Battle of Belvoir Castle (1182)

Also known as Belvoir 1182, Battle of Forbelet

On 15 July 1182, Baldwin IV — by now visibly disabled by leprosy and unable to ride without assistance — repulsed a major Saladin invasion at Belvoir Castle, on the bluff above the Jordan Valley. Commanding 700 knights and 9,000 infantry and Turcopoles, the king refused to be drawn into the open and held a tight defensive formation at the foot of the castle. The Ayyubid army inflicted heavy casualties on the Frankish infantry but could not break the knights, and after a day of inconclusive fighting Saladin withdrew. The engagement vindicated the Crusader doctrine of preserving the field army by refusing decisive open battle — the same principle that would be tragically discarded at Hattin five years later.

Coordinates: 32.5957°, 35.5191°

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