Product Description
The extraordinary character and career of Saladin are the keys to understanding the Battle of Hattin, the fall of Jerusalem and the failure of the Third Crusade. He united warring Muslim lands, reconquered the bulk of Crusader states and faced the Richard the Lion Heart, king of England, in one of the most famous confrontations in medieval warfare. Geoffrey Hindley’s sympathetic and highly readable study of the life and times of this remarkable, many-sided man, who dominated the Middle East in his day, gives a fascinating insight into his achievements and into the Muslim world of his contemporaries.
Medieval historian Geoffrey Hindley presents Saladin: Hero of Islam. Originally published in 1976, Saladin: Hero of Islam is now in a new edition, which takes into account the latest scholarship on Saladin’s career and also features an updated introduction. Chapters tell how Saladin achieved a swift rise to power through conquest, intrigue, and opportunism; Saladin’s tremendous gifts as a battlefield commander and military organizer stemming from his singleness of purpose and virtually unique political skill; and perhaps most unusual for military leaders of his era, Saladin’s qualities and ethics that earned him a reputation for chivalry and mercy. Saladin: Hero of Islam does not idolize Saladin, yet actively seeks to understand just why his reputation in the Christian as well as the Muslim world has endured to the present day. Featuring black-and-white plates, Saladin: Hero of Islam is heavily researched yet accessible to lay readers, and highly recommended for library collections and biographical reading lists.
Rating: 5 / 5