The Ayyubid ruler who united Egypt and Muslim controlled Syria and turned his combined forces against the Crusader states. In 1187 he destroyed the Crusader army at the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, and Jerusalem fell to him within months. The loss prompted the Third Crusade, which ended with a negotiated settlement leaving Jerusalem under Muslim control while permitting Christian pilgrims free access.
Facts
Birth YearGiven as circa 1137; the exact year is not precisely recorded. BirthplaceTikrit (in present-day Iraq) 1 Death PlaceDamascus, Ayyubid Sultanate (modern-day Syria) 1 RankSultan of Egypt and Syria (1174-1193) 1 Defining ContributionUnited Egypt and Muslim Syria under one rule and led the campaign that destroyed the Crusader field army at Hattin and recovered Jerusalem in 1187. 2 Cross-Tradition Connections
Battles and Wars Led
Doctrines Developed
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Saladin
Wikipediainfobox, Born fieldQuote, infobox, Born field
Tikrit
1. Wikipedia: Saladin
Wikipediainfobox, Died fieldQuote, infobox, Died field
Damascus, Ayyubid Sultanate
1. Wikipedia: Saladin
Wikipediainfobox, Title fieldQuote, infobox, Title field
Sultan of Egypt and Syria
1. Wikipedia: Saladin
Wikipediainfobox, full nameQuote, infobox, full name
Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub
1. Wikipedia: Saladin
Wikipediaopening paragraph, name discussionQuote, opening paragraph, name discussion
‘Salah ad-Din’ is a laqab, an honorific epithet, meaning ‘Righteousness of the Faith.’
1. Wikipedia: Saladin
WikipediaEarly Life sectionQuote, Early Life section
His parents were of Kurdish ancestry.
1. Wikipedia: Saladin
WikipediaDoctrines Developed: Saladin's Unification of Egypt and Syria, body textQuote, Doctrines Developed: Saladin's Unification of Egypt and Syria, body text
declared him Sultan of Egypt and Syria
2. Wikipedia: Battle of Hattin
Wikipediaaftermath sectionQuote, aftermath section
most of the army
2. Wikipedia: Battle of Hattin
WikipediaBattles and Wars Led: Battle of Hattin, infobox belligerentsQuote, Battles and Wars Led: Battle of Hattin, infobox belligerents
Ayyubid Sultanate under Saladin, with Gokbori and Al-Afdal
2. Wikipedia: Battle of Hattin
WikipediaDoctrines Developed: Encirclement and Denial of Water (Hattin)View the Source World History, Volume 1: to 1500 (OpenStax)
OpenStax, Rice University (Humanities LibreTexts)Unit 3, Chapter 13, The Post-Roman West and the Crusading Movement, section 13.5Quote, Unit 3, Chapter 13, The Post-Roman West and the Crusading Movement, section 13.5
In 1187, after years of gathering allies and eroding the military power of Outremer, he destroyed the crusaders at the Battle of the Horns of Hattin (in today's Israel).
Wiktionary: Saladin
Wiktionarypronunciation sectionQuote, pronunciation section
/ˈsælədɪn/
Wikipedia: Military history of the Crusader states
WikipediaBattles and Wars Led: Ayyubid-Crusader War, campaign-phase summaryQuote, Battles and Wars Led: Ayyubid-Crusader War, campaign-phase summary
Combatants: Crusader states vs. Ayyubid dynasty under Saladin
Wikipedia: Siege of Jerusalem (1187)
WikipediaBattles and Wars Led: Siege of Jerusalem (1187), infobox belligerentsQuote, Battles and Wars Led: Siege of Jerusalem (1187), infobox belligerents
Ayyubid Sultanate under Saladin (with Al-Adil I and Al-Afdal)
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