07 Paintings, The Battle of Arsūf, on September 7th., The Bloodiest Day of the Third Crusade, Richard I and Saladin at the Battle of Arsuf

James William Glass

Richard, the Lion Heart, On His Way To Jerusalem

Oil on canvas

69 1/4 by 95 in. 175.9 by 241.3 cm.

Private collection

Estimated for  $60,000 USD - $80,000 USD in February 1993

The scene is the desert, and the army of the crusaders has the appearance of an interminable caravan, the rear of which is traceable far across the burning sands, until lost in the distance. Richard appears in front accompanied by a train of knights with an attendance of slaves,  Bedaween guides; and here and there, above the heads of the long array, appear the litters of those fair ladies who, with their lads, would assume the cross. The subject is painted with great perspicuity; and the appointments and character of the most prominent figure pronounce him to be Richard and no one else." More on this painting

The Battle of Arsuf took place on 7 September 1191, as part of the Third Crusade. It saw a multi-national force of Crusaders, led by Richard I of England, defeat a significantly larger army of the Ayyubid Sultanate, led by Saladin.

Richard Caton Woodville (1856–1927)

Saladin's Cavalry Charging the Crusaders, c. 1892

Oil on panel

H 44 x W 36.5 cm

Okehampton Town Hall

Richard Caton Woodville, R.I. (1856-1927), son of an American painter but born in London, Woodville was educated in Russia and Germany and studied art in Dusseldorf and Paris. He worked for The Illustrated London News where he developed a reputation as a talented reporter and illustrator. He covered several military campaigns including the Russo-Turkey War (1878), the Egyption Rebellion (1882), the Boer War (1899 – 1902) and the First World War (1914-18). More on Richard Caton Woodville

Richard, having taken Acre in July 1191, was marching to Jaffa, but the Muslim army under Saladin slowed down the Crusaders’ progress when they advanced from Caesarea, which they had left on September 1. On September 7, after the Crusaders left the forest of Arsūf, the Muslim attacks became more intensive and were concentrated against the Hospitallers, who constituted Richard’s rear guard. Richard tolerated those attacks in the hope of drawing out the main body of the Muslim army. 

Eloi Firmin Feron

Battle of Arsuf, c. 1837

Oil on canvas

Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon

Garnier de Nablus, the leader of the Knights Hospitaller, had pleaded with the King, but to no avail. He had begged him to sound the horn and begin the attack, to finally turn the tide against the enemy that had antagonized them all the way along the coastline.

Again and again, Saladin’s mounted archers would rush from the trees, launching deadly volleys into the column of armored and dreadfully fatigued men below. Then, even as the Crusader troops attempted to return fire, the horsemen would turn and vanish into the trees once more.

Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740–1812)

The Battle between Richard Coeur de Lion and Saladin in Palestine, c.1807

Oil on canvas

H 152 x W 184 cm

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery

Philip James de Loutherbourg RA (31 October 1740 – 11 March 1812), whose name is sometimes given in the French form of Philippe-Jacques, the German form of Philipp Jakob, or with the English-language epithet of the Younger, was a French-born British painter who became known for his large naval works, his elaborate set designs for London theatres, and his invention of a mechanical theatre called the "Eidophusikon". He also had an interest in faith-healing and the occult, and was a companion of the confidence-trickster Alessandro.

Loutherbourg decided to become a painter, and in 1755 placed himself under Charles-André van Loo in Paris and later under Francesco Giuseppe Casanova. His talent developed rapidly, and he became a figure in the fashionable society of the day. In 1767 he was elected to the French Academy, although below the age required by the rules of the institution, and painted landscapes, sea storms, and battles, all of which work had a celebrity above those of the specialists then working in Paris. He made his debut with the exhibition of twelve pictures, including Storm at Sunset, Night, and Morning after Rain. More on Philip James de Loutherbourg

At first, their efforts had been spread up and down the length of the line, but the Lionheart, insisting that his men maintain their positions, seemed unmoved. The day dragged on, and, in time, Saladin began to concentrate his forces on the army’s rear. The Hospitaller knights who marched at the end of the line soon found themselves under an increasingly intense assault.

Theodoor Schaepken

Crusader Battle

Oil on Canvas

Théodore Lambert Antoine, born in Maastricht on January 27 , 1810 and died at Saint-Josse-ten-Noode on December 17, 1883 was a Belgian-Dutch painter , also a lithographer, watercolourist, draftsman and engraver .

His palette is expressed indifferently in the academic style or in the romantic style . His work, like that of his brothers Alexander and Arnold , also active in the visual arts, has limited artistic value, but in some respects offers great documentary value. More on Théodore Lambert Antoine

Before long, the knights were walking backwards, holding their shields up against a barrage of arrows and javelins. Some of the men were able to maintain a fairly robust defence using their crossbows, but the situation was rapidly worsening.

Yet still, King Richard did not give the order to retaliate.

It was then, as the afternoon wore on and the enemy pressed ever harder against them, that Nablus made a sudden decision. Mounting his horse alongside Baldwin de Carreo, a friend and fellow Hospitaller, the Grand Master drew his sword and roared, “St George! St George!”

The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order.

Eloi Firmin Feron

Bataille d'Arsuf, Richard Coeur de Lion, 1191

Oil on Canvas

Éloi Firmin Féron (1802–1876) was a French neoclassicist painter. A student of Antoine-Jean Gros, he won the Prix de Rome for his Damon et Pythias in 1826, aged "twenty-four and a half". He went on to become a favourite of Louis Philippe I and his sons, contributing much to the galleries of Versailles, where most of his major works are now on exhibit. More on Éloi Firmin Féron

A moment later he was moving, breaking through his own ranks and charging towards the enemy infantry head-on. Behind him, the Hospitaller knights who formed the rear defense took up the same cry and began to surge forward, following their leader into battle.

Further, up the line, another large company of French knights saw the charge and drew their own weapons. Refusing to stand by as the Hospitallers rode into battle, they turned their mounts around and rallied to the Grand Master’s call.

The victory at Arsūf enabled the Crusaders to occupy Jaffa but was not a crushing blow to the Muslims. Saladin was able to regroup his forces, which the Crusaders had not pursued for fear of ambushes. From September 9 the Muslims renewed their harassing tactics, and Richard did not dare to push on to Jerusalem. More on Battle of Arsūf

Imaginary encounter between Richard I and Saladin

13th century manuscript

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