Siege of Baghdad (Crusader World)

This was the final battle in the Crusades. Emperor Richard led his men into the final of three Muslim strongholds; the others were North Africa and Arabia.

During the opening statges, the ailing Saladin advised his leaders to surrender. The Muslims, thinking they could defeat the army, refused. Saladin died later that year.

After 890 days under siege, with disease and starvation rampant, the Muslims surrendered on May 5th, 1195. Richard entered the city and declared it his own later that day.

The Pope in Rome, happy that the Saracens had been throughly chastened and killed, called for the Crusades to end. He declared that the

"...Work is done. My fellow Christians, we have dealt these demons of the east a fatal blow, from which they cannot recover. We must watch their suffering..."

But the Crusades left a changed Europe; a German Superstate, a French Republic, and an English Empire.