The correct answer is A. British king Richard I, the Lionheart, attacked and defeated Saladin’s forces at Arsuf but failed to take Jerusalem, seen by many as a loss for the papacy.
Explanation
The third crusade was a confrontation that broke out after the occupation of Jerusalem at the hands of Saladin, which caused the popes Gregory VIII and Clement III to call for a new crusade, which was preached by William, archbishop of Tire. This call was attended by the kings Federico I, Barbarossa, Emperor of Germany, Felipe Augusto of France, and Ricardo I of England, Corazón de León.
This crusade took place in two stages:
The first stage (1189-1190): This expedition, led by Federico Barbarossa, left Regensburg and headed for Constantinople, which was governed by Isaac II Angelo, with whom he had previously agreed with an alliance. However, Frederick betrayed him and seized Filipolis and Andrinopolis, attacked Constantinople, and conquered Iconium. Federico died "accidentally", drowned in the Cidno river (Tarsus, Turkey). His son, Federico de Suabia, took command of the weakened troops, who could only reach San José de Acre and died shortly after. Meanwhile, Guido de Lusignan attempted to recapture Acre by besieging the city but failed.
The second stage (1190-1192): It was directed by Felipe II Augusto and Ricardo Corazón de León. Felipe sailed from Genoa and Ricardo from Marseille. Due to disagreements arisen between both armies, Felipe left for San Juan de Acre. Ricardo took another route and was forced to take refuge in Cyprus due to bad weather, so he later arrived in Acre. Upon learning of the crusader presence in that city, Saladin appeared with his army. The French and the English defeated him and secured the city. Due to the shortage of resources, Ricardo was forced to assassinate the prisoners of war. Both kings disputed who should rule the city. In the absence of consensus, Philip embarked and returned to France.
Despite having a diminished army, Ricardo managed to conquer Jafa, and being unable to take Jerusalem he concentrated on consolidating the already conquered cities.
In 1191, Saladin faced Ricardo in the Battle of Arsuf, after hours of heavy fighting, Saladin's troops withdrew from the battlefield. Both leaders, aware of their rival's ability to rearm and lead, decided to agree to an armistice with which free access to Jerusalem was guaranteed for merchants and pilgrims. Furthermore, the Holy Sepulcher was opened without the payment of tribute to Christians. The Crusaders maintained control of a strip of coastline between Jafa and Tire. Ricardo returned to England without having fulfilled the main objective of the expedition (to reconquer Jerusalem). Thus ended the Third Crusade. So, the correct answer is A. British king Richard I, the Lionheart, attacked and defeated Saladin’s forces at Arsuf but failed to take Jerusalem, seen by many as a loss for the papacy.
