Siege of Acre begins

August 28, 1189

Guy of Lusignan, freed by Saladin on his word of honor, promptly broke his parole and laid siege to Acre with a handful of knights. Over two years the camp around Acre swelled into an improvised crusader city as reinforcements arrived from every corner of Europe. Disease killed thousands. The siege became the central theater of the Third Crusade, drawing warriors from England, France, Germany, and the Italian republics.