Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/371

 EXPANSION OF CHRISTENDOM 321 that reached Syria failed to accomplish anything. Those who have listed seven (a sacred number) chief crusades from among the many expeditions of the sort have called this the Second Crusade. In 1 171 the rule of the Fatimites in Egypt was brought to a close by a young Moslem named Saladin, who seized the throne and soon extended his power over most of saladin and the Moslem emirs to the east of the Latin states the Third of Syria. In 1187 he took Jerusalem. This caused the Third Crusade in which three well-known mon- archy took part, Frederick Barbarossa, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, Philip Augustus of France, and Richard the Lion-Hearted of England, Normandy, Anjou, and Aquitaine. Frederick, who was now well along in years, took the land route via Constantinople and was drowned in crossing a small stream in southern Asia Minor. Most of his army thereupon dispersed. Richard and Philip embarked their armies at Marseilles and Genoa, and wintered in Sicily. There they began to quarrel and Richard broke off his engagement with Philip's ! sister. At last they set sail for Acre on the Ri c h ar d i Syrian coast, which the Christians had been Cceur de 1 vainly besieging for the past two years. But Richard, who was always ready for adventures, stopped to I conquer the important island of Cyprus and to capture the I Byzantine emperor. In Cyprus, too, he married his new fiancee, Berengaria of Navarre, who had already joined him in Sicily. Then Acre was taken, and Saladin agreed to re- store the true cross and many Christian captives and to pay an indemnity. But now news came that the Count of Flan- ders had died, and Philip, anxious to secure his territory, announced that he was ill and must return to France, where he was soon plotting to deprive Richard of his fiefs on the Continent. Richard, remaining in the Holy Land, per- formed many knightly exploits and prodigies of valor which made him the hero of romances for a long time to come, but failed to recover Jerusalem. He won, however, the respect of the chivalrous Saladin who sent him snow and