There is no duo of rivals from any period of military history and conquest reverenced by legend and honor more than Richard the Lionheart of England and Saladin of Syria. Richard the Lionheart captivated the imagination of his age more than any other king. More books, as an example, have been written on Richard than any other monarch of England; the Lionheart is recognized especially among children for the legends of Robin Hood associated with him. Famous leaders of the past have, including Winston Churchill, praised the actions of Richard (192-204) . No textbook in English ever criticized Richard I until the late nineteenth century. Saladin, too, was well-renowned in his time; not for being the front-fighting warrior as Richard, but as the Saracen king that re-captured Jerusalem from the crusaders and united a divided, Islamic world (Crompton 84). Though the Middle Eastern people mostly forgot Saladin until the twentieth century, he was remembered in the West as a chivalrous opponent. The similarities between Richard and Saladin are many, as are their differences. Both were skilled leaders, iconic figures of their day, yet while Richard was accustomed to the rainy, English years, nothing could feel more at home to Saladin than the sand-parched deserts surrounding. Interestingly enough, neither ever met the other. Though Saladin was a great lord and general to his people, Richard I came to be a great challenge to him, and an even greater challenge than any other crusader. That Richard I was the greater warrior is proven by his devout faith to God, his victories over Saladin in the Third Crusade, his proven abilities on the battlefield, chivalrous relations with both friend and foe, and even his death.
Although Saladin and Richard were both strong in faith, Richard's faith was nevertheless more worthy. Saladin was born in Tikrit in 1137, now present-day Iraq. He was raised in the Islamic faith, and the tender age of five when the second Crusade happened. All his life, he wished to unify the Islamic world, and to take Jerusalem from the Crusaders. In contrast, Richard I of England was born in Oxford on September 8, 1157 (Cantor 372-373). Richard came from a deeply religious family; his father had in part funded the Crusades, and his mother had trekked the Second Crusade, along with her son (Nicholson and Nicolle 62). Clearly, Richard himself was fascinated---driven---as influenced by his faith, to take Jerusalem. The stout-hearted monarch, who was a devout Catholic Christian, sold many of his lands and lordships in order to go on crusade. After Saladin's defeat of the Crusaders at the Horns of Hattin, Richard was ready early on to take the Cross. On crusade, Richard was in love with Jerusalem, and believed that by conquering it, God would be pleased (Regan 24). Lion-hearted Richard was deeply concerned with protecting Christendom all of his life (Regan 25). Even after the Crusade, he still desired to take Jerusalem someday, and after being imprisoned by the Holy Roman Emperor, Richard was cited by the Pope, who excommunicated the emperor for imprisoning him after his service to the Church (The Third Crusade). Richard was clearly deeply pious, and until Jerusalem was liberated for Christian pilgrims' visitation in September 1192, it greatly bothered him that the city was dominated by Muslim control. Even his later wars with Philip Augustus in France was greatly concerned with raising money for the Crusade. Though Saladin was greatly committed to Islam, Richard's dedication was greater, as it was to Christ.
Saladin did well early on in strategizing for his conquest of Jerusalem. Consideration between he and Richard, though, Richard had planned the Third Crusade supremely. Saladin had not strongly prepared as was potentially within his power for a crusader-invasion of Palestine. Saladin's men were not professional soldiers, and were not paid for their service (Phillips 201). Richard, however, led an army of knights and foot-soldiers, well-armored and paid. Many of them, too, were professional fighters. Richard's army was significantly smaller than Saladin's, yet more professionally equipped. Richard left England to prepare his forces in France in 1189. By July 1190, he had wasted no time in setting out to the Holy Land. On his way, he stopped to free his sister, Princess Joan, from imprisonment, to free her again; accompanying her in this gallant rescue was his soon-to-be-fiancee, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, from the Greek lord of the island, Isaac, who had abandoned the ladies to exile on the island shore (Phillips, 220-221). In addition to this ambitious quest, Richard had to face off Muslim pirate foes on his way to Acre, but promptly defeated them (Jessop, "Richard" 16-17). Shortly thereafter, he became the leader of the Crusade as Emperor Frederick Barbarossa died on route to the Holy Land, and King Philip Augustus of France returned home after quarreling with Richard.
