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Third Crusade: Crusaders begin the Siege of Acre under Guy of Lusignan

Guy of Lusignan (1150 – 1194) was king of Jerusalem, first as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190, then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192.

Guy of Lusignan (1150 – 1194) was king of Jerusalem, first as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190, then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192. He was also lord of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194. As king, Guy was highly unpopular amongst the nobles of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and is often blamed for the fall of the kingdom to Saladin.

Guy, a Frankish Poitevin knight, was the youngest son of Hugh VIII of Lusignan. After killing Patrick, 1st Earl of Salisbury, in a failed attempt to kidnap Eleanor of Aquitaine, he was banished from Poitou. After arriving in the Holy Land at an unknown date from 1173 to 1180, Guy was hastily married to Sibylla, the sister of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, in 1180 to prevent a political coup.

Historical Significance

Guy of Lusignan (1150 – 1194) was king of Jerusalem, first as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190, then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192.

Events Before

  1. Battle at Danoura: Yoshitsune Minamoto's fleet beats the Taira during Japan's Genpei War

    Battle at Danoura: Yoshitsune Minamoto's fleet beats the Taira during Japan's Genpei War

  2. Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, weds Constance of Sicily

    Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, weds Constance of Sicily

  3. Sultan of Egypt Saladin captures Jerusalem from the Crusaders

    The siege of Jerusalem lasted from 20 September to 2 October 1187, when Balian of Ibelin surrendered the city to Saladin.

  4. Alberto de Morra is elected as Pope Gregorius VIII (12/17/1187)

    Alberto de Morra is elected as Pope Gregorius VIII (12/17/1187)

  5. Antoku ascends the throne as the 81st Emperor of Japan

    Antoku ascends the throne as the 81st Emperor of Japan

Events After

  1. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River in modern-day Turkey, leading an army t

    Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River in modern-day Turkey, leading an army to Jerusalem during the Third Crusade

  2. Isabella of Jerusalem marries Conrad of Montferrat at Acre, making him de jure King

    Sibylla (Old French: Sibyl; c. 1159 – 25 July 1190) was the queen of Jerusalem from 1186 until her death in 1190.

  3. York (England) Pogrom: Jews seek refuge in Clifford's Tower, which is then besieged by a mob; about 150 people are massa

    York (England) Pogrom: Jews seek refuge in Clifford's Tower, which is then besieged by a mob; about 150 people are massacred or commit suicide rather than submit to Christian baptism

  4. Crusades complete the massacre of Jews in York, England

    The first-recorded Jews in England arrived after the Norman Conquest of the country by William the Conqueror (the future William I) in 1066, and the first written record of Jewish settlement in...

  5. Crusaders kill 57 Jews in Bury St Edmunds, England

    Crusaders kill 57 Jews in Bury St Edmunds, England

More from the 1180s

Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, weds Constance of Sicily

Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, weds Constance of Sicily

BC The Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse (traditional date)

The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC.

Philip II of France (14) marries first wife Isabella of Hainault (10) at Bapaume

Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223.

Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade

The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem...

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 28, 1189?
Guy of Lusignan (1150 – 1194) was king of Jerusalem, first as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190, then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192. He was also lord of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194. As king, Guy was highly unpopular amongst the nobles of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and is often blamed for the fall of the kingdom to Saladin.
Why is Third Crusade: Crusaders begin the Siege of Acre under Guy of Lusignan significant?
Guy of Lusignan (1150 – 1194) was king of Jerusalem, first as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190, then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192.

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August 28 in HistoryYear 1189