The Massacre of Ayyadieh occurred during the Third Crusade after the fall of Acre when King Richard I had more than two thousand Muslim prisoners of war from the captured city beheaded in front of the Ayyubid armies of sultan Saladin on 20 August 1191.

After the agreed time limit for the Saracens to hand over the cross had expired, Richard, increasingly under the impression that Saladin was stalling, decided to have his hostages publicly executed.

[8] Parts of the Ayyubid army became so enraged by the killings that they attempted to charge the Crusader lines but were repeatedly beaten back, allowing Richard I and his forces to retire in good order.

[2] According to American historian John J. Robinson; "As news of the slaughter spread throughout Saladin's empire, Christian prisoners everywhere were tortured and murdered in reprisal for their infamy.

After the 1191 loss of Acre and the Ayyadieh massacre, Saladin was supposedly frustrated by his military setbacks and also desired vengeance, leading to a spike in prisoner executions.