasizes the importance of the spiritual aspect of the Crusades and how Jerusalem held a particular place that was so powerful that men and women were ready to die just to visit the place. This most likely explains the fascination that many of us still hold for the Crusades centuries later. We try to understand what drove them.
The book's only weakness, in my view, is that it contributes to this pervasive vision that the fall of Jerusalem in 1099 was specifically violent, deadly, and unique. This implies that after its fall to Muslim hands in 1187, Saladin would have been justified to do to the Christians what the latter had done a century earlier. This pervasive vision is partially false as the violence that characterized the fall of Jerusalem in 1099 was not unusual for the time and did not shock the Muslim world. Recent histories of the Crusades, such as Tyerman's, explain this very well. It is true, however, that Saladin was generous (and knew how to protect his public image), but it is also true that Saladin was a unique character, not necessarily representative of the general mindset of the time.
Regardless, the rest of the book provides a detailed overview of the major events that marked the road to Armageddon: the Battle of Hattin and the siege of Jerusalem, as well as a look at what became of the rest of the kingdom afterwards.
Bartlett's book conveys the events that took place well, and I sometimes had the impression of reading a written version of the Ridley Scott movie, Kingdom of Heaven, with references about the dream of Jerusalem. Bartlett's book emphasizes the importance of the spiritual aspect of the Crusades and how Jerusalem held a particular place that was so powerful that men and women were ready to die just to visit the place. This most likely explains the fascination that many of us still hold for the Crusades centuries later. We try to understand what drove them.
The book's only weakness, in my view, is that it contributes to this pervasive vision that the fall of Jerusalem in 1099 was specifically violent, deadly, and unique. This implies that after its fall to Muslim hands in 1187, Saladin would have been justified to do to the Christians what the latter had done a century earlier. This pervasive vision is partially false as the violence that characterized the fall of Jerusalem in 1099 was not unusual for the time and did not shock the Muslim world. Recent histories of the Crusades, such as Tyerman's, explain this very well. It is true, however, that Saladin was generous (and knew how to protect his public image), but it is also true that Saladin was a unique character, not necessarily representative of the general mindset of the time.
Regardless, the rest of the book provides a detailed overview of the major events that marked the road to Armageddon: the Battle of Hattin and the siege of Jerusalem, as well as a look at what became of the rest of the kingdom afterwards.
May 31, 2024
I imagine the blithering hack W.B. Bartlett dictating this to a secretary in between the classes he taught where his ideas probably sounded much better. If he wrote this himself, he spent not one minute looking it over, and I imagine padded it with even more repetition just to reach a word count. All this wouldn’t be so bad if he demonstrated an ounce of real insight, and not just the secondhand opinions of others, and he didn’t constantly prevaricate and shift focus sometimes in the midst of a single paragraph…
If this were a student writing, it would invariably receive an abysmal failing grade. His brief bio on the back cover suggests Bartlett is “a well-respected historian.” Well, perhaps among cockroaches.
If this were a student writing, it would invariably receive an abysmal failing grade. His brief bio on the back cover suggests Bartlett is “a well-respected historian.” Well, perhaps among cockroaches.
September 7, 2025
Bartlett mounts a good argument. The hawks & doves literary device is useful for framing and understanding the political dynamics in Outremer. Some parts could have used better editing, but it’s not pervasive and doesn’t detract from the meat of what’s going on.
April 8, 2015
This is a wonderfully readable account of the final years of Outremer as a Crusader State based upon Jerusalem. If you enjoyed "Kingdom of Heaven" and would like to learn the true history, or just have a general interest in the history of the Crusades or the Levant, this is an excellent place to start. I had all three motivations and find myself deeply satisfied. It is apparently written partly with a motivation to correct the account given in the film and Bloom's frankly monodimensional portrayal of Balian. Although it does not give any emphasis to countering conflicting popular accounts of the history, the author mentions it and one can feel him gnashing his teeth slightly. Have no fear: the account given here is equally exciting and populated with equally larger-then-life dramatis personae. It is probably of less interest to the serious student of history, but I cannot recommend it strongly enough to the lay reader.
November 4, 2014
A solid account of the causes, character and consequences of the Battle of the Horns of Hattin -- one of the truly decisive battles in world history.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews