Capture of Jerusalem

Saladin had captured almost every Crusader city. Saladin preferred to

take Jerusalem without bloodshed and offered generous terms, but those inside
refused to leave their holy city, vowing to destroy it in a fight to the death rather
than see it handed over peacefully. Jerusalem capitulated to his forces on Friday, 2
October 1187, after a siege. When the siege had started, Saladin was unwilling[100] to
promise terms of quarter to the Frankish inhabitants of Jerusalem. Balian of
Ibelin threatened to kill every Muslim hostage, estimated at 5,000, and to destroy
Islam's holy shrines of the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque if such quarter
were not provided. Saladin consulted his council and the terms were accepted. The
agreement was read out through the streets of Jerusalem so that everyone might
within forty days provide for himself and pay to Saladin the agreed tribute for his
freedom.[101] An unusually low ransom for the times (around US$50 today[when?]) was
to be paid for each Frank in the city, whether man, woman, or child, but Saladin,
against the wishes of his treasurers, allowed many families who could not afford the
ransom to leave.[102][103] Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem organised and contributed to
a collection that paid the ransoms for about 18,000 of the poorer citizens, leaving
another 15,000 to be enslaved. Saladin's brother al-Adil "asked Saladin for a
thousand of them for his own use and then released them on the spot." Most of the
foot soldiers were sold into slavery.[104] Upon the capture of Jerusalem, Saladin
summoned the Jews and permitted them to resettle in the city. [105] In particular, the
residents of Ashkelon, a large Jewish settlement, responded to his request. The
subject ordered the churches repurposed as horse stables and the church towers
destroyed.[106]
Tyre, on the coast of modern-day Lebanon, was the last major Crusader city that was
not captured by Muslim forces. Strategically, it would have made more sense for
Saladin to capture Tyre before Jerusalem; Saladin, however, chose to pursue
Jerusalem first because of the importance of the city to Islam. Tyre was commanded
by Conrad of Montferrat, who strengthened its defences and withstood two sieges by
Saladin. In 1188, at Tortosa, Saladin released Guy of Lusignan and returned him to his
wife, Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem. They went first to Tripoli, then to Antioch. In 1189,
they sought to reclaim Tyre for their kingdom but were refused admission by Conrad,
who did not recognize Guy as king. Guy then set about besieging Acre.[107]
Saladin was on friendly terms with Queen Tamar of Georgia.
he fortifications of Ascalon, while Saladin agreed to recognize Crusader control of the
Palestinian coast from Tyre to Jaffa. The Christians would be allowed to travel as
unarmed pilgrims to Jerusalem, and Saladin's kingdom would be at peace with the
Crusader states for the following three years.[117]