High Middle Ages · Middle East · War

1266

Baibars storms Safed from the Templars

1266

The Mamluk sultan captured the Templar castle of Safed after a month's siege, having promised the garrison safe passage. When they surrendered, he had every knight beheaded on the surrounding hills. The Crusader states lost a key fortress and any trust in Baibars's word. The treachery at Safed became a defining episode in the final chapter of the Crusades, cited by chroniclers on both sides.