Saladin and the Saracens

Introduction

Salah al Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, known to his Muslim contemporaries as al Nasir, 'The Victorious', and to an admiring Europe as Saladin, is the most famous single figure in the history of the Crusades, being even better known outside the English-speaking world than his Christian foe Richard the Lionheart. While it is natural that Saladin should be well remembered on the Arab and Islamic side, it says a lot about the man and about the entire Crusading enterprise that a Muslim Kurd should be perceived as the chief 'hero' of these events even in Europe.

Traditionally Saladin is portrayed as a quiet, deeply religious and even humble man thrust into prominence by events. In reality he was typical of his day and his culture, though standing head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries in determination, personal morality, political judgement and leadership. Like Saladin himself, the societies and military systems that he and his successors led from defeat to eventual triumph were far more sophisticated than is generally realised.

This book is an attempt to identify and to briefly describe the main strands in a period of military history which too often confronts Western students with a dauntingly tangled and obscure skein.