27/07/2026
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"The Battle Saladin Never Wanted You to Remember."
He thought Jerusalem was already his...
Then just 80 Templars changed history.
25 November 1177.
For months, Saladin had been rebuilding his strength. After uniting Egypt and Syria under his rule, he launched one of his boldest invasions into the Kingdom of Jerusalem. His army, numbering many thousands of experienced soldiers, crossed into Christian territory with one objective: break the kingdom's resistance and pave the way for the capture of Jerusalem.
Everything appeared to be in his favor.
The Crusader kingdom seemed weak. Many of its leading nobles were absent, and King Baldwin IV was only sixteen years old. Worse still, the young king suffered from leprosy, a disease that many believed made him incapable of leading an army into battle.
Saladin assumed victory was inevitable.
Confident that no significant force could oppose him, his army spread out across the countryside, foraging for supplies and plundering villages. Discipline relaxed, formations broke apart, and the invasion became less cautious. It was a mistake that would change the course of the campaign.
Baldwin IV refused to surrender.
Despite his illness, he gathered every knight he could find. Alongside him rode the Knights Templar, led by Grand Master Odo de Saint-Amand. Barely eighty Templars joined a much smaller Crusader force, hopelessly outnumbered by Saladin's army.
Near the hill of Montgisard, the Christians made a daring decision.
Instead of retreating behind the walls of Jerusalem, they launched a full-scale attack.
The sudden charge completely surprised Saladin. Before his scattered forces could regroup, the Templars crashed into the Muslim ranks with devastating force. Their discipline, heavy cavalry, and relentless determination shattered unit after unit as Baldwin's army pressed the attack.
What had seemed certain to become one of Saladin's greatest victories turned into one of his most humiliating defeats.
Large parts of his army collapsed in confusion. Thousands of soldiers were killed, captured, or dispersed during the retreat. Saladin himself escaped the battlefield only with a small group of loyal companions, abandoning much of his equipment and campaign.
The victory at Montgisard saved the Kingdom of Jerusalem from immediate disaster and proved that courage, leadership, discipline, and perfect timing could overcome overwhelming numerical superiority.
For the Knights Templar, Montgisard became one of their greatest battlefield triumphsโa victory achieved against impossible odds.
Yet despite its historical importance, the Battle of Montgisard remains one of the least remembered victories of the Crusades.
If only 80 Templars helped turn the tide against Saladin's massive army... why is the Battle of Montgisard almost forgotten today?