Who was Saladin?
Saladin was one of the colossal figures of the Crusades. His skill as a commander and chivalry in battle made him a hero to the Muslim world—and brought him grudging admiration from Christian Europeans. By the time Saladin was born, the Christian West and the forces of Islam had been waging war in the Middle East for more than a generation. In 1098, the forces of the First Crusade swept down from Europe and conquered territories that the earliest waves of Islamic armies had themselves captured from the Christian Byzantine Empire. The Crusaders then established a group of Latin states in the middle of the Muslim Middle East, where they were surrounded by hostile sultans. UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE EAST: History, Religion, and the Clash of Cultures 400 pages Copyright 2007 by Beechmont Crest Publishing First edition, 2007 0-9748330-6-1 Table of Contents It wasnt long before the sultans began to mount counterattacks against the Christians. During Saladins youth, the most powerful Muslim w
