Outremer
The Third Crusade
But other crusaders were arriving: Count Henry of Champagne in the summer of 1190, the remnants of Frederick's army in October, and the English a few days after that. Saladin kept the Christians pinned down before Acre, but was as unable to dislodge them as they were unable to capture the city.
Queen Sibylla died that autumn, only a few days after losing both her daughters by Guy to disease. This made her sister, Isabella, the heiress, which at the same time made Guy's claim to the kingship suddenly tenuous, for he was king only by virtue of being Sibylla's husband.
The barons, most of whom intensely disliked Guy for having led them into disaster at Hattin, looked about for a husband for Isabella and decided to choose Conrad. Isabella (reluctant but unable to resist) was married to him on 24 November 1190. Guy was furious and went so far as to challenge Conrad to trial by combat, but Conrad refused and withdrew with his new wife to Tyre.
That winter and the following spring, conditions before Acre worsened. Disease and famine stalked the camps. Only the arrival of supply ships in March 1191 saved the siege. Then King Philip of France arrived in April and King Richard of England in June, and everything changed. Richard was able to capture the city and the Third Crusade was well under way.
Guy was from Lusignan and was friendly toward Richard. He knew that Conrad was King Philip's cousin and so he determined that he had to have a powerful ally. Before the English king ever set foot in the Holy Land, Guy met him at Cyprus and won his support. After the fall of Acre in July 1191, the leading princes met and declared that Guy was King, but that Conrad and Isabella would succeed to the throne and that Conrad should have Tyre, Beirut and Sidon as his own, and that the two men should share in the royal revenues. Conrad went back to Tyre, and Guy went off to war with Richard.
But the locals still hated Guy and favored Conrad. After having failed to reach Jerusalem, Ricahrd was back in Acre in April 1192 where he summoned the barons and offered them a choice between Guy and Conrad. Much to his surprise, not one man spoke up for Guy. Richard was sensible enough to realize that Guy would never be accepted and so he declared that Conrad was now the rightful King of Jerusalem.