Third Battle of Ramla

Background

Having failed to take Jerusalem despite his success in 1102, al-Afdal prepared a new army in 1105. This time Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus, sent mounted archers to support the Fatimids. For the first time Egypt's infantry-heavy army and Turkish light cavalry formed a joint front.

Course of events

Gathering all the kingdom's forces, Baldwin marched from Jaffa to Ramla. In the battle on 27 August the Turkish archers got behind the Frankish army and applied serious pressure. Baldwin's cavalry under his own command first drove back the Turkish units, then turned on the Fatimid centre.

At the end of prolonged fighting the Fatimid army withdrew to Ascalon. The battle, in which the Franks also suffered heavy losses, is recorded in the sources as a decisive victory; one Fatimid commander was killed and the others withdrew.

Outcome and significance

After the Third Battle of Ramla the Fatimids mounted no major land campaign to retake Jerusalem. The garrison at Ascalon kept up border raids and the Egyptian fleet continued to threaten the coast, but the kingdom's presence in the south was now permanent. The battle is also notable as one of the first and limited examples of a Fatimid–Damascene alliance.

Sources and debates

Fulcher of Chartres and Albert of Aachen describe the battle in detail; Ibn al-Qalanisi provides information on the role of the Damascene troops. Army sizes and losses are uncertain in the sources. The division of prisoners and booty after the battle is mentioned only briefly.