The Crusader-King Vs The Supreme Warlord Of Islam
By capturing the holy city of Jerusalem for Islam, Saladin became the supreme warlord of the Muslim faith. But his greatest triumph also brought forth the most relentless enemy he had ever seen: King Richard I. As Saladin and Richard braced for the final confrontation, the outcome was one neither could have predicted.
1. He Was A Scholar And A Warrior
Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayub (Saladin) was born in 1137 in Tikrit, in what is now Iraq. His parents were Kurds from Armenia. Growing up in Damascus, the studious Saladin seemed destined for academia. Hired as an advisor by an uncle who was a soldier of fortune, Saladin quickly proved himself in battle. Able to out-think his opponents as well as out-fight them, by 1187 Saladin had emerged as Sultan of Egypt and Syria. But he had one problem.
Cristofano dell'Altissimo, Wikimedia Commons
2. He Had One Goal
Saladin burned with resentment over the crusader presence in the Middle East, especially their control over the sacred city of Jerusalem. Now leader of a large portion of the Muslim world, Saladin believed the time had come for a jihad or “struggle” to drive the Crusaders out of the Holy Land once and for all.
12mv12, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
3. He Shattered The Crusaders
Instead of besieging Jerusalem directly, Saladin led his army to within 20 miles of the city. The crusader forces foolishly marched out to meet them without laying in proper supplies. With all the water sources held by the Muslim armies, the ensuing Battle of Hattin saw the complete destruction of the famished crusaders. The way to Jerusalem was wide open.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
4. He Made It Look That Easy
The following siege of Jerusalem lasted into its 10th day before an emissary appeared offering surrender in return for safe passage for the city’s Christian inhabitants. On October 2, 1187, Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin’s forces. The holy city was under Muslim control for the first time since 1099. But to the surprise of the defeated, there would be no retribution.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
5. He Was Generous In Victory
In contrast to the thousands executed by the crusaders when they captured Jerusalem back in 1099 at the end of the First Crusade, Saladin allowed Christians to leave the city for a ransom. He also invited the Jews of the region to settle in Jerusalem again. But while he basked in the glow of a history-shattering success, Saladin still had unfinished business elsewhere.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
6. He Left The Back Door Open
With Jerusalem firmly under his control, Saladin’s gaze now fell on the coastal city of Tyre where all the crusader forces were regrouping. Saladin put the city to a siege, but couldn’t break through the walls. The successful last-ditch stand by the crusaders, led by Conrad of Montferrat, left the Christians with a foothold in the Holy Land that they would soon take maximum advantage of.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
7. He Was Third In Line
Richard Plantagenet was born in Oxford in 1157 to King Henry II of England and his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard was the third of the royal couple’s five sons, and the chance of him ever succeeding his father seemed like a long shot. But the young Richard quickly found another path to credibility.
Merry-Joseph Blondel, Wikimedia Commons
8. His Nickname Stuck
Richard gained renown through his relentless campaign against the French barons who rebelled against his father’s rule. As one castle after another toppled before Richard’s forces, he soon gained the nickname “Lionheart” for his exploits. As Richard’s power and reputation grew, the name became an inseparable part of his persona.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
9. He Had A One-Track Mind
With the untimely demise of both of his older brothers, and Richard’s final defeat of his father Henry II after years of inter-family fighting, Richard was crowned King of England. Still deeply disturbed by the fall of Jerusalem to the Muslims, he was already making plans, and they all revolved around one name: Saladin.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
10. He Was All The Way In
Now King of England, Richard raised money and manpower for a new crusade. Imposing the so-called “Saladin tithe” of 10% of all revenues, Richard cleaned out his treasury to finance his march on the Holy Land. Leaving the day-to-day affairs of England to his ministers, Richard staked every last resource at his disposal to reconquer Jerusalem. But he was far from the only man on a mission.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
11. He Had An Uneasy Ally
Philip II of France, who had helped Richard defeat Henry II, also took up the cross and the two kings agreed to work as a partnership. Travelling together on the crusade, neither of the two leaders would then be able to interfere with the other’s territories in their absence. With this uneasy alliance in place, the two leaders set out.
