1189 Acre

Term: 1189 Acre

Explanation: “1189 Acre” (located in modern-day Israel) refers to a military conflict during the Third Crusade (1189-1192) between the Ayyubids (the forces of Saladin) on one side and the forces led by the English and French kings and numerous German princes on the other side. The Third Crusade was ultimately unsuccessful in achieving its purpose of retaking Jerusalem. “The Siege of Acre” is generally recognized as a crucial victory for the Crusaders because it signaled the Muslims’ forces last chance to completely remove the crusader states from the Levant before the Christians could respond in force. It was thus the first and decisive victory for the crusaders after the loss of Jerusalem in 1187. Strategically, Acre was important because it became a staging ground for future military action in the region. In the modern period, the battle has been romanticized as an example of western Christan dominance. People on the far-right invoke this and other battles of the Third Crusade as a rallying cry to present it as part of an ongoing civilizational battle between east and west. For example, imprinted on the Christchurch shooter’s gun, “1189 Acre” framed the killing of people in the 21st century as part of that civilizational conflict. But this battle was part of a larger war of which religion was just one part. This particular presentation of the siege intentionally characterizes relationships between Christians and Muslims as solely antagonistic, though there were plenty of instances of peacemaking and trade that complicate this narrative.

Examples:

“Text scrawled on the gunman’s weapons appears to refer to military battles such as the 1189 Siege of Acre, a victory for the Christian Crusaders seeking to retake Jerusalem from Muslims.” Wajahat Ali, “The Roots of the Christchurch Massacre,” The New York Times, March 15, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/opinion/new-zealand-mosque-shooting.html.

Preferred Use:

The “1189 Acre” refers to a military conflict between the Ayyubids (the forces of Saladin) on one side and the forces led by the English and French kings and numerous German princes on the other side.

References/Further Reading:

Nicholas L. Paul. To Follow in Their Footsteps: The Crusades and Family Memory in the High Middle Ages (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2012). Suggested review by Jonathan Phillips in The American Historical Review 118:3 (2013), 917-8 (link). Argument: The Crusades were a family affair, served to maintain and create noble status. Paul also treats the role of narratives, symbols and objects in making people participate in the Crusades.