Crusaders

Crusaders are Christian knights who have set on a Crusade to the Holy Land to forcefully reclaim it from the Muslim Saracens in the name of Christianity. Their leader is King of England Richard the Lionheart. They appear in a few cites in the game such as Acre.

Crusader knights
Crusader knights can be found throughout the Kingdom (where they are always Informed and very easily provoked).

Crusader knights are commonly mistaken for Templar knights. This is because of their similar coloration. Crusader knights, however, can be distinguished from Templar Knights by their crest- Templars have a red cross whereas Crusaders have a prancing lion as a crest.

King Richard
Richard I of England, commonly known as Richard the Lionheart, is the leader of the Crusaders. He makes only 2 appearances in the game, one in the city of Acre, having a conversation with William of Montferrat just before he rides off to battle and another in Arsuf before and after the battle with Robert De Sable.

Low Ranking Soldier
The lowest ranking soldiers are the most common Crusaders, having no complicated armor. They're dressed in red and white. The Low Ranking Crusaders can't grab, counter, or dodge Altair (only blocking with their sword), cannot break Altair's grabs, and are dispatched easily. These soldiers can be killed by just one sword/short blade counter, in which Altair will end up impaling the soldier, instead of just throwing him away from himself. Of course, like most guards in the game, these soldiers can be killed with just one Hidden Blade counter. Low Ranking Soldiers are also known to be frightened the most during battle, especially when Altair pulls off intense moves. Because of this, they will usually either run away after their comrades are slain, or get on their knees and beg for mercy. The quickest way of doing that is killing their higher ranked compatriots.

Middle Ranking Soldier
The middle ranking soldiers are the second most common types of Crusaders. These soldiers have some armor worn (chain mail), unlike their lower counterparts and seem to have a degree of combat experience. Because of this, they are harder to kill, and may take a few more hits to kill, unless the player is using the Hidden Blade to counter. These soldiers can grab Altair by his robe and throw him, which makes these soldiers a much more deadly adversary than low ranking soldiers. If Altair continuously slashes at these foes, they will either counter Altair, or dodge him, and can either follow up the dodge by rushing back with a sword slash, or just staying back. These soldiers also can tolerate one sword/short blade counter, though a second one should work beautifully. Those skilled with the Hidden Blade can finish it with one counter. Altair CAN try to grab these soldiers, but there's a chance they will break his grab, and Altair will end up on the floor. Low ranked players (those that don't have counter) should chance a throw, then wail on the soldier when he's down.These soldiers CAN and WILL run away if frightened enough by Altair, but have a bigger chance of sticking around and fighting than the lower class soldiers.

High Ranking Soldier
The high ranking soldiers are the least common types of Crusaders (save the Templars). These soldiers also wear red and white, but have a kind of robe on, a LOT of armor (also chain mail), and a knight helm. They are easily the strongest (again, save the Templar Knight) type of soldier. They are usually found leading a small troop of lesser soldiers on patrol. These soldiers can take two counters before dying or you can use the Hidden Blade counter. They also have practice at the fine art of countering.There is a very high chance Altair's slashes to be countered, usually ending up with Altair being smacked across the face and falling to the ground. These soldiers also have a huge chance of breaking grabs, and dodging attacks. You should focus on their underlings (at least until you get the defense break move) and wait for them to attack (where you can soften them with a counter) .These soldiers never run and never beg for mercy but rather fight to the death.