Battle of La Forbie (Harbiyya)

The Battle of La Forbie was one of the worst military disasters suffered by the Crusader states, comparable in scale to Hattin. The Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, al-Salih Ayyub, had allied with displaced Khwarazmian Turks who had been expelled from their homeland by the Mongols. This combined force recaptured Jerusalem in 1244 — the city had briefly been returned to Crusader control by diplomatic treaty — and then faced a large coalition of Crusaders and Syrian Ayyubid princes who opposed Egyptian dominance. The battle near Gaza was a comprehensive Muslim victory: the Crusader force of approximately 1,000 knights and thousands of infantry was nearly annihilated. Only 33 Knights Templar and 26 Hospitallers escaped. The Syrian Ayyubid princes who had allied with the Crusaders were also routed. Jerusalem would remain under Muslim control, never again returning to Crusader hands. The catastrophic defeat prompted Louis IX of France to organise the Seventh Crusade.