Saladin

Life and political setting

Saladin was born at Tikrit into the Kurdish Ayyubid family. He accompanied his uncle Shirkuh on the Egyptian expeditions and became Fatimid vizier in 1169. In 1171 he ended the Fatimid caliphate and restored the Abbasid sermon; after Nur al-Din's death he gradually brought Damascus, Aleppo and much of the surrounding region under his authority.

Career during the Crusading era

In 1187 Saladin assembled a large army and destroyed the main forces of Jerusalem at Hattin. He then recovered most of the kingdom's towns, while Jerusalem surrendered by negotiation on 2 October. During the Third Crusade he lost Acre but retained Jerusalem, concluding the Treaty of Jaffa with Richard in 1192 and permitting Latin pilgrimage to the holy places.

Documented activity: a chronological record

On 1163 – 1169, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Crusader–Zengid campaigns in Egypt” at Cairo – Bilbeis – Alexandria. The event is documented through İbnü’l-Esîr, Willermus Tyrensis, Cambridge History of War. On 26 March 1169, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Saladin becomes Fatimid vizier” at Cairo. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’.

On September 1171, Saladin appears in the atlas record “End of the Fatimid Caliphate” at Cairo. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On May–November 1174, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Deaths of Nur al-Din and Amalric I; Saladin enters Damascus” at Damascus and Jerusalem. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’.

On 25 November 1177, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Battle of Montgisard” at near Ramla. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 10 June 1179, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Battle of Marj Ayyun” at Litani Valley. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’.

On 29 August 1179, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Destruction of Jacob's Ford castle” at Jordan River / Jacob's Ford. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 12 June 1183, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Aleppo submits to Saladin” at Aleppo. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’.

On 1185, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Truce with the Kingdom of Jerusalem” at Levant. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 1186 (late), Saladin appears in the atlas record “Raid on the Kerak caravan” at Moab / Kerak. The event is documented through Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, İbnü’l-Esîr, TDV İA, ‘Haçlılar’.

On 3–4 July 1187, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Battle of Hattin” at Hattin. The event is documented through İmâdüddin el-İsfahânî, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, Ernoul. On 20 September – 2 October 1187, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Surrender of Jerusalem to Saladin” at Jerusalem. The event is documented through Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, İmâdüddin el-İsfahânî, Ernoul.

On November 1187 – January 1188, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Defence of Tyre” at Tyre. The event is documented through Ernoul, İbnü’l-Esîr, TDV İA, ‘Sûr’. On 28 August 1189 – 12 July 1191, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Siege of Acre” at Acre. The event is documented through Itinerarium Peregrinorum, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, İbnü’l-Esîr.

On 1189–1192, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Third Crusade” at Anatolia and Levant. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 20 August 1191, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Killing of the Acre prisoners” at Ayyadiya / Acre. The event is documented through Itinerarium Peregrinorum, Ambroise, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd.

On 7 September 1191, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Battle of Arsuf” at Arsuf. The event is documented through Itinerarium Peregrinorum, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, World History Encyclopedia kronolojisi. On July – 2 September 1192, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Battle of Jaffa and peace treaty” at Jaffa. The event is documented through Itinerarium Peregrinorum, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, TDV İA, ‘Haçlılar’.

On 4 March 1193, Saladin appears in the atlas record “Death of Saladin” at Damascus. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’.

Allies, opponents and geographical range

Saladin appears in the same records as Amalric I, Shirkuh, el-Âdıd, Nur al-Din Zengi, I. Amaury, Baldwin IV, Renaud de Châtillon, Guy de Lusignan, Balian d’Ibelin, Conrad de Montferrat, Richard the Lionheart, Philip Augustus. Co-occurrence does not always indicate alliance: the connection may involve command, dynastic rivalry, captivity, negotiation or direct conflict.

The principal geographical range represented in the atlas is Cairo – Bilbeis – Alexandria; Cairo; Damascus and Jerusalem; near Ramla; Litani Valley; Jordan River / Jacob's Ford; Aleppo; Levant; Moab / Kerak; Hattin; Jerusalem; Tyre; Acre; Anatolia and Levant; Ayyadiya / Acre; Arsuf; Jaffa; Damascus. These places record not only presence but also the supply lines, diplomatic contacts and limits of authority relevant to the biography.

Results of recorded decisions

The “Crusader–Zengid campaigns in Egypt” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.

The “Saladin becomes Fatimid vizier” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.

The “End of the Fatimid Caliphate” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.

The “Deaths of Nur al-Din and Amalric I; Saladin enters Damascus” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.

Sources and historiography

Arabic chronicles, biographical dictionaries and inscriptions illuminate legitimacy and political networks within the Islamic world. Latin, Armenian, Syriac and Byzantine accounts record the same person as opponent or ally. Victory titles, jihad rhetoric and royal praise must be distinguished from the recoverable sequence of events.

Names and titles vary between languages; Saladin, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf should be searched together in catalogues and texts. Approximate dates remain marked as such, and later literary or visual fame is separated from contemporary testimony.