Inspired by the movie "Kingdom of Heaven"; one of the few Middle Ages' films I could watch with full satisfaction on historical details. (Oh, almost...) This is my version on what happened during those fateful years 1185-1187.

The film "Kingdom of Heaven" presented the politics of Outremer pretty correctly. The young and wise - and so unfortunate - king Baldwin IV perished from leprosy 1185, leaving his infant nephew Baldwin V to rule the kingdom. He was in turn poisoned by arrogant upstart Guy de Lusignan, who was haughty and aggressive, but had absolutely no skills of neither king nor general. He was crowned 1186 as King of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, count Reynaud de Chatillon, who bore burning and insane hatred on islam, had attacked a caravan, provoking sultan Saladin to war. The fate of kingdom were now on hands of three incompetent morons - king Guy (a dumb bully), count Reynaud (an embittered fanatic) and Master of Temple, Gerard de Ridefort (a delusional megalomaniac) . The only people with common sense, Balian d'Ibelin (Constable of Jerusalem) and Raymond of Tripoli, were overruled. Saladin had laid siege on Tiberias. King Guy hastily summoned all the knights and foot soldiers of Kingdom of Jerusalem, and against all warnings they marched cross the desert, and were ambushed at Horns of Hattin, 4th July 1187. Half-dead from thirst and exhaustion, they still put up a stiff fight, but result was inevitable. The Christians were utterly defeated, and only Balian d'Ibelin and Raymond de Tripoli and their contingents, some 3000 men, were able to escape the carnage back to Jerusalem. In the end all Christian leaders were captured, and Saladin had Reynaud (in muslim sources Arnat) beheaded for his crimes. Meanwhile, Balian d'Ibelin arranged Jerusalem's defense, which was now besieged by the Saracens. Jerusalem eventually surrendered after a bitter siege. Since the town surrendered and was not taken by assault (unlike it was 1099), the lives of the inhabitants were spared. The disaster of Hattin sparked the Third Crusade, led by Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa, King Richard Coeur de Lion of England and King Philippe II August of France. "Ferengi" is the Saracen name for Crusaders, a corruption from "Frank". The Star Trek Ferengi are said to have been formed after a Saracen caricature of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, by overdoing the Franks' usual caution, leaving out the Franks' military prowess in the time of need, and replacing the Frankish role of women in the society by that of the Arab.