Draft:BATTLE OF NAZARETH

Statue of Edward I at Burgh by sands

Battle of Nazareth (1271)
Part of the Ninth Crusade
Date May 1271 Location Nazareth, Galilee (modern-day Israel) Result Crusader Victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England	Mamluk Sultanate
Commanders and leaders
Prince Edward of England	Unknown Mamluk officer Baibars
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Minimal	~100 mamluk Garrison killed Muslim / Jewish settlers massacred

The Battle of Nazareth In May 1271, |Edward Longshanks] led a surprise raid against the town of Nazareth, then held by a small Mamluk garrison estimated at 50–200 soldiers. His force of approximately 225–300 men launched a swift attack, reportedly killing around 100 Mamluk soldiers.

Background

During the Ninth Crusade (1271–1272), Prince Edward of England arrived in Acre to bolster the Crusader states against the expanding power of Sultan Baybars of the Mamluk Sultanate. Prior to Edward’s arrival, Baybars had devastated parts of the Crusader-held territory, including damaging the Christian holy sites in Nazareth.

Claims of a Massacre

Some later sources and interpretations have described Edward’s raid as involving a massacre of the town’s population, including Muslims and possibly Jews. However, Primary Latin and Arabic chronicles focus on the military nature of the raid, emphasizing the defeat of the Mamluk garrison.

Battle

The Crusaders then attacked the Qaqun. The Mamluk garrison fled, annd emir Husam al-Din Ustdar was killed. Another emir, Rukn al-Din al-Jaliq, was reported to have been wounded in the same engagement by Ibn Furat (Mamluk chronicler).

Aftermath

The raid on Nazareth remains one of the few offensive actions by the Crusaders during the Ninth Crusade and exemplifies Edward’s military initiative. However, the broader strategic situation remained unfavorable to the Crusader states, which continued to decline until their eventual fall.