Louis-Félix Amiel, Wikimedia Commons
12. He Found Trouble On The Way
Richard and Philip arrived that September in Sicily to release Richard’s sister Joan who had been imprisoned by King Tancred. Richard demanded Tancred release her, which he wisely did. With the political situation unstable, Richard and Philip ended up staying the winter in Sicily. After crusaders sacked the Sicilian town of Messina, Richard set off in April 1191 knowing they had far outstayed their welcome. Meanwhile, Saladin was on the move as well.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
13. His Opponent Was Getting Ready
Saladin wasn’t idle throughout this time. After his failed siege of Tyre, he regrouped his forces and headed north to Lebanon to besiege the crusader castle at Beaufort. Saladin gave Raynald, the commander of the castle, a generous three-month period to depart, but when Raynald asked for more time, Saladin took him prisoner. The remaining crusaders surrendered the castle. With the castle now under his control, Saladin waited for Richard’s arrival.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
14. He Had To Free Them
Richard learned that some of his ships had been wrecked on the coast of Cyprus after a storm, and their passengers imprisoned by the king there. After his demands to release the hostages were refused, Richard stormed the capital and released them by force. Knowing the strategic value of the island, Richard then decided to conquer Cyprus for himself. With this conquest complete, Richard continued to the Holy land.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
15. He Was Finally On His Way
At last, with the distractions behind him, Richard and his fleet set off for Acre. They arrived at the port on June 8, 1191, almost a full year after they had set sail. As Richard joined Philip II in the siege of the fortress of Acre, he was relieved to have stable lines of communication behind him in the Mediterranean—for the challenge of defeating Saladin was finally before him.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
16. He Took Command
The crusader siege of the Muslim citadel of Acre had ground on for two years by the time Richard arrived. Saladin’s forces had also laid siege to the Christian forces outside the walls in an attempt to relieve the garrison. The arrival of Richard, an old pro at defeating castles, was critical in breaking the deadlock. But first, Richard wanted to meet Saladin to see if a surrender could be negotiated.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
17. He Wanted A Meeting
One of the first things Richard did on his arrival was to draft a note politely requesting a meeting with Saladin. Though flattered, the calculating Saladin wasn’t quite ready to let his guard down. He politely declined the offer, but Richard’s move had opened communications between the two warrior-kings that would continue for the rest of the Third Crusade. Meanwhile, Richard faced a new foe.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
18. He Got Sick
Richard became seriously ill at the worst possible time, coming down with an ailment that resembled scurvy. The disease knocked Philip II out of commission for the time being as well. While Richard pondered how to proceed with his diplomatic overtures to Saladin, he received a surprising gift.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
19. He Told Him To Get Well Soon
Word of Richard’s illness travelled fast. The English king was surprised to receive messengers from Saladin bearing a huge container of ice that they obtained from the mountains in Lebanon. While he now had a solid basis of negotiations with Saladin, Richard still wanted to take the citadel of Acre by force. Though knocked flat by his sickness, Richard was far from out of the fight.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
20. He Led While He Was Flat On His Back
Still reeling from the effects of his illness, Richard ordered that he be carried to the walls on a litter. Richard’s presence on the lines lifted the spirits of the crusaders, confirming to them his illustrious nickname. It also allowed Richard to see how the siege was progressing—and it was progressing well!
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
21. They Saw The Walls Cave In
With Acre’s walls undermined and riddled with holes, Saladin’s men inside the city could no longer hold out. The city surrendered on July 12, 1191. The end of the long-contested struggle brought delight to Richard and the other crusaders. As for Saladin, he was “like a mother who has lost her child”. But now an even more ominous question loomed: What would Richard do with the 2,700 prisoners taken in the city?
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
22. He Had Something They Wanted
While he lamented the loss of the important citadel of Acre, Saladin still thought he could win freedom for the thousands taken prisoner by the crusaders. He had a fragment of the True Cross, the exact cross on which Christ himself had been crucified. Knowing the crusaders would do anything to get their hands on the piece, Saladin felt he could exploit this advantage in negotiations. But Richard was plagued by other problems.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
23. They Didn’t See Eye To Eye
As the flags of the crusader nations were raised over Acre, their leaders argued over how to proceed. Though the Holy city of Jerusalem hadn’t even been captured, the power-hungry chieftains each had very different ideas about who should be in charge of Jerusalem when the dust settled.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
24. He Had His Guy For The Job
Richard was adamant that Guy de Lusignan, who had ruled Jerusalem before Saladin’s conquest be reinstalled once the crusaders could recapture the city. Leopold V, commander of the German crusader contingent, along with Philip II both supported Conrad of Montferrat for the Jerusalem throne. Richard’s impulsive personality soon blew the lid off the dispute.
25. He Made Another Rash Move
Richard was enraged to see the flag of Leopold V raised to an equal level as those of Philip II and himself. As a replacement and vassal of the deceased King Frederick Barbarossa, Leopold should have been much lower in the pecking order. Richard tore down Leopold’s flag and tossed it in the dirt. It caused an immediate rupture in crusader ranks.
