Introduction: Who was Salahuddin?
Salahuddin Ayyubi, also known as Saladin,
is widely known as one of the most important
people in the Middle East during the medieval
times.
He is the one that founded the Ayyubid dynasty,
and he was also the first person that held
the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
Here's a short insight into the history of
Saladin and how he became such an iconic name.
Who was Salahuddin Ayyubi and why is he famous? |
Saladin's Importance in History: A Brief Overview
Why is Saladin so significant from a historical
standpoint?
Saladin lived between 1137 and 1193.
He was both the Sultan of Syria and Egypt,
and the reason why he is widely known is because
he got to defeat multiple Crusader states
at the Battle of Hattin.
He also captured Jerusalem in 1187.
He got to unify the eastern part of Egypt
down to Arabia, he got to maintain his supremacy.
In doing so, Saladin repelled the third crusade
and he also managed to destroy the Latin East
states.
He is indeed an iconic person from that time,
both thanks to his political and warfare skill,
but also thanks to his personality.
Early Days of Salahuddin ayyubi:
His father was a Kurdish mercenary, and he
was born at the castle of Tikrit, near Baghdad.
What makes Saladin unique however is the fact
that even from a young age, he was a very
good polo player and he was also a very skilled
horseman.
After acquiring a variety of different skills
near his home, he went with his uncle named
Shirkuh in a campaign, as he became the ruler
of Egypt in 1169.
Salahuddin Becomes Governor of Egypt:
As time went by, Saladin became governor in
Egypt thanks to Nur ad-Din, taking over from
the relative.
People from that era say that Saladin was
short, he had a round face and black eyes,
as well as a black beard.
He always tried to add family members in authority
positions to ensure that he had control, which
was incredibly important during that time.
Once Nur ad-Din lost his life in May 1174,
the Muslim state coalition started to break
down, and that's when Saladin stood out, claiming
he was the rightful heir.
It was at that time that he managed to take
over Egypt, something that was hard to fathom
at that time.
Salahuddin unified the Muslim world:
After he became the sultan of Egypt, he went
on to capture Damascus in 1174.
At that time, he claimed to be the Sunni Orthodoxy
protector.
The fact that he was removed from the Shiite
the caliph in Cairo actively brought a lot of
weight to his claim.
He was accepted as protector, and then he
went on to unify the Muslim world or at least
create a coalition.
Since there were so many city rulers and states,
that felt very difficult in the beginning,
yet Saladin was one of those people that never
gave up.
To create the coalition, Saladin
had to rely on a combination of diplomacy
and warfare.
He fought and defeated an army at Hama in
1175, so he had to deal with some battles
here and there.
Another thing to note here is the fact that
he cemented his power mostly thanks to the
caliph of Baghdad recognized him to be the
governor of Yemen, Egypt, and Syria.
Despite that, Aleppo was still independent,
and it was ruled by Nur ad-Din's son.
The son was bringing quite a lot of trouble
from a diplomatic perspective.
Since the Sultan of Egypt survived 2 attacks,
Saladin replied to that by attacking the Masyaf
Assassin castle.
Not only did he defeat them, but he also pillaged
the entire area, which was quite the achievement
for that time.
But Saladin wasn't always about warfare.
Diplomacy and Warfare: How Salahuddin Maintained His Power
He usually tried to get things done the diplomatic
way.
He married Nur ad-Din's widow, as well as
Unur's daughter later on.
He managed to associate himself with 2 important
ruling dynasties at that time.
The franks defeated Saladin at Mont Gisard
in 1177, however, he did capture a Jordan fortress
and he also had a victory in 1179 at Mont
Gisard.
He managed to show everyone that he wanted
to eliminate westerners from the Middle East,
something that brought him a lot of support
during that time.
Saladin's Reputation and Position as Defender of Islam
Salahuddin ayyubi also had a reputation when it came
to the way he behaved and how he worked with
other people.
