Saladin (c. 1138–1193)

The Great Seal of King Richard I, who spent most of his reign away from England. He was a notable soldier who fought in the third Crusade 1191–92, defeating the Muslim leader Saladin and capturing Acre.

A contemporary portrait of Saladin, c. 1180. Some of his most famous victories took place during the 1170s and 1180s, when he defeated several waves of attack by the crusading Christian nations of western Europe.

Kurdish conqueror of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Saladin believed in jihad (holy war) – the Muslim equivalent of the crusades. He conquered Syria 1174–87, and recovered Jerusalem from the Christians in 1187, sparking the Third Crusade (1191–92). The Christian army, headed by Philip II of France and Richard (I) the Lion-heart of England retook Acre in 1191, but Saladin was a brilliant general and the Third Crusade, although inflicting some defeats, achieved little. In 1192 he made peace with Richard (I) the Lionheart, left fighting alone after quarrels with his allies.

Saladin was recognized, even by his opponents, for his knightly courtesy, piety, and justice. His administration also improved communications, leaving behind a network of roads and canals, and built many citadels (castle or city strongholds).

Saladin was tutored in the military arts by his uncle, a general in Aleppo, before becoming the ruler of Egypt in 1169 and of Aleppo in 1183. He won fame in Egypt at the Battle of al-Babein and under siege in Alexandria in 1167. In 1171, when the last Fatimid caliph was deposed, he was made governor. This position enabled him to seize Damascus in 1174 and Aleppo in 1183, so providing him with the resources of a hinterland stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates to turn against the crusader states.

In 1187 he trapped King Guy at Hattin, taking him prisoner along with virtually the entire military forces of the Latin Kingdom. As a result Saladin was able to capture practically all the castles of the Christian Kingdom by 1189. Saladin was eventually put on the defensive by the Christian Siege of Acre (1189–91), which was successful after the arrival of Richard the Lion-heart and other crusaders, and by his defeat by Richard at Arsuf in 1191. He lived long enough, however, to see his greatest opponent leave for Europe without having recaptured Jerusalem, and proved himself the superior strategist.