The Crusaders Also Had a Gaza

Ashkelon was the Gaza of Crusader times. Let’s see how they handled it.

After the crusaders took Jerusalem in 1099, Muslim forces retreated to the coastal city of Ashkelon and turned it into a thorn in the side of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Through the city, Egypt would send bloody naval and ground raids to disrupt crusader supply lines and occasionally raid Christian towns. It also served as staging ground for larger Egyptian invasions of Jerusalem.

In response, the crusaders established a series of fortified settlements around Ashkelon, designed to prevent Muslim raids into the heart of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and to stop the city getting reinforcement, except by sea. Constant warfare reduced the region into a grim badland, where barely anything grew except Christian and Muslim graveyards.

The encircling of Ashkelon was completed in 1150 with the Christian re-population of Gaza, which was abandoned at the time due to a civil war between Arab tribes which started over a watermelon. (I guess I should tell this story on a later date.)

In 1153, the Crusaders launched a final assault on the city, leading to its surrender under the condition the citizens would be allowed to safely leave for Egypt. This was a mighty blow to Muslim morale and a great boost to Crusader prestige.

So, what can we learn from this story?

• You can’t rush victory, which can be frustrating in a world where everything is usually just one click away. Steadfastness is as important a weapon as any sword or shield in a nation’s arsenal.

• Building settlements is an important military strategy. It’s not “stealing land,” it’s how you defeat the enemy and ensure the security of your nation. If it’s okay to lob rockets at people then it’s also okay to raise a few huts on a hill.

• Some foes can only be defeated through population exchange. The classic separation between soldiers and civilians we’re used to from modern Western society is not universal. In some societies, every able-bodied male both is and isn’t a combatant. As long as the enemy has presence in areas you can be attacked from, you will go on being attacked.