Salah al Din

Saladin was born into a prominent Kurdish family, and it is said that on the night of his birth, his father, Najm ad-Din Ayyub, gathered his family and moved to Aleppo. He grew up in Damascus, where he apparently had an undistinguished youth, with a greater taste for religious studies than military training. Historians believe he was a short man with a neat beard and in some ways frail. Salah al-Din founded the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt and Syria. He was born in 1138 in Tikrit. He was a Kurdish warrior, who became the Sultan of Egypt. Salah al Din became a legend in the East and West for his role in clearing the Crusaders from Jerusalem.

Saladin learned his military lessons and began to stand out among Nur ed-Din's forces. In several campaigns between the years of 1164 and 1169 he had made many lasting impressions on people. In just two years Saladin united Egypt with the Abbasid Caliphate. When Nur ed-Din died in 1174, Saladin began his expansion of the territories. After a three-month battle he captured Jerusalem in 1187.

Saladin achieved a great reputation in Europe as a chivalrous knight. His relationship with King Richard I of England, was one of mutual respect as well as military rivalry. When Richard was wounded, Saladin even offered the services of his personal physician. Saladin brought an entirely different concept of a city to Cairo after the Fatimids, because he wanted a unified, thriving, fortified place, protected by strong walls.

By the end of 1185 Saladin had imposed his authority in northern Syria and Mesopotamia. He was ready to turn his full attention to the crusading kingdom. The jihad was declared in the beginning of 1187. Saladin set a trap for the crusaders; they marched into it and were surprised and slaughtered. (Cantor)

The kings of western Europe responded to the fall of Jerusalem by taking the cross and then by gathering their knights and this was known as the Third Crusade. King Richard I defeated Saladin. In February 1193, Saladin rode out from Damascus to welcome pilgrims returning from Mecca. His greatest ambition had been to make the pilgrimage to Mecca but he had never found the time. It was a very cold day and that evening Saladin had to go to bed with a fever. As days passed his condition worsened and he became unconscious and died on March 3rd. (bookrags)

Bookrags:http://www.bookrags.com/biography/saladin/ (Online book)
Cantor, F, Norman. The civilization of the Middle Ages. New York. 1993. Harpercollins publishers, Inc.