The Battle of Montgisard in 1177 was one of their greatest victories of the Crusades as the Eighth Grand Master Odo de St Amand led 80 Templar Knights along with 375 other knights led by Raynald of Chatillion and a few thousand infantry against the forces of Saladin and his 27,000 men. Saladin was the Sultan of Egypt and Syria and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. His forces were spread thin raiding villages and was surprised at Montgisard by 16 year old King Baldwin IV and his army. Baldwin wanted to make a stand there before the Muslims reached Jerusalem. The much smaller army routed the Ayyubids and Saladin returned to Egypt to regroup with only ten percent of his army.
Knights Templar page
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