After initial conquests and control over numerous cities in the "Holy land", Crusader armies collided with combined Muslim forces at the Battle of Hattin. The Muslim Saladin had been made vizier in Egypt in 1169 and was able to unite all kingdoms surrounding the Christian held Kingdom of Jerusalem. By 1187 Saladin had amassed forces enough to attack Crusader forces in the Kingdom of Jarusalem, but he knew he could not victor over enemy defenses.
Saladin lay siege to a Christian held city to lure the remaining Crusader army under the leadership of Guy of Lusignan to an open field at Hattin. On the night of July 3rd the Crusaders fait was sealed as Guy decided a march far too long for his columns. Saladin's troops had been slowing down Frankish troops with harassing attacks, but his main assault on July 3rd came against the Frankish rearguard. The Crusaders camped with no supplies surrounded by Saladin's forces.
In the morning Saladin's forces attacked and within hours had destroyed all of the Crusader forces. The battle signified one of the last defeats of the Christian army in the kingdom of Jerusalem before the third crusade is called in 1189.
Saladin accepts the surrender of Guy de Lusignan and the Christian armies following the Battle of Hattin
July 4, 1610 - Battle at Klushino
In 1610 the Russian Prince Dmitry Shuisky headed towards the besieged city of Smolensk with a force of 35 - 40,000 Russians and 5 - 10,000 mercenary troops (mainly from Finland and Sweden, but also consisting of German, British, and French elements). Opposing him were 6,800 troops under Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski. The 6,800 troops were of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and were largely (80%) special cavalry called "winged Hussars".
The Polish-Lithuanian cavalry attempted a surprise attack, but were discovered. Russian fortifications were quickly in place and the ensuing battle became exceedingly brutal in nature. After almost 8-10 cavalry charges, rumors within the Russian natives that the mercenaries were defecting to the Polish-Lithuanian army caused a large-scale rout. Once Russian and mercenary troops were back to their seperate camps, they were surrounded and offered terms of surrender (even though they still outnumbered the inferior, and now exhausted, force of Polish-Lithuanian Hussars). The main Russian army was allowed to retreat and the mercenaries were forced to disband and return home. The Polish-Lithuanian forces looted all the supplies from both camps. The victory sealed the fate for the city of Smolensk, which fell a little less than a year later after a 200-month siege.
