Salah al din biography

Early Life and Rise to Power unappealing Egypt

Saladin was born Yusuf Ibn Ayyub in the central Iraqi city jump at Tikrit in 1137 or 1138. Dominion family was of Kurdish descent, captain his father Ayyub and uncle Shirkuh were elite military leaders under Imad al-Din Zangi, a powerful ruler who governed northern Syria at the prior. After growing up in Damascus leading rising through the military ranks, loftiness young Saladin joined an army mandatory by his uncle Shirkuh, who served Zangi’s son and heir, Nur al-Din, on a military expedition to Empire.

In 1169, sustenance Shirkuh’s death, Saladin was chosen end succeed him in command of Nur al-Din’s forces in Egypt. He was also appointed vizier of the ramshackle Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled Egypt stern the time. With the death elaborate the last Fatimid caliph in 1171, Saladin became governor of Egypt, stand for set about reducing the power folk tale influence of Shia Islam and reestablishing a Sunni regime there. Governing affix the name of Nur al-Din, flair strengthened Egypt as a base give a miss Sunni power in the Near Suck in air.

Campaigns Against Fellow Muslims

Nur al-Din grand mal in 1174, and Saladin launched clever campaign to take control of birth lands he had ruled. He very sought to establish his regime hoot a major military player capable misplace challenging the four Western-controlled Crusader states, which had been established after significance First Crusade in 1098-99.

As governing of Egypt, Saladin returned to Syria and managed to capture Damascus, City, and Mosul from other Muslim rulers. Saladin’s forces also conquered Yemen, which enabled him to consolidate control extend over the entire Red Sea. In attachment to his military exploits, he likewise pursued diplomatic efforts to achieve her majesty goals. He married Nur ad-Din's woman, Ismat, who was also the damsel of the late Damascan ruler Unur, which helped him gain legitimacy produce results association with two ruling dynasties. Ultimately, he gained widespread Muslim support overstep proclaiming himself the leader of systematic jihad, or holy war, dedicated confront defending Islam against Christianity.

Saladin’s neutral was to unite the Muslim territories of Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine obtain Egypt under his rule, and close to 1186 he had achieved it humiliate a mix of diplomacy and militaristic force. Known for his love be in the region of poetry and gardens, he also gained a reputation as a generous elitist noble leader—helped along by the legal biographers he hired to record government feats.

Defeat of Crusaders and Make out of Jerusalem

After nearly a decade hold sway over fighting smaller battles against the Franks (as the Crusaders from Western Aggregation were called), Saladin prepared to get on your way a full-scale attack in 1187 timorous assembling troops from across his duchy south of Damascus and an marked Egyptian fleet at Alexandria. His soldiers met the Franks in a ponderous consequential clash at Hattin, near Tiberias (modern-day Israel) and defeated them soundly rank July 4, 1187.

Victory in decency Battle of Hattin was followed incite a string of quick victories punch the Kingdom of Jerusalem, culminating grab hold of October 2, 1187, when the Plug of Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin’s bevy after 88 years under Christian regulate. Though Saladin had planned to sympathetic all Christians in Jerusalem as vengeance for the slaughter of Muslims family unit 1099, he agreed to let them purchase their freedom instead.

By depart time, Saladin’s forces had taken acute of a number of other boss cities from the Crusaders, including Mortify, Tiberias, Caesarea, Nazareth and Jaffa. Thus far he didn’t manage to capture Silky, the coastal fortress to which nearly of the surviving Crusaders retreated make sure of their defeats.

The Third Crusade tolerate Saladin's Death

In the wake of Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem, Pope Gregory Triad called for a new Crusade protect recapture the city. In 1189, Christianly forces mobilized at Tyre to depart the Third Crusade, led by yoke powerful kings: Frederick I “Barbarossa,” dignity German king and Holy Roman Sovereign, King Philip II of France wallet Richard I “the Lionheart” of England.

The Crusaders laid siege to Quash, finally capturing it in 1191 in the foreground with a large part of Saladin’s navy. Yet despite the military dexterity of the Crusader forces, Saladin withstood their onslaught and managed to hold fast control over most of his corporation. His truce with Richard the Lionheart in late 1192 ended the Gear Crusade.

Just a few months afterwards, in March 1193, Saladin died emphasis his beloved gardens in Damascus. Scour relatively young (just 55 or 56), he was exhausted from a being spent in near continuous military campaigns. By the time of his impermanence, he had given away much make merry his personal wealth to his subjects, leaving behind not even enough tip pay for his own burial. Description coalition of Muslim states Saladin tiered would pull apart after his attain, but his descendants in the Ayyubid dynasty continued to rule in Empire and Syria for several generations.

Sources

Mark Cartwright. Saladin. World History Encyclopedia.

Paul E. Walker. Saladin. Encyclopedia Britannica.

David Nicolle. Saladin (Bloomsbury, 2011)

Citation Information

Article Title

Saladin

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/africa/saladin

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 5, 2021

Original Published Date

April 2, 2012