Battle of Forbie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Forbie
Part of the Crusades
Battle of Forbie, from Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris
Date October 17–18, 1244 Location near the village of Hiribya (Forbie), northeast of Gaza Result Ayyubid victory
Belligerents
Ayyubid dynasty Khwarezmian mercenaries	Kingdom of Jerusalem Knights Templar Knights Hospitaller Teutonic Knights Order of Saint Lazarus Oultrejordain Ayyubid Homs Ayyubid Damascus Ayyubid Kerak
Commanders and leaders
Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Salihi Husam al-Din ibn Abi Ali	Walter IV of Brienne (POW) Guillaume de Chateauneuf (POW) Armand de Périgord  † Hugues de Montlaur  † as-Salih Ismail an-Nasir Dawud al-Mansur Ibrahim
Strength
5,000 cavalry More than 6,000 infantry	About 11,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	About 7,500

The Battle of Forbie, also called the Battle of La Forbie or Hiribya, was a major fight that happened on October 17-18, 1244. It was fought near Gaza in the Holy Land. One side was an alliance of Christian groups (like the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Crusader knights) and some Muslim rulers. They fought against the Egyptian army, led by Sultan as-Salih Ayyub, who had help from fierce fighters called Khwarezmians. The Egyptian side won, which greatly weakened Christian control in the Holy Land and led to the Seventh Crusade.

Before the Battle

Jerusalem's Capture

In August 1244, a group of fierce fighters called the Khwarezmians captured Jerusalem. This event caused a lot of worry for both Christian and Muslim leaders in the region.

Forming an Alliance

Because of this threat, several groups decided to team up. These included:

• The Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem
• Important Crusader knight groups like the Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller, and Teutonic Knights
• Some Muslim rulers from Damascus, Homs, and Kerak

Their goal was to fight against the Egyptian Sultanate, which was allied with the Khwarezmians.

Meeting at Forbie

The two large armies met near a small village called Forbie, northeast of Gaza.

Allied Forces

The allied army was quite large, with about 11,000 soldiers.

• Al-Mansur, the ruler of Homs, led about 2,000 horsemen.
• The Christian forces had about 1,000 horsemen and 6,000 foot soldiers.
• Walter IV of Brienne, the Count of Jaffa, was in charge of the Christian army.
• About 2,000 mounted Bedouin (desert fighters) also joined the allies.

Egyptian Forces

The Egyptian army was led by a skilled commander named Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Salihi. They had slightly fewer soldiers than the allies.

Battle Plans

Al-Mansur, the Muslim leader on the allied side, suggested a smart plan. He wanted the allies to stay in a strong defensive position. He believed the Khwarezmians were not very disciplined and would eventually leave, giving the allies an advantage.

However, Walter of Brienne, who was in overall command, wanted to fight right away. He felt they had a good chance because they had more soldiers. This was a rare situation for the Christian forces in the Outremer (Crusader states).

The allied army set up their positions:

• The Christian soldiers were on the right side, closer to the coast.
• The forces from Homs and Damascus were in the middle.
• The Bedouin fighters were on the left side.

The Battle Begins

The fighting started on the morning of October 17. The Christian knights bravely charged the Egyptian lines many times. They fought hard, pushing back and forth. But the Egyptian army held its ground firmly.

Khwarezmian Attack

On the next morning, October 18, the battle began again. Baybars, the Egyptian commander, sent the Khwarezmian fighters to attack the middle of the allied line. This was where the Damascene troops were.

The Khwarezmians attacked with great force, breaking through the middle of the allied army. After that, they turned to the allied left side and defeated the Bedouin fighters. The horsemen from Homs fought bravely, but most of them were wiped out. Al-Mansur, their leader, managed to escape with only 280 survivors.

Crusaders' Last Stand

The Christian Crusaders were now in a very tough spot. They were being attacked by the Egyptians from the front and the Khwarezmians from their side. They charged the Egyptian soldiers facing them and had some early success. They pushed the Egyptians back, which worried Baybars.

However, the Khwarezmians then attacked the Christian forces from behind and from their sides. The Christian foot soldiers were not well organized, which made it harder to defend. The well-trained Christian knights fought on with great determination. It took several hours for their strong resistance to finally break.

After the Battle

The Battle of Forbie was a terrible defeat for the allied forces.

• More than 5,000 Crusaders died in the battle.
• About 800 soldiers were taken prisoner. Among them were important leaders like Walter IV of Brienne and Guillaume de Chateauneuf, who was the Master of the Knights Hospitaller.
• Very few knights from the main orders survived: only 33 Templars, 27 Hospitallers, and 3 Teutonic Knights.
• Many important leaders were killed, including Armand de Périgord, the Master of the Knights Templar.

Long-Term Effects

The Battle of Forbie had a huge impact:

• In 1245, Pope Innocent IV called for a new Crusade because of this defeat.
• The Christian forces in the Holy Land (Outremer) never again gathered such a large army. They could no longer launch major attacks.
• While the Battle of Hattin is famous for leading to the fall of Jerusalem, it was the Battle of Forbie that truly marked the end of strong Christian power in the Holy Land.

The victory didn't bring lasting peace for the Ayyubids either. The Khwarezmians later fought with the Egyptians and were defeated by Al-Mansur Ibrahim in 1246. Baybars, the Egyptian commander, was later arrested and executed.

In Fiction

• The story of the Battle of Forbie is used as a background in the short novel, "The Sowers of the Thunder", by Robert E. Howard.