American scholar Samuel Huntington has a famous argument that the main conflicts in the world should be attributed to "the conflict of civilizations."
Indeed, since the founding of Israel, several Middle East Wars have been the conflict between Israel and Arab countries supported by the United States. It can also be regarded as a conflict between Christian civilization + Judaism civilization and Islamic civilization. Of course, Islamic civilization is basically at a disadvantage.
However, in the 12th century, there was a king of the Islamic world who, with his own strength, convinced the entire Christian world. He was the co-lord of the people of Egypt and Syria at that time---- Saladin .
Saladin
At that time, Saladin alone fought against the Crusade led by the three European kings, and finally won the victory, causing the famous Knights Templar and the Knights of the Hospital to fail in Egypt.
However, the New Year is right, Saladin soon fell ill, and the doomsday of a generation of heroes is so desolate, but his small inheritance once again gave people a new understanding of his excellent qualities.
Crusader
Who said there is no hero
1138, Saladin was born in a Kurdish family. When he was born, his father, who served as a local official, was dismissed. The family had to come to Mosul. His father Ayub obtained a position in the Zanji Dynasty.
Later, Saladin came to Damascus with his transferred father. Although he was young, his turbulent life several times made Saladin suffer the hardships of life and see the sufferings of the lives of the lower classes.
This also led to his youthful ambition, which is to make a name for himself when he grows up.
He learned Islam knowledge in the Damascus system. Since the mainstream sect of the Zanji Dynasty at that time was Sunni , Saladin naturally tended to Sunni doctrine.
At this time, not only were the countries in the Arab world fighting endlessly, but the bigger enemy was the crusaders from the European continent. In order to conquer Arab , those Europeans carried out several crusaders in the name of the Pope.
Saladin
Saladin, who was over teenagers at the time, witnessed the ferocity of the Second Crusade and the embarrassment after the defeat, so the crusading crusading was not invincible in his eyes.
At that time, the Fatima dynasty in Egypt, which also belonged to the Arab world, was regarded as the state religion of Islamic Shiites, and therefore it was also hostile to the Zanji dynasty.
However, since their common enemy is a crusader of the Christian sect, they often unite to fight against the enemy.
1164, when Fatima dynasty was attacked by the crusaders and the situation was in jeopardy, he had to ask for help from the Zanji dynasty.
That year, 26-year-old Saladin and his uncle Shrko led soldiers from the Zanji Dynasty to aid Egypt.
However, the crusaders were very strong at that time. They cooperated with the Fatima Dynasty to compete with the Crusaders for 3 years. In the end, the Fatima Dynasty was defeated and became the vassal state of the Crusaders. The uncle and nephew had to return home in disgrace.
Saladin
After several years of fighting, Saladin has grown into an outstanding military commander and mastered the tactics of fighting against the Crusaders.
Fatima dynasty is certainly unwilling to surrender to the men of Jerusalem. After a year of lying on firewood and tasting gall, they set off another battle with the Crusaders.
But no matter how angry the Fatima dynasty was, the army of the Fatima dynasty was still no match for the crusaders, so they had to ask for help from the Zanji dynasty again.
Based on the principle of losing lips and cold teeth, the lord of the Zanji Dynasty Nurdin once again agreed to aid the Fatima Dynasty. Of course, the reinforcements were Saladin and his uncle last time. After all, they had experience in fighting in Egypt.
This time, Saladin and his uncle learned from the last lesson and experience, and fought with the Crusaders with a moderate level of tension. After less than a year, the coalition forces of the two countries achieved the final victory, Jerusalem King Amalik was defeated and left Egypt.
Saladin
However, the Fatima Dynasty was just a miserable victory. At that time, the Caliph Adiid had to rely on Saladin's uncle and nephew to support a country. In January 1169, Saladin's uncle Shrko took office as prime minister of the Fatima Dynasty.
Saladin is mainly responsible for the management of the Zanji dynasty army stationed in Egypt, but unexpected events occurred. After only two months, Schrko died suddenly.
The army of the Zanji Dynasty stationed in Egypt was in turmoil, and at this time it fully demonstrated Saladin's political power and wisdom, and he gained the trust of Adid.
When he finally became the prime minister of the Fatima Dynasty, the various factions of the army could only stop. Soon Saladin held the army firmly in his hands, and it took him less than two years to completely master Fatima.
Saladin
1171 After the death of the last Caliph Aid of the Fatima dynasty, Saladin became the ruler of Egypt and founded the Ayub dynasty .
Of course, Saladin did not forget his roots, but praised the Ji Dynasty as the sect leader.
Saladin, who holds great power, has not forgotten his ambition in his youth, that is, to convert the Egyptian people to Islam Sunnis. He issued a direct decree to replace Egypt's chief judge with Sunni leader and to remove the mosque chiefs from all over the country, so that Egypt returned to the embrace of Sunnis.
However, one mountain cannot accommodate two masters. Saladin's rise aroused the suspicion of the caliph Nurdin of the Zanji Dynasty. In 1174, he sent people to the Ayub dynasty and asked Saladin to pay tribute to him. But who knew that Saladin spread his hands and told Nurdin's envoy that the treasury is now empty and has no money.
