A historical moment
Today, 733 years ago, the fortress-city of Sant Joan d’Acre, the last square of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem, was conquered by the Mamluk army. This date marks a turning point in the history of the Middle East region.
The battle and the fall of the city
The Mamluk army laid siege to the city of Sant Joan d’Acre on April 6 of the previous year. After forty days of battle, they managed to bend the city’s defenses and take control.
The defenders of the city
The Christian garrison that defended Acre was made up of knights from the four great religious-military orders of the time, as well as armed militias from the Genoese, Pisan and Venetian trading colonies.
The consequences of the fall
The loss of Saint John of Acre and the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem was a great discredit for the religious orders. In addition, the Order of the Temple, which had a large presence in France and Catalonia, acquired an extension of land in the Millars river valley, owned by the Catalan noble and military family of the Anglesolas. This acquisition was an attempt to consolidate the Templar domains and establish an independent Templar state.
The templar dream
The final goal of the Templars was to unite the two large estates they had won during the Catalan conquest of the lower Ebro valley and during the first period of the Valencian conquest. With this union, they sought to create an independent Templar state with its capital at Culla, intended to be the launching pad for the military enterprises that were to restore the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem.
Barcelona’s reaction
When the Barcelona chancellery became aware of this project, which divided the Catalan-Aragonese domains, it acted to destabilize it and prevent it from consolidating.