The Night Jerusalem Fell to the Khwarezmian Horsemen

In August 1244, Jerusalem was sacked by an army of Turkic horsemen known as the Khwarezmians, a desperate, displaced people fleeing the Mongol advance. This episode follows the dramatic siege in which the Khwarezmians, invited by the Ayyubid sultan as-Salih Ayyub, breached Jerusalem's walls and massacred its Christian population. We explore the broader geopolitical context: the waning Crusader states, the rivalry between Ayyubid heirs, and the Mongol shadow looming over the Middle East. Key figures include Jalal al-Din Mingburnu, the last Khwarezmian shah, whose defeat by the Mongols sent his followers wandering; as-Salih Ayyub, the shrewd Egyptian sultan who used the nomads as mercenaries; and the Latin patriarch who tried in vain to defend the city. The aftermath saw the Khwarezmians crush the Crusader army at the Battle of La Forbie near Gaza, effectively ending the Crusader kingdom's hold on Jerusalem forever. We also touch on the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the fate of the True Cross relic. A turning point in the history of the crusades and Jerusalem's tragic, bloody 13th century.

#Khwarezmians #SiegeOfJerusalem1244 #Jalal al-Din Mingburnu #As-Salih Ayyub #CrusaderStates #AyyubidDynasty #BattleOfLaForbie #MongolInvasion #TrueCross #ChurchOfTheHolySepulchre #Gaza1244 #LatinKingdom #Templars #Hospitallers #13thCentury #Crusades #History #FexingoHistory

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