Tiberias is one of four of the holiest places in Israel for Jewish people alongside Hebron, Safed, and Jerusalem. What struck me on my visit there is how close it is to the Syrian border – but then Israel is a very narrow country at certain points. Compared to Acre (or Akko as it’s now called), there are relatively few medieval remains. But the city has a remarkable history – and a strong connection to the crusades.
Tiberias is located in the Galilee region of northern Israel, at the western edge of the Sea of Galilee. The city is situated at 689 ft (210 m) below sea level, making it one of the lowest-lying towns in the world. Tiberias was founded around AD 20 by Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, and named after the Roman emperor Tiberius. The city served as a centre of Jewish learning and was the seat of the Sanhedrin and rabbinical schools.
Tiberias was besieged in 1187 in what would be a turning point for the crusaders. The crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem was riven with internal disputes in the wake of the death of Baldwin V with Raymond III, ruler of the crusader principality of Tripoli, in open revolt against Baldwin’s successor Guy of Lusignan. Guy had the support of the Knights Templar while the rival Knights Hospitaller sided with Raymond during the succession crisis in Jerusalem. These kinds of intra-crusader conflicts divided Christian forces, just as the Muslim opposition was becoming more united under the brilliant military leader, Saladin.
Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub – better known to you as Saladin – was Kurdish by ethnic origin. He founded the Ayyubid dynasty, bringing together Fatimid-run Egypt and Zengid-run Syria. The Fatimids had been Shia Muslims and the Zengids were Sunni. Now the entire region bordering the crusaders was under one Sunni Muslim ruler, Saladin, pledging allegiance to the caliphate. This was an incredibly dangerous situation – yet it didn’t stop the crusaders from bickering.
Any hope of peace overtures between the crusaders and Saladin was snuffed out when a particularly combustible and cruel crusader general – Raynald of Châtillon – raided a Saracen trading caravan that happened to include Saladin’s sister. An enraged Saladin vowed revenge on Raynald and all crusaders. Well, that’s one version of what happened, recounted in the Estoire d’Eracles. Others say that Saladin’s sister was nowhere near that caravan group.
Saladin laid siege to the city of Tiberias with a vast army by the standards of the time – an estimated 40,000 soldiers. Raymond’s wife – Eschiva of Bures, Princess of Galilee – was in charge of the city while her husband was in Acre with Guy mustering their forces. The Knights Templar turned up with a sack of money from King Henry II of England who had just murdered his former friend Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and was hoping a cash donation to the crusades would cleanse his soul of sin.
News arrived at Acre that Tiberias was under siege. You might assume that Raymond would have rushed to his wife’s aid. But rather ungallantly, he suggested that everybody stay put and Eschiva would have to sort things out herself. Realising that no help was coming, Eschiva contemplated an escape under cover of night but then decided to surrender Tiberias to Saladin. He gladly seized the city and maybe out of pity, let Eschiva leave to rejoin her husband. Saladin probably realised that was going to be an awkward conversation between husband and wife.
The short siege of Tiberias – with victory for Saladin – was a prelude to the bigger battle that followed: The Horns of Hattin. As detailed elsewhere, this was a disastrous turning point for the crusaders, leading to the loss of Jerusalem.
So…here is a picture I took of medieval Tiberias just three weeks ago.
If you would like to know more about the Knights Templar, then get your hands on a copy of my book: The Knights Templar – History & Mystery. Published by Pen & Sword and available on Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, and WHSmith. Don’t miss out on your copy!
