Battle of Cresson

Battle of Cresson
Part of the Crusades

The Battle of Cresson, miniature by Jean Colombe, in Passages d'outremer ca. 1474
Date1 May 1187
Location32°44′6.3″N 35°21′16.3″E / 32.735083°N 35.354528°E / 32.735083; 35.354528
Result Ayyubid victory
Belligerents
Knights Templar
Knights Hospitaller
Kingdom of Jerusalem
Ayyubids
Commanders and leaders
Gerard de Ridefort (WIA)
Roger de Moulins 
Robert Fraisnel 
Saladin
Gökböri
Farrukh Shah
Qaymaz al Najmi
Dildirim al Yaruqi
Strength
Approx. 130 knights (including the Grand Master of both, Templars and Hospitallers)
400 infantry
Unknown numbers of turcopoles
700–7,000
Casualties and losses
Most of the army killed and some captured including the wounded Gerard. Unknown
Location within State of Palestine

The Battle of Cresson was a small battle between Frankish and Ayyubid forces on 1 May 1187 at the "Spring of the Cresson." While the exact location of the spring is unknown, it is located in the environs of Nazareth. The conflict was a prelude to the decisive defeat of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin two months later.