Battle of al-Fule (1183)

Also known as Al-Fula, La Feve

Between 30 September and 6 October 1183, the regent Guy of Lusignan — newly raised to the regency in place of the ailing Baldwin IV — confronted a major Saladin invasion of the Jezreel Valley. Guy mobilised the entire field army of the kingdom, more than 15,000 infantry and 1,300 to 1,500 knights, and concentrated them at the Templar fortress of La Feve (al-Fule). For a full week the two armies skirmished without joining a decisive battle. Despite the systematic destruction of Frankish farms and villages by Muslim raiders, Guy maintained strict discipline and refused every provocation. Eventually logistical pressure forced Saladin to withdraw. Tactically al-Fule was a model defensive operation that preserved the army intact; politically it was a disaster, because the native barons whose lands had been burned interpreted Guy's caution as cowardice, leading to his temporary removal as regent and to the murderous baronial pressure that would force him into the catastrophic march to Hattin in 1187.

Coordinates: 32.6000°, 35.3000°

Read more on Wikipedia: English article