Fall of Acre

Setting the scene

By 1291, the Crusader states had shrunk to a narrow coastal strip centered on Acre, the Kingdom of Jerusalem's capital since 1191. The Mamluk Sultanate, under the Bahri dynasty, had systematically eliminated Crusader strongholds—Baibars captured Antioch in 1268, Krak des Chevaliers in 1271. Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil, who succeeded his father Qalawun in 1290, resolved to finish the job. After a massacre of Muslim merchants in Acre by newly arrived Italian crusaders gave him pretext, Khalil assembled a massive army, perhaps 60,000-100,000, with dozens of siege engines, including huge trebuchets.

What happened

The siege began April 5, 1291. Acre's walls, though formidable, were defended by only 15,000-20,000 people, including Knights Templar, Hospitallers, Teutonic Knights, and Venetian and Genoese contingents, under King Henry II of Cyprus. The Mamluks bombarded walls for weeks, mining under towers. On May 18, they breached the walls near the Tower of the King. Street fighting was desperate. The Templar fortress held out until May 28, when it collapsed, killing the defenders. Henry II escaped by sea to Cyprus, but most inhabitants were killed or enslaved.

Why it still matters

Acre's fall ended 192 years of Crusader presence in the Levant. The remaining coastal forts—Tyre, Sidon, Beirut, Tortosa—were abandoned or fell within months. The last Templar stronghold, Ruad island, fell in 1302. Crusader refugees fled to Cyprus, where the Kingdom of Cyprus survived until 1489. In Europe, the loss prompted plans for new crusades that never materialized, and contributed to the suppression of the Templars in 1307-1312, as their military purpose vanished. The Mamluks razed Acre to prevent its reuse, and it remained in ruins until rebuilt centuries later.【5254676730664152950†L5-L7】

Background

The siege of Acre took place in 1291 and resulted in the Crusaders' losing control of Acre to the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. It is considered one of the most important battles of the period. Although the crusading movement continued for several more centuries, the capture of the city marked the end of further crusades to the Levant. When Acre fell, the Crusaders lost their last major stronghold of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. It marked the end of major Crusader coastal strongholds.