Josef Kremer, Wikimedia Commons
26. He Lost Their Support
Leopold V immediately packed his bags and quit the crusade, vowing to even the score with Richard at a later date. Disillusioned with Richard and worried about troubles back in France, Philip II also pulled out and headed for home. With the Third Crusade now entirely in Richard’s hands, he sized up what to do about the 2,700 Muslims he still held captive.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
27. He Went Big
Richard knew that Saladin held thousands of crusaders prisoner himself. Richard wanted to make an exchange, but he also felt the victory at Acre gave him the natural right to make strong demands of the wily sultan. He demanded Saladin give up the fragment of the True Cross and 100,000 gold pieces in addition to the prisoner exchange. But Saladin had ideas of his own.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
28. He Wanted To Stall For Time
Saladin was in no hurry to rush to the negotiating table. Feeling that the piece of the True Cross was his ultimate bargaining chip, he was reluctant to part with it. He also believed that the crusaders’ food supplies would be endangered if they could be kept waiting until autumn. As Saladin soon learned, Richard was not a man who waited around for anyone.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
29. He Snapped
As the negotiations dragged on into late August, Richard’s trust in Saladin ran out. Worried that he was being played for a fool, and wanting to get moving to Jerusalem, Richard cast aside all compassion. He ordered all 2,700 prisoners to be executed. The crusaders carried out the grisly act in full view of Saladin’s men, who were unable to put a stop to the carnage. A furious Saladin would show his ugly side as well.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
30. He Returned The Favor
Saladin sent the fragment of the True Cross back to Damascus and ordered the immediate execution of all crusaders that they held prisoner. Throughout the Holy land, this amount totalled 1,600. While magnanimous with the defeated forces at Jerusalem four years prior, defeat had now brought out Saladin’s vengeful side. As Richard moved out, Saladin swore he would get even.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
31. He Headed South
Richard and the crusaders headed south along the Mediterranean coast toward the port of Jaffa. The closest seaport to Jerusalem, Jaffa would be a prime base for Richard to use when he made his move on the sacred city. They were dogged every step of the way by Saladin’s men. Richard knew it was only a matter of time before they would have to stand and fight.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
32. He Won Another Victory
Unable to slow Richard down, Saladin chose to attack the crusaders near the coastal settlement of Arsuf. Though Richard loved to attack the enemy first, at Arsuf, he showed his ability to keep his men disciplined while under a ferocious attack. After resisting Saladin’s attacks, the knights charged and defeated Saladin’s warriors. But Richard wasn’t just sitting back directing the action.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
33. His Sword Got Plenty Of Work
After all the tension of negotiations and subsequent marching, Richard found a cathartic release in this new outburst of violence. Plunging into the action in full force, he cut a swath through the Muslim opponents in his midst. Richard’s leadership and personal bravery had secured victory at Arsuf. With Richard’s reputation at an all-time high, Saladin fell back to regroup.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
34. He Saw Doubt Creep In
Realizing that Richard was a far more dangerous enemy than he had anticipated, Saladin retreated from the coast. His army was badly smashed but still intact. Viewed as almost invincible after his victories at Hattin and Jerusalem, Saladin suddenly seemed vulnerable. As doubts swirled around him, the Sultan pondered his options.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
35. He Still Had Some Cards To Play
Saladin still felt he had some advantages over Richard. To take Jerusalem, the crusaders would have to leave their coastal bases behind. And Saladin still believed that the disunity and conflicting political interests in the crusader leadership would play a role in the unfolding drama. His hunch was about to be proven right.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
36. He Welcomed Negotiations
Conrad of Montferrat had defended Tyre from Saladin’s onslaught after the fall of Jerusalem. Frozen out by Richard as the prospective king of Jerusalem, Conrad now worried that Richard might attack Tyre himself. Knowing he would be in the Holy land long after the other crusaders returned to Europe, he refused Richard’s call for help. Instead, he reached out to Saladin to make a separate deal to protect Tyre.
