The Third Crusade lasted from 1189 C.E. to 1192 C.E. The three major leaders of the Crusade on the Holy Land were Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany, Philip II Augustus of France, and, of course, Richard I the Lionheart of England. Frederick's troops marched through Germany and around to get to the holy land, and was a relatively successful march, until he drowned, and his troops fell into disaray. Only about three percent of the original German crusaders made it to Acre to join in the seige. Philip and Richard's troops sailed to the Holy Land, but had to spend the Winter in Sicily, creating tension between the two. Afterward, Philip sailed directly to Acre to join the seige, but Richard conquered Cyprus first in order to have a foothold in the area. Much of the fighting began between the armies of the Crusaders, led by Richard, and the Muslims led by Saladin. When Saladin tried to ambush Richard's troops, they were prepared. The great loss on Saladin's troops caused him never to try another direct attack, but he began a scorched earth campaign, destroying all water and food as the marched away from the Crusades. Eventually, Saladin and Richard came to an agreement to allow Christian pilgrims to go to Jerusalem, but the main purpose, to regain Jerusalem, failed.
