The river in Cilicia traditionally associated with Frederick Barbarossa’s drowning in 1190.
The Saleph (Göksu) River in Cilicia (modern southern Turkey) was the site where Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor and leader of the German crusade army, drowned in June 1190 while crossing. His death was one of the most consequential events of the Third Crusade.
Frederick's drowning at the Saleph devastated the large German crusading force. Much of his army dispersed after his death; only a remnant continued to the Holy Land under his son Frederick of Swabia. The collapse of the German contingent left Richard I of England and Philip II of France as the dominant leaders of the Third Crusade and contributed to its failure to retake Jerusalem.