François-Édouard Picot, Wikimedia Commons
37. He Made An Unusual Offer
Richard and his crusaders swaggered into Jaffa and set up base. After his victory at Arsuf, Richard decided to negotiate from a position of strength. He offered to arrange the marriage of his sister Joan to Saladin’s brother and chief negotiator, Al-Adil, but obvious religious differences made the union impossible. With the soft option off the table, Richard began to move on Jerusalem.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
38. He Began The Last Stage
Confident of victory, Richard and the crusaders advanced to within a few miles of Jerusalem. Then the conditions worsened. A cold snap set in, with rain and hail storms battering the crusaders. Far from his base of supply, and without the help of Conrad of Montferrat, Richard still felt he could take Jerusalem; but could he keep it? For the moment, Richard’s usual audacity abandoned him—he retreated to the coast.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
39. He Bet On The Wrong Horse
Knowing he could take another crack at Jerusalem, Richard spent the winter at Jaffa. That April, he was shocked when Conrad of Montferrat was unanimously elected King of Jerusalem. It was a total repudiation of Richard’s preferred candidate, Guy of Lusignan. With Guy no longer a factor in the Holy land, Richard consoled him with a lordship of Cyprus. But an even worse crisis soon erupted.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
40. He Was A Prime Suspect
Within days of winning the election, Conrad was slain on the streets of Tyre. Although Richard had validated Conrad’s accession to the Jerusalem throne, suspicion immediately fell on him. Who ordered the act, or whether the assassins acted alone, will never be known. But dissension and mistrust of Richard had now set in.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
41. He Saw The Cracks Grow Wider
In the Spring of 1192, the crusaders again fought their way to within view of Jerusalem, and again found cause for hesitation. Richard suddenly advocated invading Egypt to completely unseat Saladin before attacking Jerusalem. With leadership divided about how to proceed and Richard unwilling to lead an assault on the coveted city, the crusaders left for the coast again. But Saladin wasn’t finished with them.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
42. He Caught Them Off Guard
Sensing the divisions and distraction in crusader ranks, Saladin suddenly seized the opportunity to attack Jaffa. With only a small contingent left to hold the fort, most of Jaffa fell to Saladin’s forces with only a tiny citadel holding out. Richard rushed into action.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
43. He Waded Into The Fight
Richard commandeered a small fleet with about 2,000 men and sailed down the coast to Jaffa. Wading ashore, he led the counterattack that relieved the town. Though Richard won another victory, both he and Saladin knew that the conflict couldn’t continue much longer.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
44. He Couldn’t Do It Any Longer
By this time, Richard had been out of England for more than two years. Political opponents back in Europe were beginning to threaten his crown. With the entire Holy land in disarray and little hope for a successful final attack on Jerusalem, Richard decided to extract the best terms he could from Saladin.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
45. They Finally Cut A Deal
The final diplomatic settlement of the Third Crusade set forth a three-year truce between the two enemies. The crusaders retained the coastal towns and free passage for Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem. Most importantly, Jerusalem was still in Muslim hands, where it would remain for the next seven centuries. But as Saladin’s men watched Richard’s ship vanish over the horizon, questions still remained.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
46. They Never Met Face To Face
They communicated back and forth constantly for over a year, but the two kings never actually met face to face. All of their diplomacy had been done through representatives. Though Richard always promised to return to the Holy land to challenge Saladin again, fate had other plans.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
47. He Paid The Ultimate Price
Saladin’s defense of Jerusalem against all odds, though not always pretty, was in some ways his greatest victory. Unfortunately, he’d spent all his money on the struggle against the crusaders. The stress of the ordeal had also taken a toll on his health. In 1193, a few months after the end of the crusade, Saladin became ill. He never recovered, and was buried at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Meanwhile, Richard’s troubles were far from over.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
48. His Road Home Was Long
Richard had a difficult journey home. He was captured and held at huge ransom by King Leopold V of Austria, as revenge for tearing down Leopold’s flag at Acre and his presumed part in the death of Conrad of Montferrat, who was Leopold’s cousin. Richard didn’t return to his kingdom until April 1194, nearly four years after he’d left. He spent the rest of his life at war against his old rival Philip II, a conflict that would eventually claim his life.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
49. His Heart Was Preserved
While suppressing a rebellion by a vassal in 1199, Richard was hit by a crossbow bolt. The injury got infected and Richard was gone soon after. His heart was embalmed and buried in Rouen, while the rest of his body was entombed at Fontevraud, France. In his decade-long reign he spent no more than six months on English soil.
Paramount, The Crusades (1935)
50. They Fueled Legend
Saladin is still revered for taking Jerusalem and holding it in the face of the most ruthless crusader assault ever seen. Richard the Lionheart was a far more controversial figure, but there is no question that Saladin considered him his equal as a warrior and diplomat. The mutual respect between the two was one of the few instances where the crusades approached the ideals of chivalry—and to this day, continues to fuel an interest in one of history’s most pivotal conflicts.
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