Saladin and Richard both left a heavy mark of chivalry, resonating a positive affect on people, friend and foe alike. Saladin did not kill all the Christians when Jerusalem surrendered to him in 1187, though he sent them out to slavery (Edbury 108-109). Moreover, Saladin often sent Richard ice and fruit when the English king was ill. Richard, likewise, did not slay civilians as former crusaders had done, and even let some Saracen prisoners free at his siege of Darum in 1192 (Gillingham 192). Both Saladin and Richard had mutual respect for one another, despite their opposing position on the battlefield.
As to chivalry, Richard strongly desired to protect Christian pilgrims---perhaps most emphatically, the female pilgrims in his life; for the most part, Richard had spent very little time around women, though historically and plainly adored by his mother. Richard married Berengaria of Navarre at Cyprus in May, 1191---a princess that had been brought to him for marriage by Eleanor (Asbridge 217). It is often assumed that because Richard spent so much time in war, he didn't love his wife, although nothing from contemporary sources implies this. Richard loved poetry and music, and while Saladin was very chivalrous, Richard's deeds of chivalry were superior (Phillips 231).
Saladin was an amazing war-lord that etched a strong Ayyubid Dynasty into the history of the Middle East. From 1174 to 1185, he conquered much of the East, including the powerful cities of Damascus and Allepo. Saladin most famously defeated the Crusader army of King Guy de Lusignan on July 4, 1187, and later that year, additionally took Jerusalem (Jessop 12 "Crusaders"). No Saracen warlord had accomplished the conquest that Saladin achieved, and all future Saracen warlords would build upon his shoulders. At the same time, Richard was an amazing warlord. He had won the name Lion-Heart early on for his heroic deeds. Richard commenced this lifetime reputation upon defeated his father, Henry II, for the throne of England. Richard never lost a single battle, and every siege he attempted, he succeeded at. Even when caught unawares by enemies in Sicily and Cyprus during the Third Crusade, he quickly formulated a plan. Arriving at the Port of Acre on June 8, 1191, which had been under siege for two years, he took the city by July 12 (Gillingham 172-173). After Acre, Richard marched south to Jaffa and defeated the Saracen army on September 7, 1191 at the Battle of Arsuf, where he was outnumbered three to one by Saladin's army (Gillingham 214-215). He won a string of more victories on his way to Jerusalem. He he defeated Saladin again in the Battle of Ascallon in April 1192; by May, he had taken the Fortress of Ed-Darun (Edbury 108). Richard marched towards Jerusalem again that July, but then pulled out to sail home. Remarkably prompt, Richard heard news of Saladin's attacking the City of Jaffa just as he was having his fleets prepared at the Port of Acre. Richard quickly sailed to the city with 2,000 crossbow men, and only fifty knights, in contrast to Saladin's 12,000 army at Jaffa (Hilliam 34). As the rest of his army fought the Saracens at Caesarea, Richard rushed through the water to the beaches of Jaffa and fought through the city until he reclaimed it. By August 5, Saladin and his men had returned to take the city, but Richard rode out to them with his men and frightened them away (Hilliam 34-35). By September, Saladin gave the Christian pilgrims entrance to the holy city of Jerusalem by way of a treaty extending three years. Richard ultimately had more competition throughout his conquests than Saladin, who fought generals, not of the greatest strategic minds. In contrast, Richard had to face the greatest foe of his day: and defeated him.
Few kings seem to be remembered for their personal fighting on the battlefield like Richard I. Though Saladin was a great strategist like Richard, unlike Richard, he did not fight on foot so often as the Lion heart. Richard fought on foot in his battles with the crusaders, killing many by the sword at Acre and Jaffa. Contemporary sources record Richard often killing 10-30 men in these battles. Legends often portray him as slaying lions, boars, and dragons. While the legends may not be true, they do represent his known courage among the common folk, with whom he spent more time than nobility.
