Battle of Montgisard

The Battle of Montgisard was one of the most famous defeats in Saladin's career, inflicted by the young leper King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. Saladin had invaded the Kingdom of Jerusalem with a large force and had spread his army out for foraging operations when Baldwin IV, accompanied by only a few hundred knights including the Knights Templar, launched a surprise attack on Saladin's divided and unprepared forces near Ramla. The surprise was total: Saladin's army had not formed for battle when the crusader cavalry struck. The rout was severe; Saladin himself barely escaped. The defeat demonstrated that Saladin was not yet the invincible commander he would later become, and it gave the Kingdom of Jerusalem a remarkable though ultimately temporary reprieve. Saladin is reported to have prayed intensely after the battle and redoubled his religious devotion. He rebuilt his forces and eventually triumphed at Hattin a decade later.