Third Crusade

The Third Crusade (1189–1192), also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Salāh ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb, better known as "Saladin" in the Western world. During this Crusade, the Christian forces returned to the Holy Land to reclaim Jerusalem, which Saladin had recently recaptured after his decisive victory at Hattin. King Richard, a Crusader leader, began his Crusade by conquering Cyprus, and then winning his siege of Acre, killing three-thousand innocent people in Acre. The Crusaders then began to mobilize their forces to march towards Jaffa and then on to Jerusalem, their goal. Saladin was clearly aware of this, so he gathered his troops before the broken citadel of Arsuf, determined to halt the Crusaders and Jerusalem would be kept in Muslim hands, for over seven hundred years.

During the Third Crusade, at the Battle of Arsuf, Richard was leading the Crusader Army against Saladin's forces when Robert de Sable, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, asked Richard to unite with Saladin against the Assassins, who are behind the murders of eight men both Crusader and Saracen. Before de Sable could finish, Altair, the Assassin who directly killed the men, arrived after fighting his way across the battlefield of Arsuf, seeking Robert. Altair told Richard of Robert's treachery, which de Sable denied. King Richard, seeing no other way, decided that both men should fight, saying that "the Lord" will protect the one who speaks the truth. After a long battle, Altair finishes off Robert de Sable, who then tells him that his master, Al Mualim, was also a Templar. Richard bid the Assassin a safe journey and Altair left for Masyaf.