Siege of Safed (1266)

Siege of Safed
Part of the Crusades

Remains of the Crusader fortress
Date13 June – 23 July 1266
Location
Safed
Result Mamluk victory
Belligerents
Mamluk Sultanate Knights Templar
Commanders and leaders
Baybars I
Strength
Unknown 2,000+
Casualties and losses
Unknown 800–2,000

The siege of Safed (13 June – 23 July 1266) was part of the campaign of the Mamluk sultan Baybars I to reduce the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The castle of Safed belonged to the Knights Templar and put up strong resistance. Direct assault, mining and psychological warfare were all employed to force the garrison to surrender. It was ultimately tricked into surrendering through treachery and the Templars were massacred. Baybars repaired and garrisoned the castle.

The main sources for the siege from the Muslim perspective are Ibn ʿAbd al-Ẓāhir's biography of Baybars, Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī's String of Pearls and to a lesser extent Ibn al-Furāt's History of Dynasties and Kingdoms. From the Christian perspective, there are the Gestes des Chiprois, Estoire d'Eracles, Annales de Terre Sainte and Maius chronicon Lemovicense.

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