Who was Saladin?
Saladin, famous Sultan of Egypt, and founder of the ‘Ayyubid Dynasty’, began his military career with a minor role, assisting his uncle Shirkuh. However, soon he proved his ability, and was given charge of more important battles. After Shirkuh's death, he took over as the vizier of the ‘Fatimid Caliphate’ and waged several wars in this capacity, gradually increasing his power in the Caliphate. He was in particular, effective against the English Crusaders, defeating them in almost every war fought. He reached the height of his power when al-Adid, Caliph of the ‘Fatimid Dynasty’ died, and this shrewd leader formed an alliance with rival ‘Abbasids’. Also, when his mentor, Nur ad-Din died, he went on to conquer the whole of Syria, attacking each city one by one. His major victory came against King Richard the Lionheart during the 'Battle of Hatin', when Palestine once again became a part of a Muslim dynasty, after eighty-eight years. When he died, he left all his possessions to the poor citizens of his dynasty, leaving nothing behind to give him a decent burial. Even after his death he is held in high regard, not just in Muslim countries, but also by countries in the west, where people remember him for his generosity and kindness
Accession & Reign
Soon, Shawar, the vizier of the ‘Fatimid Caliphate’, faced former ally Shirkuh in a war to gain control over Egypt. Shawar was assassinated in 1169, by Shirkuh's men, and the latter died soon thereafter, leaving Nur ad-Din in a dilemma about who would succeed his trusted general.
Though Nur ad-Din had chosen someone else, the Caliph, al-Adid decided that Saladin was to be his vizier. This choice was quite unusual, since the Caliphate was ruled by Shia Muslims, and the new vizier was a Sunni.
By 1170, the young vizier had consolidated his power over most of Egypt, with support from Nur ad-Din, and the Caliph of the ‘Abbasid Dynasty’, al-Mustanjid. One of his major battles during this time was the war waged against the King of Jerusalem, Amalric, in a bid to capture the cities of Darum and Gaza.
When al-Adid died in 1171, it was Saladin who took over as ruler of the ‘Fatimid Dynasty’, and the latter formed an association with the ‘Abbasid Caliphate’.
In 1173, the ruler of Aswan requested the new leader's assistance to ward off invaders from Nubia. Saladin obliged, and provided the former, troops led by Turan-Shah. The same year, his father, Ayyub succumbed to an injury resulting from a fall from his horse.
The following year, Nur ad-Din died of poisoning, and Saladin's troops seized Syria and Yemen, consolidating the hold of the leader's ‘Ayyubid Dynasty’.
By 1175, the ruler had captured the cities of Homs and Hama, which resulted in other ‘Zengid’ chiefs waging wars against him. Once the ‘Zengids’ were vanquished, al-Mustadi, the caliph of the ‘Abbasid Dynasty’ declared the former as the "Sultan of Egypt and Syria".
As the new Sultan, Saladin conquered several other areas, including the Upper Mesopotamian area known as Jazira. In 1177, he came back to Egypt, to look after royal matters there. The same year, with an army of 26,000 warriors, he launched an attack on Palestine.
King Baldwin, leader of the Crusaders struck Golan Heights in April, 1179, but was easily defeated by the Ayubbid forces.
During 1182-84, he attacked the cities of Sinjar, Beisan, Beirut, as well as Kerak, capturing them easily with his forces, and moved on to seize Aleppo. With the conquest of Aleppo, the Sultan's hold over Syria was reinforced. His attack on ‘Zengid’-ruled Mosul was however difficult to pull off, because of the opponent's strong allies.
In 1186, Saladin had to stall his attempts of conquering Mosul when he became sick, and a peace agreement was signed between the ‘Ayyubids’ and the ‘Zengids’.
The following year, the ‘Ayyubids’ fought the 'Battle of Hattin' against the Crusaders. This historic battle waged in 1187 resulted in the victory of Saladin, eighty-eight years after the Crusaders had captured Palestine from Muslim rulers.
In 1189, King Richard the Lionheart attempted for the third time, to conquer the Kingdom of Jerusalem, where they began with an attack on the Israeli city of Acre.
On September 7, 1191, the army of King Richard and that of the ‘Ayyubid Dynasty’ faced each other at the 'Battle of Arsuf'. The latter were forced to flee, since their army was weaker than that of the Crusaders. The ‘Ayyubids’ however, retaliated the next day, thwarting every attempt made by King Richard to recapture Jerusalem.
