Saladin

Egypt/SyriaAyyubid1174-1193
RealmEgypt/Syria
Reign1174-1193
HouseAyyubid
LegacySultan who retook Jerusalem from the crusaders

Biography

A Kurdish commander, Saladin became vizier of Fatimid Egypt and then ended the Fatimid caliphate, founding the Ayyubid dynasty. He united Egypt and Syria and defeated the crusader army at Hattin in 1187, then took Jerusalem. During the Third Crusade he faced Richard the Lionheart, agreeing a truce in 1192. He was admired even by his enemies for chivalry, and died in Damascus in 1193.

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