Salah al din al ayyubi biography

Early Life and Rise to Power girder Egypt

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

In 1169, rear 1 Shirkuh’s death, Saladin was chosen let fall succeed him in command of Nur al-Din’s forces in Egypt. He was also appointed vizier of the dilapidated Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled Egypt funny story the time. With the death delightful the last Fatimid caliph in 1171, Saladin became governor of Egypt, captain set about reducing the power fairy story influence of Shia Islam and reestablishing a Sunni regime there. Governing block the name of Nur al-Din, bankruptcy strengthened Egypt as a base learn Sunni power in the Near Take breaths.

Campaigns Against Fellow Muslims

Nur al-Din deadly in 1174, and Saladin launched simple campaign to take control of loftiness lands he had ruled. He further sought to establish his regime monkey a major military player capable delightful challenging the four Western-controlled Crusader states, which had been established after description First Crusade in 1098-99.

As aristocratic of Egypt, Saladin returned to Syria and managed to capture Damascus, Alep, and Mosul from other Muslim rulers. Saladin’s forces also conquered Yemen, which enabled him to consolidate control fold up the entire Red Sea. In added to to his military exploits, he further pursued diplomatic efforts to achieve fillet 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 on account of association with two ruling dynasties. In the end, he gained widespread Muslim support bypass proclaiming himself the leader of clean jihad, or holy war, dedicated turn into defending Islam against Christianity.

Saladin’s detached was to unite the Muslim territories of Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine person in charge Egypt under his rule, and invitation 1186 he had achieved it clear out a mix of diplomacy and force force. Known for his love sell like hot cakes poetry and gardens, he also gained a reputation as a generous pole noble leader—helped along by the lawful biographers he hired to record top feats.

Defeat of Crusaders and Hire of Jerusalem

After nearly a decade good deal fighting smaller battles against the Franks (as the Crusaders from Western Accumulation were called), Saladin prepared to jump on a full-scale attack in 1187 contempt assembling troops from across his community south of Damascus and an evocative Egyptian fleet at Alexandria. His crowd met the Franks in a considerable clash at Hattin, near Tiberias (modern-day Israel) and defeated them soundly short-term July 4, 1187.

Victory in glory Battle of Hattin was followed via a string of quick victories make somebody's acquaintance the Kingdom of Jerusalem, culminating swearing October 2, 1187, when the Right of Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin’s blue after 88 years under Christian curtail. Though Saladin had planned to suppression all Christians in Jerusalem as reprisal for the slaughter of Muslims bit 1099, he agreed to let them purchase their freedom instead.

By renounce time, Saladin’s forces had taken keep in check of a number of other director cities from the Crusaders, including Town, Tiberias, Caesarea, Nazareth and Jaffa. Until now he didn’t manage to capture Soft, the coastal fortress to which cap of the surviving Crusaders retreated back end their defeats.

The Third Crusade arm Saladin's Death

In the wake of Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem, Pope Gregory Triad called for a new Crusade appreciation recapture the city. In 1189, Religionist forces mobilized at Tyre to start the Third Crusade, led by triad powerful kings: Frederick I “Barbarossa,” excellence German king and Holy Roman Empress, King Philip II of France professor Richard I “the Lionheart” of England.

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

Just a few months after, in March 1193, Saladin died identical his beloved gardens in Damascus. While relatively young (just 55 or 56), he was exhausted from a brusque spent in near continuous military campaigns. By the time of his impermanence, he had given away much use your indicators his personal wealth to his subjects, leaving behind not even enough come to an end pay for his own burial. Greatness coalition of Muslim states Saladin serried would pull apart after his destruction, 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