Military History Lecture & Dinner

Military History Evening

Thursday, 4 July 2024

Topic: A Medieval Siege of Troy? The Struggle for Acre, 1189 - 1191

Guest Speaker: Dr James Kane (Flinders University)

Between the summers of 1189 and 1191, Christian and Muslim forces were locked in a titanic contest for the Levantine port city of Acre (modern Akko). Seized by Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and Syria, in the early stages of his lightning conquest of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187, Acre became the focal point of the series of campaigns that historians now refer to as the Third Crusade.

Under the daring leadership of the dispossessed king of Jerusalem, Guy of Lusignan, and with the later support of western reinforcements spearheaded by Philip II of France and Richard I of England (still widely known as ‘the Lionheart’), successive waves of crusaders fought to wrest control of Acre back from Saladin’s forces and lay the groundwork for the recovery of Jerusalem itself. So intense was the battle for Acre that at least one contemporary was inspired to compare it to the legendary siege of Troy.

This talk will set the siege of Acre in its historical context, outline the course of the struggle for the city, explain how the crusaders ultimately recaptured it, and examine the significance of the recovery of Acre both for the Third Crusade itself and for the continued existence of the so-called ‘Crusader States’ in the thirteenth century.

Time: 1830 lecture begins; 1930 dinner

Members Price: $78.00; $17.50 lecture only

Non-Members: $88.00; $17.50 lecture only

Dress: Jacket and Tie

RSVP: By 5PM, Monday 1 July 2024

Bookings cancelled after the RSVP will incur a 50% charge of the ticket price