Crusaders in Safed
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|data8 = Crusader rule in Safed during the 12th and 13th centuries.}} | |data8 = Crusader rule in Safed during the 12th and 13th centuries.}} | ||
| − | When the '''Crusaders''' reached the Land of Israel in 1099 they quickly captured Jerusalem and then fanned out through the northern regions of the land. They reached '''[[Safed|Tzfat]]''' and as part of their hold on the region, built the largest Crusader fortress in the Middle East | + | When the '''Crusaders''' reached the Land of Israel in 1099 they quickly captured Jerusalem and then fanned out through the northern regions of the land. They reached '''[[Safed|Tzfat]]''' and as part of their hold on the region, built the largest Crusader fortress built anywhere in the Middle East. |
==Crusaders In North Israel== | ==Crusaders In North Israel== | ||
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=== Battles === | === Battles === | ||
| − | Safed was destroyed during Saladin’s conquest in 1187 and the Crusaders fled. According to Yehuda Elharizi, a Jewish traveler who was in the region during these times, the Jews began to return to Tzfat in 1216 | + | Safed was destroyed during Saladin’s conquest in 1187 and the Crusaders fled. According to Yehuda Elharizi, a Jewish traveler who was in the region during these times, the Jews began to return to Tzfat in 1216. The Crusaders continued to attempt to retake the city and further battles in 1220 resulted in destruction of the fortress. |
=== Curious Meeting === | === Curious Meeting === | ||
| − | One curious incident of the time concerns a meeting that a traveler, Yehuda El HaLevi, had | + | One curious incident of the time concerns a meeting that a traveler, Yehuda El HaLevi, had wtih a man who arrived Tzfat in 1218. Zadok Tzaddik identified himself as the Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshivah Gaon Ya’akov, an academy that was believed to have been the continuation of the Temple-Era Jewish Court, the Sanhedrin. Historians note that the Yeshivah Gaon Ya’akov had moved to Damascus and then to Egypt but in his book “Tachkamoni” ElHalevi noted that Rabbi Tzaddik, who identified himself as the head of the academy, had come to Tzfat. No other mention is made of Rabbi Tzaddik nor what happened to him after the meeting. |
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The Crusaders signed a peace treaty with the Muslim forces in 1240 and returned to Safed to rebuild their fortress. A religious/military order, the Knights Hospitaller, expanded the fortress and built an additional structure on the citadel. Written documents from the time note the existence of a Jewish community which numbered approximately 300 Jewish families. The Crusaders themselves wrote that they were building their fortress “between the Jewish synagogue and the Arab mosque.” | The Crusaders signed a peace treaty with the Muslim forces in 1240 and returned to Safed to rebuild their fortress. A religious/military order, the Knights Hospitaller, expanded the fortress and built an additional structure on the citadel. Written documents from the time note the existence of a Jewish community which numbered approximately 300 Jewish families. The Crusaders themselves wrote that they were building their fortress “between the Jewish synagogue and the Arab mosque.” | ||
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== End of Crusader Presence == | == End of Crusader Presence == | ||