Atlas of Battles

siege, major, medieval

Siege of Acre

Siege of Acre was a siege conducted on 28 August 1189 at Acre, in what is now Israel; it lasted 22 months. It was part of Third Crusade, which ran from 1189 to 1192. The recorded result: Crusader victory.

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Philippe Auguste et Richard Cœur de Lion reçoivent les clés d'Acre (1191). Enluminure des Grandes Chroniques de France, vers 1375-1380. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, département des Manuscr
Philippe Auguste et Richard Cœur de Lion reçoivent les clés d'Acre (1191). Enluminure des Grandes Chroniques de France, vers 1375-1380. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, département des Manuscr. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought28 August 1189lasted 22 months
WhereAcre, Israel32.928N, 35.082E
OutcomeCrusader victory
BelligerentsKingdom of EnglandagainstAyyubid Sultanate of Egypt
Part ofThird Crusade1189 to 1192

Where it sits in Third Crusade

Siege of Acre, 1189Battle of Philomelion, 1190Battle of Iconium, 1190Massacre at Ayyadieh, 1191Battle of Arsuf, 1191Battle of Jaffa, 119211891192Siege of Acre, 1189
6 placed engagements of Third Crusade in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date28 August 1189
to 12 July 1191
PlaceAcre, Israel
32.928N, 35.082E
KindSiege, medieval
StrengthTotal: 59,000 men; 102 ships; Initially: 7,000–10,000 men; End: 25,000 men; 11 trebuchetsTotal: 45,000–50,000 men; Garrison: 5,000–10,000 men; Relief force: 40,000 men; 50 galleys
Commanders
Siege of AcreSiege of AcreSiege of AcreSiege of AcreSiege of AcreSiege of AcreSiege of AcreSiege of AcreTel AvivDamascusBeirutAmmanJerusalemNablusAs SuwaydaAd Nabk100 km32.928N, 35.082E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Acre
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Acre today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-10-31. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 5 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 79 m, 79 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 40% water, 22% built-up, 13% tree cover.

water: 40%built-up: 22%tree cover: 13%cropland: 12%grassland: 10%water 40%built-up 22%tree cover 13%cropland 12%grassland 10%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 26 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 13 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 6 times between 1103 and 1948.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1189

Siege of Acre is one of 459 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 179 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815116, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Acre (1189–1191), revision 1384780719, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.