The Last Stand of the Crusader Kingdoms

On May 18, 1291, the city of Acre—the final stronghold of the Crusader states—fell to the Mamluk Sultanate. This marked the end of nearly two centuries of Christian presence in the Holy Land. The eyewitness account of an anonymous knight, later referred to as the “Templar of Tyre,” provides a harrowing chronicle of the final hours of the Crusader defense. His writings inspired later works such as Bloody Sunset of the Crusader States, preserving the memory of this climactic battle.

The Siege Begins: A City Under Fire

At dawn, the Mamluk forces launched their assault with thunderous war drums. The first wave of attackers carried massive shields, followed by soldiers hurling Greek fire—a devastating incendiary weapon. Behind them, archers and javelin throwers unleashed a relentless barrage. The defenders of the “Accursed Tower,” overwhelmed by the sheer force of the attack, were forced to retreat, allowing the enemy to breach the gates.

If the inner walls fell, Acre would be lost. The knights—Hospitaliers, Templars, and Teutonics—rallied to defend the Accursed Tower. Leading the charge were:
– Matthew de Clermont, Vice-Marshal of the Hospitallers, wielding a steel lance.
– Jean de Villiers, Grand Master of the Hospitallers, armed with a cleaving sword.
– Guillaume de Beaujeu, Grand Master of the Templars, fighting at the forefront.

The Templar of Tyre described the chaos: Greek fire filled the air with smoke, obscuring vision. Arrows rained down, felling knights and horses alike. One gruesome account tells of an English squire engulfed in flames, his agonized screams ignored in the frenzy of battle. Even the attacking Mamluks momentarily paused in horror before resuming their assault.

The Breach and the Fall of the Accursed Tower

Despite fierce resistance, the Mamluks broke through the Accursed Tower. Jean de Villiers was gravely wounded, and many knights lay dead or dying. Hospitaller knights evacuated their Grand Master to a Venetian ship in the chaotic harbor, where panicked civilians fought for passage to safety.

Meanwhile, the Mamluks exploited a gap in the eastern walls, bypassing the main Templar and Hospitaller defenses. The Teutonic Knights, stationed in their headquarters—a gift from Emperor Frederick II—had held their ground for over forty days. But their leaders, the King of Cyprus and his brother, had already fled, abandoning the city.

The Death of a Grand Master

Guillaume de Beaujeu, the Templar Grand Master, suffered a fatal wound when a spear pierced his lightly armored torso. Unable to move, he was carried to the Templar headquarters by Hospitaller knights. There, in the arms of Matthew de Clermont, he breathed his last at just forty years old.

This moment was unprecedented: the two rival military orders—Templars and Hospitallers—had fought side by side for the first time in their 173-year history. Their differences in origin and tradition were set aside in the face of annihilation.

The Final Retreat and the Fate of the Orders

With the city lost, the surviving knights regrouped. A Muslim emir, once healed by Hospitaller captors, offered them a chance to surrender honorably. The Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights accepted Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil’s terms, securing safe passage to Cyprus.

But the Templars, defiant to the end, refused. Isolated in their coastal fortress, they held out for eight more days before the Sultan ordered their execution. The last Templars fought to the death, cementing their legend as the final guardians of the Crusader dream.

The Aftermath: Erasing the Crusader Legacy

Sultan Khalil ordered Acre’s complete destruction, ensuring no Christian could reclaim it. The nearby cities of Tyre and Sidon fell soon after, their inhabitants fleeing to Cyprus. The fall of Acre marked the definitive end of the Crusader states, nearly 200 years after the First Crusade’s capture of Jerusalem.

Legacy of the Fall of Acre

The fall of Acre was more than a military defeat—it symbolized the collapse of the Crusader ideal. The Templars and Hospitallers, once rivals, found unity in their last stand. Their story, preserved by the Templar of Tyre, remains a testament to courage, tragedy, and the end of an era.

Today, Acre’s ruins stand as a silent reminder of a time when East and West clashed over the Holy Land—a conflict whose echoes still resonate in modern geopolitics.