Fall of Ruad

<p>The fall of Ruad in 1302 was one of the culminating events of the <a href="/facts/Crusades/mblv9nwI">Crusades</a> in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 1291, the Crusaders had lost their main power base at the coastal city of <a href="/facts/Siege_of_Acre_(1291)/Qcrd9czt">Acre</a>, and the Muslim <a href="/facts/Mamluk/78wJT4nN">Mamluks</a> had been systematically destroying the remaining Crusader ports and fortresses in the region, forcing the Crusaders to relocate the dwindling <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Jerusalem/xaUe9BQr">Kingdom of Jerusalem</a> to the island of <a href="/facts/Cyprus/t9wL6lVK">Cyprus</a>. In 1299–1300, the Cypriots sought to retake the Syrian port city of <a href="/facts/Tartus/UB9zaAcX">Tortosa</a>, by setting up a staging area on Ruad, two miles (3 km) off the coast of Tortosa. The plans were to <a href="/facts/Franco-Mongol_alliance/KcJ36NUG">coordinate an offensive</a> between the forces of the Crusaders, and those of the <a href="/facts/Ilkhanate/ukltWdQk">Ilkhanate</a> (Mongol Persia). However, though the Crusaders successfully established a bridgehead on the island, the Mongols did not arrive, and the Crusaders were forced to withdraw the bulk of their forces to Cyprus. The <a href="/facts/Knights_Templar/1IEETuMg">Knights Templar</a> set up a permanent garrison on the island in 1300, but the Mamluks besieged and captured Ruad in 1302. With the loss of the island, the Crusaders lost their last foothold in the <a href="/facts/Holy_Land/lju6CuUX">Holy Land</a> and it marked the end of 
their presence in the <a href="/facts/Levant/uuJLt3Af">Levant</a> region.
</p>

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Fall of Ruad