Fall of Krak des Chevaliers (1271)

Also known as Mamluk capture of Krak, Baybars at Krak

The Mamluk sultan Baybars arrived before Krak des Chevaliers in late February 1271 with the explicit aim of breaking the back of the Hospitaller presence in northern Syria. After a month of bombardment with trebuchets and the methodical mining of the great southern tower, his sappers broke through the outer wall on 29 March. The garrison, perhaps three hundred knights and sergeants, retreated to the inner enceinte and held out for another five weeks. On 8 April, Baybars produced a forged letter purporting to come from the Hospitaller grand master in Tripoli, ordering the surviving garrison to surrender; the knights marched out under safe conduct. The fall of Krak — together with the surrender of nearby Akkar a month later — effectively ended the Crusader presence in inland Syria and cleared the way for the Mamluk reduction of the remaining coastal cities over the following two decades.

Coordinates: 34.7569°, 36.3144°

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