This Investigation attempts to examine the effectiveness of Saladin as a leader. This question is important because Saladin was the only leader to effectively defeat the Christians and capture Jerusalem during the time of the crusades. The topics that will be addressed are the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and the Ayyubid Dynasty. During the battle of Hattin, Saladin captured the king of Jerusalem and killed him after defeating the crusader army. This investigation will focus on the time period of 1137 to 1193 and the places investigated will include Egypt, Syria and North Africa. This will be accomplished through a thorough examination of Saladin’s leadership, battle tactics, and people skills.
Part B: Summary of Evidence
Word Count: 510
Saladin, born in 1137 in modern day Iraq, was a huge part of the Ayyubid Dynasty which he himself founded. Saladin stood apart from the crowd because he was a brave, humane, and generous. He was appointed under rule in 1169 where he quickly won over the hearts of the people. Saladin’s empires stretched from the borders of Tunisia to the mountains of Armenia. Saladin was such a good leader because he believed in “The ability to inspire rather than enforce loyalty is a critical quality of leadership.” This shows that Saladin is a different leader than his time was used to because the leader before him the Caliph Adid, who came to a sudden, unexpected death in 1169, was a cruel man . The people who had been under a long civil strife, foreign invasion, and the excesses of slave troops were happy for a change in leadership especially someone with such different tactics.
Saladin was a people’s leader he understood the common man and could relate to him. The reason for Saladin...
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...n and the Second and Third Crusades, 1147 to 1193. http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/casia01c.htm (accessed April 4, 2014).
Geoffrey Hindley, Saladin p.125
Geoffrey Hindley, Saladin p. 29
Bibliography
ELECTRONIC
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"Saladin and the Second and Third Crusades, 1147 to 1193." Saladin and the Second and Third Crusades, 1147 to 1193. http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/casia01c.htm (accessed April 4, 2014).
"Saladin Biography." Biography Online. http://www.biographyonline.net/military/saladin.html (accessed April 8, 2014).
PRINT
Hindley, Geoffrey. Saladin. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1976.
Regan, Geoffrey. Lionhearts: Saladin and Richard I. London: Constable, 1998.
Saunders, J.J. . A History of Medieval Islam. 1965. Reprint, New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd, 1990.
In 1099 Jerusalem was besieged by bloodthirsty Christian knights from Western Europe, fueled by their religious desire for the holy land. This siege was the commencement of twelve holy crusades led by the Christian West in hope to recover Jerusalem as a Christian city. At that time, Jerusalem was, to the Christians, inconveniently occupied by Muslims. This being the first crusade, it was documented by several sources, notably by Fulcher of Chartres in his, Chronicle of the First Crusade, as well as a Muslim point of view by Ibn al-Athir, a medieval Arab historian.
August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants, (Princeton: 1921), 42-43
Now, in 1198, in order to raise the papacy rather than take the Holy Land, Pope Innocent III, called for another crusade. This crusade is mostly being led by French Knights and instead attempting to capture Jerusalem, they end up sacking the Christian city of Constantinople! After the fourth Crusade, the other crusades were disorganized efforts that accomplished little to
Cobb, Paul. "Introduction." Ibn Munqidh, Usama. Book of Contemplation Islam and the Crusades. New York: Penguin Books, 2008. xv-xlii.
The Crusades took place in the Middle East between 1095 and 1291. They were used to gain a leg up on trading, have more land to show hegemony, and to please the gods. Based upon the documents, the Crusades between 1095 and 1291 were caused primarily by religious devotion rather than by the desire for economic and political gain.
Warriors of God by James Reston Jr. is a non-fictional view of the third crusade. This particular crusade spanned from 1187-1192, containing many gruesome battles and a lot of intense moments between Islam and Christianity. Reston supplies the reader with a little background to the third Crusade when he talks about the first Crusades happening since 1095. Reston gives a fairly impartial view of this holy war. He discusses the battles, politics, and emotions of the Crusade as an outside party and if he takes any side at all it is with the Muslims. He often speaks badly of King Richard and he speaks well of Saladin, the sultan. He portrays Richard as a greedy, anti-Semite, who is intolerable of other religions, while he shows Saladin as tolerant to the Jews, reasonable, and an overall good leader. Reston wrote this book mostly to inform readers about the third Crusade but also to add some of his own insights. His thesis was a little unclear but he stated that the Crusades were the most violent event in history all the way up to Hitler’s rein. Reston did a good job in proving this when he told of battles and then analyzed them. He told of a time when King Richard had twenty thousand Muslims executed and when Saladin had Reginald of Chatillon beheaded along with many other Christian prisoners.
Print. Doak, Robin. Empire of the Islamic World. Rev. ed.
“ Pope Urban Calls for Crusades: November 27, 1095.” Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History. Ed.Jennifer Stock.Vol.4 : Europe. Farmington Hills, MI : Gale, 2013. Student. Resources in Context, Web. 24. 2014
Maalouf’s main thesis in The Crusades Through Arab Eyes is that the crusades are a major part of history and have truly influenced every one of our lives. The second pa...
Robinson, John J. Dungeon, Fire, and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades. New York: M. Evans &, 1991. Print.
Definition: The medieval "Crusade" was a holy war. In 1095, Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade with the goal of restoring Christian access to holy places in Jerusalem.
"The Crusades (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
The crusades began to stir up after the death of Charlemagne, king of the Franks, in 814. After his death Christian Europe was under attack and weak. “Magyars, nomadic people from Asia, pillaged eastern and central Europe until the 10th century.” (Encarta “Crusades”). Starting in the year 800, Viking raids interrupted life in northern Europe and even Mediterranean cities. But the greatest threat came from the forces of Islam. This was in consequence to Muhammad their notorious leader dying, in 632. “By the 8th century, Islamic forces had conquered North Africa, the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, and most of Spain.” (Mayer, 3...
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.