Saladin
Saladin
Saladin (c. 1137–1193), Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, was a Muslim sultan of Egypt and Syria and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Born to a Kurdish family in Tikrit, he served under his uncle Shirkuh in Egypt and in 1169 became vizier there, the turning point that led to his rise as sultan and the union of Egypt and Syria under his rule. In 1187 he defeated the crusader army at Hattin and took Jerusalem, where he allowed many residents to ransom themselves and depart in safety. In 1192 he concluded the Treaty of Jaffa with Richard the Lionheart, which kept the holy sites open to Christian pilgrims. He founded schools and began the Citadel of Cairo. Respected even by his opponents for his generosity, piety and honor, he became a model of chivalry in both Muslim and European tradition, and he died in Damascus with little personal wealth.
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Heroes of the Middle Ages
Charlemagne was crowned emperor in 800, and Roland, one of his commanders, became the hero of the epic Song of Roland. During the Third Crusade, Richard the Lionheart and Sultan Saladin faced each other as rivals who earned each other's respect. William Wallace led Scotland's struggle for independence, and Joan of Arc rallied the French during the Hundred Years' War.
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