Both Saladin and Richard were greatly respected by their men, yet both had many enemies in their day. Although throughout some periods, especially during the Third Crusade, the Saracens were upset with Saladin, he nevertheless was loved for the most part by his men. Saladin grew the Ayyubid army stronger than it had ever been. He conquered all of the crusader cities in Outremer except for Tyre and a few small castles. Saladin's achievement were politically strengthened by his relation to the unification of Arab warlords from all over the East (Edbury 107). On the other end, Richard was loved as well by his men, and except for the French, pretty well united the whole Crusader army. Leopold of Austria would be the only other exception. Leopold, who had been on Crusade with Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1190, took over the German Crusade after Barbarossa won the Battle of Konya in Turkey, but shortly thereafter fell off a horse and drowned in the Catacaucus River (Loud 129-130). Barbarossa's son, Frederick of Swabia, also quickly died, and Leopold took over the German Crusade (Hitchcock 151). Leopold was quick to resign after Richard refused punishment to English soldiers for throwing the German banner into a pit outside Acre, since the German had not helped in the siege. Richard did, however, work well with his French nephew, Henry of Champagne and greatly aided in his campaigns by King Guy de Lusignon of Jerusalem. Guy has often been blamed for the Fall of Jerusalem to the Saracens, yet Richard gave Cyprus to Guy to reign over after the Templars gave it up from rebellion by the Greeks . In early 1192, the Kingdom of Jerusalem removed Guy as King, and replaced him with Lord Marquis Conrad. Conrad, who sided with Richard's enemies, Hugh of Burgundy and the French, were assassinated one night in the city of Tyre. Richard was blamed for the murder, and many of his enemies, including Philip of France, used it against him. When Richard was imprisoned in Germany later, however, it was revealed by letter from an old man of the mountain, a sorcerer of the East, that he had actually killed Conrad, proving Richard's innocence (Lamb 568). After Conrad's death, Richard helped his nephew, Henry of Champagne, gain the throne and to marry Isabella of Jerusalem, former widow of the Marquis. Richard's good relations with the Church in addition, helped him out later on when the Pope took his side when he was in prison. Richard's loyalty was strong among his subjects, and according to legend, Blondel the Minstrel went looking for the cell of the king as Robin Hood and his merry man raised money to pay the king's 100,000 silver-coin ransom. It is clear that despite foes in abundance, Richard proved genuine consideration for all people, and that that consideration in turn often served him in his most dire need.
While Saladin did have the loyalty of his brother Aladil and some others, Richard seemed to own a much better group of companions than Saladin. Richard was almost killed in a battle by Sir William Marshall, who at the time was on the side of his father; Marshall spared the Lionheart's life, and went on to serve him in his later years as the most famous knight of the Middle Ages (McLynn 150). Richard was strongly loyal to Christendom, but was friendlier to Jews than most contemporaries at the time. Defying expectations at the time, some Jews respectfully showed up at Richard's to bring gifts; when many English went on to persecute them, the king put an end to it, and locked the persecutors away.
Richard also revealed political, in addition, to personal, generosity in his lifetime. He sold Scotland their freedom, and, having an ancestor in Queen Matilda of Scotland, was friends with King William the Lion of Scotland, who helped Richard against the rebellion in England in 1194. Richard was friends, too, with the French lords Philip of France and Hugh of Burgundy, though this did not last on the part of the latter companions. Besides Richard's relatives and the leaders of the Third Crusade, perhaps Richard's greatest loyalty among his friends is evidenced by his knights, Peter and William de Preaux. Peter was a strong supporter of Richard all of his life, and very pious. He fought alongside the King in the Third Crusade, especially at the Battle of Jaffa, and in the waters off-shore (Lamb 140). William disguised himself as the king one night on a hunting trip in the summer of 1191 so that the Saracens would capture his life instead; consequently, he was held in prison for a year until finally ransomed at the end of the crusade. Peter, who later assisted Prince John after Richard's death, did many heroic deeds not mentioned in detail in this paper. He was the royal standard bearer of the King in the Third Crusade, and because Richard would not enter Jerusalem if he could not take it, he sent Peter ahead, along with Andrew de Chavigny, William de Roches, and Gerard de Fournival, to lead the pilgrims in seizing it in September 1192. Richard was also friend with Archbishop Hubert Walter, an Walter's support for Richard no doubt played a role in the support of papacy to the English king.
Saladin's best help in his family was Aladil who took over after his death. Nevertheless, the rest of his family didn't really benefit him politically. Richard on the other hand made a smart move in marrying Princess Berengaria, not just because she was considered one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe, but because she helped him politically for the rest of his life. She wrote letters, for example, to many, for the help of her husband when he was imprisoned. After Richard's death, she became a nun (Gillingham 297). On the flip-side, Richard did have one greater enemy in his family than any foes of Saladin's: his own brother, John. Despite this fact, Richard's family ended politically better than Saladin's, with long-standing.
