Gerard of Ridefort

thumb|If you do not leave this pasturage, Saladin will come and attack you here. And if you retreat from his attack the shame and reproach will be very great. Gérard de Ridefort (died 4 October 1189) was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from the end of 1184 and until his death in 1189. Quotes Lord, do not believe the advice of the count [Raymond of Tripoli]. For he is a traitor, and you well know that he has no love for you, and wishes you to be shamed, and that you should lose the kingdom. But I counsel you to start out immediately, and we with you, and thereby overcome Saladin. For this is the first crisis that you have faced in your reign. If you do not leave this pasturage, Saladin will come and attack you here. And if you retreat from his attack the shame and reproach will be very great. Advice to Guy de Lusignan, precipitating the Battle of Hattin, 4 July 1187. From the account of Ernoul. Malcoln Barber, The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple (Cambridge UP, 1994) ch. 3 External links Category:People of the Crusades