He was focused on bringing justice into the
fold, all while being very generous.
On top of that, people saw him as the defender
of Islam, more specifically against the Christians.
His position became even more impressive in
1183 when he got to capture Aleppo.
He created an Egyptian fleet to prepare for
any possible attacks that would come from
Christianity.
Victory in the Battle of Hattin and Capture of Jerusalem
By the time 1185 arrived, Saladin was incomplete
control over Mosul and he signed a treaty.
He and the Byzantine Empire would work together
to combat the Seljuks.
They were a thorn in both empire's sides,
so it's easy to see why Saladin wanted to
get rid of them.
Around that time, there were issues regarding
who would rule Jerusalem, and the franks were
also distracted by a variety of conflicts.
The franks attacked the castle of Kerak in
April 1187, which was commanded by Saladin's
son at that time.
Due to the attack, he started gathering a
a huge army that had Jazira, Aleppo, Syria and
Egypt.
Of course, the franks created their own army,
and they battled at Hattin.
The battles of Jerusalem and Hattin
At the beginning of July, mounted archers
attacked and also retreated, making sure they
harassed the Franks.
On the 4 of July that year, they brought a
larger attack.
Saladin brought around 20000 troops to the
battle of Hattin, and he faced the franks that
were commanded by Guy of Lusignan, which at
that time was the King of Jerusalem.
They had around 1300 knights and 15000 infantry,
so Saladin's army had a lot more people.
On top of that, the franks were short on water
and supplies in general.
Saladin's army set the dry grass on fire and
that made the enemy situation even worse at
that time.
Raymond of Tripoli and his cavalry force did
eventually manage to break the Muslim attack team,
but the others had nowhere to go, Saladin
brought a massive victory at Hattin thanks
to that.
Some of the captured nobles were released
for ransom, including Guy of Lusignan.
Others were executed, such as Reynald of Chatillon
prime example.
The Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar
were also executed.
In September 1187, Saladin went ahead and
captured Jerusalem, which was pretty much
undefended at that time.
The Christians from the eastern side were
allowed to stay in the city, even if most
churches were turned into mosques.
He went on to conquer Caesarea, Jaffa, Nazareth,
Tiberia and Acre, among others.
The third crusade
Saladin brought the idea of a holy war against
the Christians for a long time.
It was in 1187 when Pope Gregory IIIrd called
for a new crusade with the idea of getting
Jerusalem back.
At that time, the kings of Germany, England, and France responded and they created an alliance.
They joined Guy of Lusignan and
tried to siege Saladin's land.
The Crusader army eventually captured Acre
in July 1191, as well as 70 ships from Saladin's
army.
Then they went south to Jerusalem.
There was a massive battle in September 1191
on the plains of Arsuf.
The crusaders won there, however Saladin's
the army didn't suffer major losses.
The loss of Arsuf, Acre, and Jaffa ended up
damaging Saladin's reputation.
Death and legacy
Even though the crusaders acquired
some towns, the truth is that he did end up
acquiring a lot of artifacts.
That being said, he didn't profit that much
from the Crusader departure, since he died
on the 4th March 1193.
He was only 56 years old at that time, and
it's speculated that his death came from the
time and effort spent on all the campaigns.
As you can imagine, the Muslim coalition was
extremely volatile even when he created it,
so it disbanded very fast once Saladin died.
Conclusion: Salahuddin's Legacy and Iconic Status
Salahuddin ayyubi is widely known for creating the Ayyubid dynasty which continued
to rule Syria until 1260 and Egypt until 1250.
These regions were both acquired by the Mamluks
at those respective dates.
It's important to note that Saladin left a
massive legacy in the military world, but
he also shared a literary heritage too.
His diplomatic skills and leadership skills
in particular, were the topic for many books.
A lot of people still respect and appreciate
his work and the unique way he managed to
control so many different regions throughout
his lifetime!