ABSTRACT
The construction by the Latins of the fortress of Chastellet at the place known as 'Jacob's Ford' or Bait al-Ahzan on the Upper Jordan between Lake Huleh and the Sea of Galilee between October 1178 and March 1179, and Saladin's subsequent and ultimately successful attempt to demolish it in August 1179 offer an interesting case history for the study of Christian-Muslim warfare in the reign of King Baldwin IV. Although the sources are not copious, they tell us enough to be able to draw some tentative conclusions about the military, economic, and religious significance of a site desired by both sides and the nature of the warfare required to make those desires a reality. The picture which emerges is far removed from the traditional images of the gallant leper king and the chivalrous Saladin; rather it is one of grim and often desperate conflict, no less brutal and ruthless than its counterparts on western Christendom's other frontiers in Germany and Spain. Indeed, it could not have been otherwise, for control of this crossing was absolutely crucial to both sides in a way which it had not been in the past. More than any other military event between 1174 and 1187, the loss of this fortification began the process which led to the defeat of the Christians at Hattin. The situation was made all the more critical in that it took place in a year when, according to Imad al-Din, Saladin's secretary and chancellor, drought and famine were especially severe,' the effects of which could only have been exacerbated by the wholesale seizure or destruction of the harvest.
