Another man cut from the seemingly same despicable cloth was the prince of
Antioch, Reynald de Chatillon, who followed King Louis from France during the Second
Crusade. After the other crusaders returned home, Reynald stayed behind, striking up a
lasting selfish friendship with the Templars. Reynald's cruelty was well known in the Holy
Lands. He opposed the Emperor of Constantinopal, by trying to blackmail him many times. This met with the disapproval of the Patriarch of Constantinopal whom Reynald had imprisoned. He placed many cuts on the mans head which he covered in honey. He then chained this man of the cloth to a rooftop
where the hot summers sun caused insects to attack his wounds until near insanity set in.
This cruelty was to come back to these two men in spades in the summer of 1187.
The area is called the Horns of Hattin for the two rocky peaks that raise over the brush covered slopes behind Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee. It was here that Saladin
aligned 12,000 of his knights plus an army carrying regular provisions at Tiberius. An
army as well mounted and armed as anything that could be assembled by the combined
forces of the Templar and Hospitaller orders. On the other side of the battlefield were the
crusading forces comprised of 20,000 foot soldiers but only about 1,000 knights. This
small by comparison force was only assembled by depleting the forces of many
surrounding cities, thus leaving them open to attack.
By morning, Saladin’s men had completely enclosed the crusaders. So secure had they trapped them that a chronicler of the event claimed, “not a cat could have slipped through the net.” The tired crusaders were outnumbered by ten to one and as dawn approached, the Moslem horns blew heralding the coming attack. Before the crusaders lay certain death and they fought that way, charging recklessly into the battle. Seeing the
Christians charging, Saladin’s army did not meet the attack but instead opened up his forces allowing the crusaders to charge through. Once in Saladin closed the opening, in the process sealing the crusaders fate.
The leaders were then rounded up and taken to Saladin’s camp. The Moslem leader had erected a tent for this special purpose. The common soldiers were sold into slavery. It is said that one Saracen had so many slaves he was willing to trade one for a pair of shoes. As for the Templars, Saladin spared none except for their Grand Master, Gerard de Ridefort. Each Templar and Hospitaller was forced to his knees while Moslem
soldiers beheaded them. None complained and each met his death with utter silence and humility, for such
was the way of the order. Many other soldiers wishing death rather than a life of slavery in the service of infidels, rushed forth claiming to be Templars. 
