Battle of Qaqun
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| Battle of Qaqun | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Lord Edward's crusade | |||||||
 Qaqun fortress | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Kingdom of England Kingdom of Jerusalem Kingdom of Cyprus Knights Templar Knights Hospitaller Teutonic Order |
 Mamluk Sultanate | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Prince Edward Edmund Crouchback Hugh III of Jerusalem |
Husam al-Din Ustdar † Baybars al-Jaliq (WIA) Aqush al-Shamsi | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
200–300 knights 500 footsoldiers | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Heavy | ||||||
The Battle of Qaqun was a military engagement between the Crusaders and the Mamluks in Qaqun. The Crusaders, who were led by Prince Edward, led a raid against the Mamluk fortress of Qaqun. Initially successful, the Crusaders failed to take Qaqun and were routed by a Mamluk relief force.
Shortly after the Eighth Crusade, the English Crusaders led by Prince Edward decided to sail towards the holy land. The Crusaders arrived in Acre on May 9, 1271. Edwards made plans for an offensive against the Muslims. Edward dispatched an embassy to the Mongol Ilkhanate ruler, Abaqa Khan, discussing plans for a coordinated attack against the Mamluks. While waiting for Abaqa's response, Edward launched a raid against St. Georges-de-Lebeyne. The raid ended in failure after his men got sick in the summer heat. The Mongols responded to Edward's call, and in October they raided North Syria. However, it was forced to retreat upon the approach of the Mamluk army led by Baybars.[1][2][3]
Battle
On November 23, Edward left Acre, with 200–300 knights and around 500 footsoldiers, for another raid.[4] Edward's brother Edmund Crouchback had reinforced his troops from Acre and Cyprus, who were led by Hugh III. The military orders, Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutons, joined Edward's raid. This time, the Crusaders targeted the fort of Qaqun, 40 miles southeast of Acre. Heading south and slightly inland, they proceeded cautiously, marching mostly at night. When the Crusaders arrived, they met a large number of Turkomen herdsmen. The Crusaders attacked them, killing many of them and capturing a large number of cattle.[5][6][7]
The Crusaders then attacked the Qaqun. The Mamluk garrison managed to hold their ground, despite the death of the emir Husam al-Din Ustdar. Another emir, Baybars al-Jaliq, was wounded during the fight. Despite this, the Crusaders failed to capture the castle, and soon the Mamluk army, which was stationed at Ayn Jalut, arrived to relieve the fort. The Crusaders were forced to retreat to Acre. The Mamluks chased the Crusaders, killing many of them, including their horses, took back the cattle, and liberated a number of Turkomens who were captured.[5][6][7][8]
The Mamluk relief was force was led by Jamal al-Din Aqush al-Shamsi.[9] Frankish sources mention that had it not been for the arrival of the Mamluk relief force, the Crusaders would've been able to capture it.[8]