The Battle of Hattin: The Major Turning Point of the Crusades
The Battle of Hattin in July 1187 was a complete disaster for the Crusaders of Outremer, the Roman Catholic states set up in the Holy Land during the First Crusade. It caused a total reversal in the fortunes of the Christians and led directly to the Third Crusade, which attempted to fix the damage. This catastrophe need not have occurred. That is because a series of absolutely idiotic decisions made by people who knew better led to this outcome. Even worse, the Crusaders were up against one of the greatest generals of the time: Saladin.