The Templar and the king

On October 1st, 1189, Gerard de Ridefort, the Grand Master of the Templars, was slain at the siege of Acre. A pity he had not died at the battle of Cresson Springs in May, 1187, for if he had, there might never have been a battle at Hattin. Gerard goaded his fellow Templars into an attack at Cresson Springs, and virtually all of the Templars died that day. Gerard, however, managed to escape. He then had the same unholy luck weeks later at Hattin. The easily-influenced king, Guy de Lusignan, had heeded the advice of his council for once and agreed that they would remain at Sephorie instead of taking Saladin’s bait and rushing to the rescue of Tiberias, which was being besieged by the sultan in order to draw the kingdom’s army into a battle of his choosing. But Gerard then sneaked back after the other lords had gone and convinced Guy that it would reflect badly upon his manhood if he did not take up Saladin’s challenge. The result was an utter disaster for the kingdom, a victory by Saladin that soon led to the fall of Jerusalem. Saladin had executed all of the Templar and Hospitaller knights who’d survived the battle at Hattin, with one exception. Gerard was spared and later regained his freedom. Reynald de Chatillon is often blamed for setting events in motion that led to Hattin, but Gerard de Ridefort deserves even more of the blame in my opinion.
Also on October 1st, this time in 1207, the future Henry III was born. He was one of the longest ruling kings, but not a particularly successful one. He did leave behind a legacy that many kings might have envied, though—Westminster Abbey.