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a decisive blow, which tended to
the decline of their independence in the Holy Land; for, among other
places of importance, Saladin made a capture of Jerusalem, and took its
king prisoner. When the conqueror entered the holy city, he profaned
every sacred place, save the Temple of the Sepulchre, (which the
Christians redeemed with an immense sum of money,) and drove the
Latin Christians from their abodes, who were only allowed to carry
what they could hastily collect on their backs, either to Tripoly,
Antioch, or Tyre, the only three places which then remained in the

Christians' possession. All the monuments were demolished, except
those of our Saviour, King Godfrey, and Baldwin I.[2] The city was
yielded to the captors on the 2nd of October, 1187, after the Christians
had possessed it about eighty-nine years.
These calamitous transactions in Palestine greatly alarmed all Europe,
and several princes speedily resolved to oppose the career of the
oppressors, and to leave no means untried of regaining the kingdom of
Jerusalem. In furtherance of this design, the Emperor Frederic marched
into Palestine with a powerful army, and defeated the Turks near
Melitena; he afterwards met them near Comogena, where he also
routed them, but was unhappily killed in the action. Some time after
this, King Philip, of France, and Richard I., of England, engaged in a
crusade for the relief of the Christians. Philip arrived first, and
proceeded to Ptolemais, which King Guy, having obtained his liberty,
was then besieging. King Richard, in his passage, was driven with his
fleet upon the coast of Cyprus, but was not permitted to land; this so
highly offended him, that he landed his whole army by force, and soon
over-ran the island. He was at length opposed by the king of Cyprus,
whom he took prisoner, and carried in chains to Ptolemais, where he
was welcomed with great rejoicings by the besiegers, who stood in
much need of assistance. It would he superfluous to relate here the
particulars of the siege; let it suffice to say, that after a general assault
had been given, a breach was made, so that the assailants were enabled
to enter the city, which Saladin surrendered to them upon articles, on
the 12th of July, 1191. King Richard here obtained the title of Coeur de
Lion, for having taken down Duke Leopold's standard, that was first
fixed in the breach, and placed his own in its stead.
After the taking of Ptolemais, King Philip and many other princes
returned home, leaving King Richard in Palestine to prosecute the war
in concert with Guy, whom Richard, in a short time afterwards,
persuaded to accept of the crown of Cyprus, in lieu of his pretences to
Jerusalem. By these crafty means, Richard caused himself to be
proclaimed King of Jerusalem; but while he was preparing to besiege
that city, he received news that the French were about to invade
England. He was therefore compelled to conclude a peace with Saladin,

not very advantageous to Christendom, and to return to Europe. But
meeting with bad weather, he was driven on the coast of Histria; and,
while endeavouring to travel through the country in the habit of a
templar, was taken prisoner by Duke Leopold, of Austria, who became
his enemy at the siege of Ptolemais. The duke sold him for forty
thousand pounds to the emperor, Henry VI., who soon afterwards had a
hundred thousand pounds for his ransom.
About the same period, Sultan Saladin, the most formidable enemy the
Christians ever encountered, died; an event which caused Pope
Celestine to prevail on the emperor, Henry VI., of Germany, to make a
new expedition against the Turks, who were in consequence defeated;
but the emperor's general, the Duke of Saxony, being killed, and the
emperor himself dying soon afterwards, the Germans returned home
without accomplishing the object of their expedition. They had no
sooner departed than the Turks, in revenge, nearly drove the Christians
from the Holy Land, and took all the strong towns which the Crusaders
had gained, excepting Tyre and Ptolemais. In 1199, a fleet was fitted
out at the instigation of Pope Innocent III. against the infidels. On this
occasion, the Christians, notwithstanding their strenuous exertions,
failed of taking Jerusalem, though several other important places were
delivered to them.
In the year 1228, Frederic, Emperor of Germany, set out from
Brundusium to Palestine, took Jerusalem, which the enemy had left in a
desolate condition, and caused himself to be proclaimed king. But, after
this conquest, he was obliged to return to his own country, where his
presence was required. The Turks immediately assembled a prodigious
army for regaining the Holy City, which they ultimately took, putting
the German garrison to the sword, in the year 1234; since which time,
the Christian powers,