King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem led the Crusader victory at the Battle of Montgisard in 1177. The battle took place on 25 November near Ramla, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, when Saladin invaded while much of the Crusader army was campaigning elsewhere.
Baldwin was only about 16 years old and was already suffering from leprosy, yet he marched from Ascalon with a small force to confront Saladin. Knights Templar under Grand Master Odo of St Amand joined him, along with Raynald of Châtillon and other nobles. The Crusaders attacked Saladin’s army near Montgisard, catching it dispersed and unprepared.
The victory was a major shock because Saladin’s army was probably several times larger, although medieval estimates may exaggerate the numbers. Saladin escaped, but much of his force was destroyed or scattered. Baldwin later commemorated the victory by founding a monastery dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
A common mix-up is confusing Montgisard with the later Battle of Hattin in 1187, where Saladin defeated the Crusaders and helped reclaim Jerusalem. Baldwin IV’s victory at Montgisard came ten years earlier.