Outremer
New Leaders
Once Saladin had passed to the north, Reynald immediately set out on a daring raid into the Red Sea. His idea was to raid the pilgrim caravans at sea and in their ports, and even possibly to raid Mecca itself. It was a mad scheme, but he undertook it with such daring and the Muslims were caught so unprepared, that he nearly succeeded. He brought disassembled ships with him, recaptured the port of Aila (which the Muslims had taken in 1170), built his ships and set them to raiding.
He himself remained behind because another nearby fortress held out. His fleet sank pilgrim ships, burned ships at harbor, raided the ports of Medina and Mecca, and in general wreaked havoc for a few weeks. The Egyptians mobilized as quickly as they could and eventually destroyed all the Frankish ships. They also drove Reynald back out of Aila and he retreated to the Oultrejourdain. The whole expedition galvanized both side, but Saladin vowed that Reynald would be punished for his crimes against the faithful.
By 1183, Saladin was in a very strong position to punish whom he pleased. He was Sultan in his own right now, recognized at Baghdad. The Egyptian Shi'ites hated him, but his reputation was such that they did not dare rebel openly. Reynald's actions precluded any thought of alliance with the Franks. Elsewhere, Saladin had at last taken over direct rule of Aleppo, and so his power stretched from the Euphrates to the Nile. Mosul was his only rival, and its emir dared do nothing. Saladin could turn his full attention to the Franks.
The Franks, for their part, were seriously weakened. Antioch was preoccupied as always. Reynald and his faction were openly disputing with Raymond and his faction. At one point, the Lusignan party accused Raymond of plotting against the King himself. Raymond was able to clear himself of these charges, but King Baldwin was less and less able to arbitrate such disputes. He was going blind. He fell sick of fevers regularly. His limbs were visibly decaying. In 1183, he was persuaded to hand the regency to Guy of Lusignan, Sibylla's husband.