Siege and relief
Saladin sent Al-Adil to besiege Kerak. [7] The Muslims had sought to take Kerak for several years, but now they stretched its defenses to the breaking point. There had long been plans of Baldwin's half-sister Isabella to marry Reynald's stepson in the fall of 1183. When Saladin learned of this, he prepared a siege with his large army and eight siege catapults.
Inside the walls, a royal marriage was taking place. Humphrey IV of Toron, Raynald's stepson and heir, was to take the hand of Isabella, the King's half sister. At first, food was brought out to Saladin, so he told the soldiers to not fire at the tower where the wedding was taking place. This could have been due to courtesy, or because he did not want to harm the potentially two most expensive hostages. According to the historian Ernoul, "Etiennette, mother of the young bridegroom, sent out to Saladin a present of bread and meat and wine, with a message that gave him greeting and reminded him that he once in his youth had been a prisoner in Kerak, and had, as a slave, carried her when a child in his arms." Saladin was touched by the message and ordered his army to not attack that specific tower. [5] Messengers managed to escape the town and take word to the King, Baldwin IV who was in Jerusalem at the time. In the following days, the Muslim forces aggressively went after Kerak's walls. They continuously sent stones and missiles through, damaging buildings on the inside.
Baldwin immediately marched with a relief force, accompanied by his regent, Raymond III of Tripoli. A beacon was promptly lit on the Tower of David in Jerusalem as a sign that help was coming to relieve the siege. [5] Although suffering from leprosy since childhood, Baldwin's determination to frustrate Saladin's attempt was such that he led personally, although he had to be carried on a stretcher. However, king Baldwin put the army under the command of Raymond, Count of Tripoli, because he had become blind. When Saladin reached the place called Valih, thinking that they had done enough damage, he lifted the siege. [8]
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Kingdom of Jerusalem 
Ayyubid Dynasty 
Saladin 
Al-Adil I [1] 