Both Saladin and Richard had somewhat tragic deaths, though Richard's was more exciting and climactic. Richard swore a oath that he would be in the Holy Land until Easter of 1193, though he had left the previous October. Interestingly enough, Saladin died March of 1193, just two weeks before Richard's sworn date. After Saladin's death, the whole Muslim world lost much of its power as it fell into division. Had Richard stayed, he would certainly have taken Jerusalem; nevertheless, he returned to England for problems arising at home. In March 1193, Saladin died of yellow fever. In turn, Richard experienced many difficulties on his return home. He and forty of his men sailed on one ship up to Vienna; along the way, his ship was destroyed, and they were captured by pirates. The pirates freed them, however, upon discovering that the Lionheart was among their company. Richard and his men were subsequently captured by German soldiers of Leopold of Austria, and put in Leopold's Castle. Richard awaited freedom until England paid his ransom (McLynn 274). Richard finally left Germany and arrived in England in mid 1194. As he arrived, he had to put down a rebellion of his brother Prince John, with help from Scotland. Richard was barely in England in time enough to fight Philip in France for the next five years, with hardly a space of peace within these campaigns. Shortly before, Pope Innocent III had called for a new Crusade. Richard wanted to return to the Holy Land as a Crusader and take back Jerusalem; unfortunately, he became hasty. Richard had caught word of a treasury in the Castle of Chalus; the Treasury that was believed to be there was also believed to constitute enough of the remaining money needed to finance a new crusade. Unfortunately, there existed no such treasure there, a fact unbeknownst to Richard. In early 1199, Richard was seizing the Castle (Mc Lynn 275-277).
One day, Richard went riding down by the mostly unguarded side of the walls to inspect it, fore-siege. It was not simply guarded, and Richard, unaware, wore no armor. A crossbow men shot Richard in the left side of his neck. Days later, Richard died on April 6, 1199, in his mother's arms. Shortly before his death, his piety grew, and Richard decided to be a crusader again; this was ultimately among his last dreams. England greatly weakened after Richard's death for the next decade, and the French reclaimed all their territories. Richard did not fail, however. His nephew, Henry III, son of John, who became king after his father's death, succeeding in driving the French out of England in 1217 (McLynn 278).
Both Richard and Saladin greatly changed history, and the world of their times. Saladin's achievements may be compared to former warlords of the East, such as Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar, and Muhammad. His generous providence in dealing with his enemies leaves his image in the West as chivalrous foe. Richard the Lionheart's achievements can be, in retrospect, compared to the successes of Western conquerors like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Crusader Godfrey de Bouillon. Richard's courage in battle is still talked about in the present day, historically painting him the most famous king in England. Richard's life has inspired great legends of adventure, romance, and chivalry, based on, or associated with, his character. Many historians through the years have praised his influence, for he was more than a king. He was an adevntutrer, the pious knight that fought beside his own men, and a pious crusader. As one said, Saladin was the Arab world's greatest champion, and Richard the Lionheart, Christendom's greatest warrior (Walker). Though neither Richard nor Saladin conquered to the extent of Genghis Khan, Caesar, or Alexander, they also faced greater opposition than any conquerors after them: each other. From a young age until their death, both were ready to take on the world for their faith, and what they believed in. Saladin's body was buried in the Umayyah Mosque in Damascus and Richard's was buried in Fontevraud Abbey, France; their inspiration continue to affect the world today. Saddam Hussein, born in the same city as Saladin, compared himself to the Saracen warlord, accusing President George W. Bush for acting like the Lionheart for his "crusade," as Bush called it, against Islam. A statue of was erected in 1993 in Damascus outside the citadel. A statue of Richard I, too, was completed in 1867, and stands outside of Parliament, showing that the Lion lives on with his country. Nineteenth century Baptist minister Charles Spurgeon, when talking about how one should preach, said that it should be as sharp as Saladin's sword, and as hard as Richard the Lionheart's ax. Though both men were from different regions, both had different faiths. One Islamic, another Catholic Christian. Despite such schismatic differences, both impacted each other, with Richard's influence prevailing in time, space, and age.
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Will be released soon.
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