Acre, Siege of

Unsuccessful French siege on 17 March–21 May 1799 of a seaport and town in Palestine, 130 km/80 mi northwest of Jerusalem, during Napoleon Bonaparte's abortive attempt to carve out a French empire. Acre has been the focus of many military operations throughout history, notably during the various Crusades.

The city was defended by the Turks, aided by a small British naval force, and Napoleon began the siege on 17 March. A French assault was beaten off, and the approach of a Syrian relief army forced Napoleon to withdraw most of his force to deal with this threat. The siege was then resumed, with seven more assaults being made without success, while the defenders made a number of sorties, and Napoleon finally raised the siege and departed on 21 May.

Acre, Siege of

Siege in 1189–91 of the fortified port of Acre in the Holy Land (taken by the Muslims in 1187) by King Guy de Lusignan of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, reinforced by crusaders. The Ayubbid sultan Saladin was unable to break the siege lines and the arrival of the English king Richard (I) the Lionheart secured the capture of the city.

King Guy besieged Acre with a small number of troops and it seemed that Saladin would overwhelm him, but the determined attackers held on. Crusader reinforcements built up the besieging forces, and the arrival in May 1191 of the kings of France and England gave them a numerical advantage and established a naval blockade. Constant Muslim attacks failed to dislodge them, and the garrison was forced to surrender. Saladin refused to pay ransom for its members, resulting in their execution.