The Third Crusade was launched by European leaders in response to the capture of Jerusalem by the Muslim leader Saladin in 1187. The crusade was led by the German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the French King Philip II, and the English King Richard I. The crusaders were able to capture several cities in the Holy Land, but they were ultimately unsuccessful in retaking Jerusalem. By the end of the Third Crusade, the Muslims still had control of Jerusalem and most of the Holy Land.