Hattin on 4 July. By October 1187, Saladin had captured Jerusalem. Historiographical Considerations The Battle of Cresson is found in contemporary chronicles; however, these accounts differ considerably and have yet to be fully reconciled by historians. The Libellus gives a circumstantial account of the battle. However, the Latin Itinerarium is generally preferred by historians given its contemporaneity with battle itself. The Old French Continuation of William of Tyre (dated from the 1230s in its present form) includes an account by Balian's squire Ernoul. Ernoul was not present at the battle but recorded the aftermath of the battle several years later. A late thirteenth-century copy of his account, the Lyon Eracles, blamed Gerard for the Frankish defeat. Current scholarship has redeemed Gerard, believing that the negative account reflected contemporary mistrust of the Templars and was not indicative of Gerard's prowess at Cresson. The chronicle of ibn Al-Athir contains an account of the battle which largely agrees with the Latin sources. The main difference between the two narratives concerns the size of the Ayyubid forces. Ibn Al-Athir describes the battle as a much smaller skirmish than the Latin accounts. Counter to these narratives, Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad's biography of Saladin reports that Gökböri was in Aleppo in the months preceding Hattin and does not mention his involvement in Cresson. For succession of related campaigns see also 1177: Battle of Montgisard 1179: Battle of Marj Ayyun 1179: Battle of Jacob's Ford 1182: Battle of Belvoir Castle 1183: Battle of Al-Fule 1187: Battle of Hattin References Bibliography Primary Sources Ali ibn al-Athir, The Chronicle of Ibn Al-Athīr for the Crusading Period from Al-Kāmil Fīʼl-taʼrīkh: The years 541-589. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, 2007. Brewer, Keagan, and James Kane. The Conquest of the Holy Land by Ṣalāḥ Al-Dīn: A Critical Edition and Translation of the Anonymous Libellus De Expugnatione Terrae Sanctae per Saladinum. London, United Kingdom: Routledge, 2020. Chronicle of the Third Crusade, a Translation of Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi, translated by Helen J. Nicholson. Ashgate, 1997. De Expugnatione Terrae Sanctae per Saladinum, translated by James A. Brundage, in The Crusades: A Documentary Survey. Marquette University Press, 1962. Secondary Sources Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad, The Life of Saladin. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, 1897. Edbury, Peter W. The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade: Sources in Translation. Ashgate, 1996. Hamilton, Bernard. The Leper King and his Heirs: Baldwin IV and the Crusader