On this day, members of the Assassin sect killed the reigning King of Jerusalem Conrad of Montferrat. It was the era of the Third Crusade, when the Christian knights fought against the mighty Muslim ruler Saladin. As it often happened in history, the Christians were not united. The most powerful Christian ruler was the English King Richard the Lionheart, but he did not approve of the mentioned King of Jerusalem Conrad, but had his own candidate for the position.
King Conrad was killed on this day in the city of Tyre, on the street, while walking back home. He was attacked and stabbed with daggers in the back and side by two Assassins. One of the Assassins was killed on the spot, while the other was arrested. CThe captured Assassin claimed under torture that they had been hired by Richard the Lionheart, but this is impossible to prove, and confessions obtained by torture are often not reliable. It remains open whether Richard, Saladin, or someone else was responsible for Conrad’s death.
