Battle of Jaffa

On July 27, 1105, Baldwin I faced a new Fatimid invasion near Jaffa led by Al-Afdhal and reinforced by Seljuk contingents from Damascus. He divided his knights into five squadrons supported by the recently landed Genoese infantry and archers. After several frontal shocks, the royal reserve pushed the enemy center while a sortie of the knights of Jaffa struck the Fatimid rear, transforming the battle into a rout.

The failure of Ramla in 1102 showed the fragility of the kingdom. For three years, Baldwin strengthened the fortifications of Jaffa, negotiated the support of Pisan and Genoese sailors and regrouped the surviving knights of Galilee and Nablus. The Fatimids, who wanted to retake the Palestinian coast, returned with a composite army: Sudanese regiments, Armenian archers, Bedouin cavalry and Turkish detachment commanded by Toghtekin.

Baudouin combines heavy loads and archer support: each squadron is flanked by pedestrians who stare at the enemy. The king keeps a mounted reserve which he engages to break the center. From the port, the Genoese ships fired on the Fatimid wing. As the Egyptians attempted to envelop the Frankish army, the coordinated exit of the Jaffa garrison and the charge of the reserve caused the collapse of the enemy line.

The victory of Jaffa ensured the maritime security of the kingdom for more than a decade and put an end to the great Fatimid offensives. Baldwin can launch raids as far as Ascalon, reinforce the garrisons on the plain and attract new contingents from France and Italy. Royal prestige increased among the maritime republics, an essential condition for subsequent coastal conquests.