Essay: Salah ad din yusuf ibn ayyub, known as Saladin

Saladin once said “Kings dont kill kings” sparing the life of Guy of Lusignan. Saladin was a very ruthless leader that killed the men that he needed to but he respected other kings. Saladin began his military career at the age of 14 working under his uncle but as years past Saladin became a ruth
Saladin’s early life was characterized by learning about becoming a commander under his uncle. Saladin was born to Najm ad-Din Ayyub a kurdish soldier and politician and Sit Khatun in 1138. Saladin grew up in Damascus which allowed him to gain a vast knowledge on philosophy, science, mathematics and religion. Growing up in Syria also allowed him to gain more knowledge on arabs. He learned about the arab history, culture heritage and about arabian horses. Saladin was also very skilled and versed in poetry. Saladin was taught by his uncle Asad al-Din Shirkuh who was a great warrior. After the death of Imad ad-Din Zengi, saladin’s uncle was promoted to commander of Zengid army. Under the supervision of Shirkuh the young boy learned many military tactics.
Saladin’s early reign started the drive for wanting to capture many cities. In 1177, Saladin gained control over Egypt and then later Syria where he raised to be a viser. Saladin became head of the military expeditionary forces in 1169. After he was appointed viser to the Shi`ite caliph in Cairo, he consolidated his position by eliminating the Fatimids sub-Saharan infantry slave forces. Finally, the Shi`ite Fatimid caliphate was brought to an end by Saladin with the recognition of the Sunni caliphate in Baghdad. During this time, Nur al-Din kept pressuring Saladin to send him money, supplies, and troops, but Saladin did not want to. An open clash between the two was avoided by the death of Nur al-Din. Saladin Appointed many members of his family to many of the governorships, establishing a dynasty known as the Ayyubids in Egypt, Syria, and even Yemen. At the same time he was willing to make truces with the crusaders in order to free his forces to fight Muslims. Reginald of Châtillon violated these arrangements, to Saladin’s annoyance. Aside from all of the warfare, Saladin married ismat ad-din khatun in September 1176.
Saladin’s later reign included creating peace with many between religious groups. Saladin decided to set a trap for the crusade armies. He first attacked the city of Tiberias. The crusader army reacted as he planed and began to march to Tiberias. When the army became tired of the battle , Saladin attacked with full force. Saladin and his army defeated the crusaders at the Battle of Hattin which opened a way for him to go to Jerusalem. After the Christians in europe heard of the defeat of the crusaders, and loss of jerusalem, this mounted the third crusade which was led by King Richard the Lionheart. The crusaders were wore down and realized they would not be able to take Jerusalem. Saladin and King Richard agreed to a truce. In 1192, The treaty of Jaffa kept Jerusalem in the hands of Muslims and allowed safe passage of Christian Pilgrims. Saladin died of a fever on March 4,1193 at Damascus not long after king richards departure. Saladin’s possession at the time of his death were one piece of gold and forty pieces of silver. He had given away his great wealth to his poor subjects, leaving nothing to pay for his funeral He was buried in a mausoleum in the garden outside the umayyad mosque in damascus.
As already discussed, Saladin’s reign was full of accomplishments. The accomplishments Saladin is most known for are the Founding of Ayyubid Dynasty, Uniting islamic culture, and Defeating the Europeans. In 1171 the Shiite Fatimid caliphate was brought to an end by saladin which allowed the Ayyubid Dynasty to take place.The Ayyubid Dynasty was a muslim dynasty that was founded by Saladin that ruled in the late 12th and early 13th centuries over Egypt, upper Iraq, most of Syria, and Yemen. The Ayyubids are remembered for both fighting and negotiating with the christian crusaders. Saladin and al-Kamil a kurdish ruler signed treaties with the crusaders which led to Jerusalem returning to christian rule for ten years.
Saladin’s reign was important because he was able to unite the islamic culture. When Saladin’s leader, Nur al-Din, died in 1174, this allowed an opening in power in the Middle East. Many different Islamic groups began to fight for power. Saladin took his army to Damascus and claimed Nur al-Din’s position. He spent the next 12 years battling other Islamic factions in order to unify the region. By 1186, Saladin was in control of the Muslim Empire. Saladin began to build up the empire to make it stronger as a whole with developing new education systems, more jobs for empire and overall improving the city. But as years past, Saladin then turned his on the Crusaders from Europe.
The most important of all of Saladin’s accomplishments is the defeating of the europeans. Saladin’s greatest victory over the European crusaders came at the Battle of Hattin in 1187 which paved way for islamic re-conquest of Jerusalem and other Holy Land cities in the near east. On July 4, 1187, the Muslim forces of Saladin defeated the crusader army in Palestine capturing Guy, king of Jerusalem, and Reginald of Chatillon, Saladin’s enemy who killed over two hundred knights . The remaining captured Christians were sold on local slave markets. Saladin used the wealth of Egypt for the conquest of Syria, that of Syria for the conquest of northern Mesopotamia and that of northern Mesopotamia for the conquest of the crusader states along the Levant coast. Saladin continued on his conquest until he got his point across to all christians.
Saladin’s Reign was very significant because his leadership allowed many changes to be made in the nation. In 1169, Shirkuh and Saladin took their army to Egypt to help fight off the Crusaders from Europe. They were victorious. At that time the Islamic faction that controlled Egypt was the Fatimids. Shirkuh and Saladin remained in Egypt. They said they were going to help the Fatimids, but they really intended to take control. When Shirkuh died, Saladin took control of the army and soon became the Emir of Egypt. In 1187, after defeating the Crusader army, Saladin marched to Jerusalem. His army surrounded the city and began to fire arrows and catapult rocks over the walls. Within a week, the city surrendered and Saladin marched in victorious. Over the next year, Saladin captured most of the Crusader castles in the region.
Saladin had the power to make a city want to surrender instead of causing many deaths in a place. In 1187, after defeating the Crusader army, Saladin marched to Jerusalem. His army surrounded the city and began to fire arrows and catapult rocks over the walls. Within a week, the city surrendered and Saladin marched in victorious. Over the next year, Saladin captured most of the Crusader castles in the region. And lastly, after every battle, saladin marched to damascus and during the battle of Horns of Hama, he gained his power.
Salah ad din yusuf ibn ayyub, famously known as Saladin, was born in 1138, on the River Tigris, which is between Iran and Iraq. Even though he was born into Kurd, he was an Arab by culture.Saladin had a very special type of upbringing, he started off working under his uncle but by the time he died he ruled over many nations.  Saladin captured Jerusalem back from the Latin Kingdom who occupied it for nearly ninety years, and became an idol to all Muslims and Arabs up till now.Saladin was a powerful leader that had the  powers to unite and destroy nations, and increase more believers of a certain religion. Because of Saladin, many nations today are united and strong.