4 – Saladin (1137/38 – 1193)
The Egyptian Sultan is one of the most famous Muslim commanders of all time. He is best known for his role in the Third Crusade where he fought the legendary English King Richard the Lionheart. Saladin was born in Tikrit, modern-day Iraq, in 1137 or 1138 in a family with Kurdish ancestry. His military career began under the command of his uncle Shirkuh, and he followed him into various battles. Saladin is credited for helping his army defeat Hugh of Caesarea in a battle near the River Nile.
He became the head of the Muslim military forces in Egypt in 1169, but once the Mesopotamian leader Nur al-Din died in 1174, Saladin spent practically no time in the Nile Valley even though Egypt was his number one source of financial support. For the next 13 years, Saladin spent most of his time fighting fellow Muslims and conquered Mosul, Damascus, and Aleppo among other cities. He established the Ayyubid Dynasty and was prepared to make truces with Crusaders to free up his army to fight Muslims.
However, this state of affairs did not last, and Saladin began the war against the Crusaders that lasted for the rest of his life. Modern historians are not in agreement over his motivation although it seems as if Saladin started a holy war to get rid of Latin military and political control in the Middle East and he was determined to take Jerusalem from the Christians.
By July 1187, he had captured most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He enjoyed a significant win over the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin on July 4, 1187. At Hattin, the Muslim army killed virtually all of the 20,000 man enemy army although he spared the life of Guy of Lusignan. At this stage, Saladin had control of almost every Crusader city, and while he wanted to take Jerusalem without any further bloodshed, his offer of peace terms in exchange for surrender was rejected by the inhabitants. They declared that they would rather die than hand over the city.
Eventually, the city fell on October 2, but Saladin allowed a number of poor Franks to leave the city without paying the agreed-upon ransom. Tyre was the last major city left to conquer, but it withstood two sieges, and in 1189, the Third Crusade began with Richard I leading the Christian forces. They took the Muslim-held city of Acre and slaughtered its inhabitants. Saladin suffered defeat at Arsuf on September 7, 1191. He tried to take the city of Jaffa but lost a crucial battle in July 1192.
Ultimately, Saladin came to peace terms with Richard as he agreed to recognize Crusader control of the Palestinian coast from Tyre all the way to Jaffa. They also agreed upon a three-year peace. Saladin died of fever on March 4, 1193, in Damascus. He had practically no money to his name because he gave away all of his wealth during his life. Although he was the enemy, Saladin is viewed in a favorable light in Europe because of his generosity and chivalry.