Saladin

Retook Jerusalem after the Battle of Hattin; renowned for magnanimity and keeping his word.

Life

Kurdish Military Family

Saladin came from a Kurdish military family and served the Zengid regime under his uncle Shirkuh, who was sent to Egypt to support the Fatimid court. At the time the Levant was carved up among the Crusader states and Muslim princes, and Egypt's declining Fatimid regime had become the focus of rivalry among all sides.

Founding a Dynasty and Hattin

In 1169 he became vizier of Egypt; in 1171 he ended the Fatimid caliphate, recognized Baghdad as the legitimate caliphate, and founded the Ayyubid Sultanate. Over the following decade and more he annexed Syria and northern Mesopotamia, uniting the Muslim forces. In 1187 he annihilated the main Crusader army at the Battle of Hattin and soon retook Jerusalem.

Magnanimity and Peace

After capturing Jerusalem he allowed its inhabitants to ransom themselves and leave the city, in contrast to the massacre 88 years earlier, and his magnanimity and good faith won praise even in Christian sources. During the Third Crusade he fought a long stalemate with Richard I and finally made peace, keeping the Holy City. He died with almost no personal wealth, and his dynasty was soon replaced by the Mamluks.

Legacy

Saladin united the Muslim forces of Egypt and Syria, retook Jerusalem, and became the symbol of the Islamic world's resistance to the Crusades. His magnanimity, good faith and generosity were praised even in contemporary Christian sources, making him a "chivalrous" figure in medieval European legend. On the other hand, his rise involved the absorption of Muslim regimes such as that of the Zengid family, and some scholars point out that his image has been shaped for political purposes in modern times.

Major works & achievements

• Ends the Fatimid Caliphate and founds the Ayyubid Sultanate
• 1187: Inflicts a crushing defeat on the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin
• Retook Jerusalem
• Made peace with Richard I in 1192

Did you know? When Kaiser William II visited Damascus in 1898, he donated a marble sarcophagus for Saladin's tomb.

Key dates

• 1164Accompanied his uncle on expeditions to Egypt
• 1169Became vizier of Egypt
• 1171Ends the Fatimid Caliphate and founds the Ayyubid Sultanate
• 1174Enters Damascus and annexes Syria
• 1187Victory at the Battle of Hattin; Jerusalem retaken
• 1191Acre falls; stalemate with Richard I
• 1192Signed a treaty with Richard I
• 1193Died of illness in Damascus