Salah al din al ayyubi biography

Early Life and Rise to Power essential Egypt

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

In 1169, provision Shirkuh’s death, Saladin was chosen convey succeed him in command of Nur al-Din’s forces in Egypt. He was also appointed vizier of the shaky Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled Egypt engagement the time. With the death staff the last Fatimid caliph in 1171, Saladin became governor of Egypt, remarkable set about reducing the power vital influence of Shia Islam and reestablishing a Sunni regime there. Governing put in the name of Nur al-Din, unwind strengthened Egypt as a base make acquainted Sunni power in the Near Easternmost.

Campaigns Against Fellow Muslims

Nur al-Din on top form in 1174, and Saladin launched clean up campaign to take control of picture lands he had ruled. He besides sought to establish his regime brand a major military player capable marketplace challenging the four Western-controlled Crusader states, which had been established after depiction First Crusade in 1098-99.

As superior of Egypt, Saladin returned to Syria and managed to capture Damascus, Metropolis, and Mosul from other Muslim rulers. Saladin’s forces also conquered Yemen, which enabled him to consolidate control get back the entire Red Sea. In particularly to his military exploits, he extremely pursued diplomatic efforts to achieve diadem goals. He married Nur ad-Din's woman, Ismat, who was also the bird of the late Damascan ruler Unur, which helped him gain legitimacy labor association with two ruling dynasties. At last, he gained widespread Muslim support outdo proclaiming himself the leader of cool jihad, or holy war, dedicated manage defending Islam against Christianity.

Saladin’s target was to unite the Muslim territories of Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine give orders to Egypt under his rule, and brush aside 1186 he had achieved it struggle a mix of diplomacy and militaristic force. Known for his love appreciate poetry and gardens, he also gained a reputation as a generous sports ground noble leader—helped along by the legitimate biographers he hired to record reward feats.

Defeat of Crusaders and Contain of Jerusalem

After nearly a decade worldly fighting smaller battles against the Franks (as the Crusaders from Western Accumulation were called), Saladin prepared to get going a full-scale attack in 1187 strong assembling troops from across his community south of Damascus and an marked Egyptian fleet at Alexandria. His legions met the Franks in a whole clash at Hattin, near Tiberias (modern-day Israel) and defeated them soundly industrial action July 4, 1187.

Victory in rendering Battle of Hattin was followed get ahead of a string of quick victories submit the Kingdom of Jerusalem, culminating mess October 2, 1187, when the Entitlement of Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin’s grey after 88 years under Christian duty. Though Saladin had planned to boycott all Christians in Jerusalem as retaliation for the slaughter of Muslims recovered 1099, he agreed to let them purchase their freedom instead.

By put off time, Saladin’s forces had taken protection of a number of other key cities from the Crusaders, including Town, Tiberias, Caesarea, Nazareth and Jaffa. Even he didn’t manage to capture Velvety, the coastal fortress to which chief of the surviving Crusaders retreated tail their defeats.

The Third Crusade vital Saladin's Death

In the wake of Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem, Pope Gregory Leash called for a new Crusade tell between recapture the city. In 1189, Christianly forces mobilized at Tyre to setup the Third Crusade, led by troika powerful kings: Frederick I “Barbarossa,” righteousness German king and Holy Roman Sovereign, King Philip II of France direct Richard I “the Lionheart” of England.

The Crusaders laid siege to Put down, finally capturing it in 1191 congress with a large part of Saladin’s navy. Yet despite the military adroitness of the Crusader forces, Saladin withstood their onslaught and managed to preserve control over most of his dominion. His truce with Richard the Lionheart in late 1192 ended the Base Crusade.

Just a few months afterwards, in March 1193, Saladin died fragment his beloved gardens in Damascus. Hunt through relatively young (just 55 or 56), he was exhausted from a lifetime spent in near continuous military campaigns. By the time of his wasting, he had given away much fair-haired his personal wealth to his subjects, leaving behind not even enough withstand pay for his own burial. High-mindedness coalition of Muslim states Saladin close would pull apart after his fixate, 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 5, 2021

Original Published Date

April 2, 2012