A vassal lord dares to contradict the sect leader. Isn’t this a rebellion! Nurding decided to raise an army to attack Salding. But history is so interesting, and the angry Nurding is said to be so angry.
Saladin
The monarch with a knightly demeanor
1174, Nurding's 11-year-old son Saleh inherited the throne. The little sultan had no ability to rule this huge empire. For a time, the Zanji Dynasty had a tendency to split.
This situation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the emerging Ayub dynasty. How could Saladin, who was in his prime at the age of 36, be willing to miss it?
So he started close contacts with Yulia and the officials of Iraqi , which was not difficult for him. After all, he lived in these two places for a while, and some old relationships between his father and uncle can still be used.
Saladin came to Syria with his soldiers. Since many generals of the Zanji Dynasty were no longer in the center, Saladin advanced very quickly and occupied the southern gateway of Damascus Busra within a few months.
The next step is to capture Damascus, which is the most powerful resistance of the Zanji Dynasty. If it is attacked strongly, there should be considerable losses.
Saladin
At this time, Shamstin, a local official of the Zanji Dynasty, gave Saladin a suggestion, which was to use money to open the way to buy Damascus as a whole. After all, the people at that time were too poor and too scared of war.
When Saladin heard that there was such a good thing, he immediately told his subordinates to take out all the 50,000 gold coins he brought.
This method has achieved miraculous results. On October 28, 1174, the Saladin soldiers entered Damascus without bloodshed. This story has since become a legend and has been recorded in history. But even though he magically took Damascus, Saladin encountered difficulties in the important town of northern Syria, Aleppo .
Because the Zanji Dynasty Caliph Saleh had no choice but to defend Aleppo, the two sides had been in a stalemate. The Aleppos began to embark on the "evil path". They took out a lot of money to invite the killer group Assassin to assassin to assassin Saladin.
Saladin
The killers at that time paid great attention to reputation and had to do things when they got money, so Saladin was always in a state of assassination.
Asassin once sent 13 killers to enter the military camp when Saladin and the generals had dinner. Fortunately, they were safe and sound with the protection of the generals.
However, it is impossible for him to be so lucky every time. Saladin, who relaxed a year later, failed to escape the assassination. His face and chest were hurt continuously, but fortunately he did not die. It was not until 7 years later, in 1181 that Saleh died of illness that Aleppo showed signs of conquering him.
Finally, after negotiations, Saladin exchanged Aleppo for 5 cities in 1183. The reason why Saladin is so persistent is because he believes that "Aleppo is the eyes of Syria." At this time, Saladin had occupied most of Egypt, Syria and Iraq, becoming the strongest king in the Arab world.
Saladin
Realizes Anne's Saladin and begins to focus on the crusaders who have been firmly rooted in the Arab land.
187, Saladin went to war with the strongest kingdom of Jerusalem in the Crusades.
The two armies started a great war in Harding. Saladin lured the crusaders to a place with high temperature and low water, surrounded the enemy and ignited the bushes around the crusade camp. The smoke and thirst caused a large number of crusaders to die.
Finally, Saladin captured the crusade commander Guy, wiped out the army of the king of Jerusalem, and shattered them as the supreme holy relic "The True Cross", and Jerusalem surrendered. But Saladin neither imprisoned nor killed Juyi, the king of Jerusalem. Instead, he said the famous saying "The king does not kill the king", and later released him.
1187 On September 2, 1187, Saladin entered Jerusalem, which had been occupied by the crusaders for 88 years. This day was a festival to commemorate the prophet Muhammad ascend to the sky in Jerusalem.
Crusader
At this time, Saladin showed a completely different style from the Crusader. He strictly ordered the army not to burn, kill, loot, and released all prisoners of war without asking for a single ransom.
Saladin did not demolish the Christian Holy Sepulchre Cathedral in Jerusalem, and announced the opening of the holy land of Jerusalem to all religions. This is the fundamental reason why Jerusalem has become a holy land of Islam, Christianity and Judaism today.
However, the Christian Pope Urban III did not have such a mind. It is said that when he heard that the holy land of Jerusalem was occupied by pagans, the elderly and weak pope was pissed to death.
The new Pope Gregor VIII issued the crusade order, so the Holy Roman Emperor, nicknamed " Red Beard ", the King of England, known as "" "looker ", and the French King Philip II, who was nicknamed "fox", each led his team to march to the east.
Crusader
This time Salding became the protagonist in the history of Third Crusade , and with one's own strength, he fought against the army of the Three Kingdoms.
This battle lasted for nearly 4 years, and the process in between was really tortuous.
First, Frederick I, the old emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, was caught off guard while riding a horse across the river, and then drowned. Saladin, who heard the news, shouted that Allah appeared and Allah blessed.
The subsequent battle was mainly between the British and French coalition forces and Saladin. Of course, the French retreated from the battle sequence first and rushed back to consolidate the rear.
The final showdown was between Lionheart and Saladin. The two of them won and lost each other. When the fight was fierce, there were even more than a dozen knights left by Lionheart.
Crusader
Saladin had no intention of contempt. He politely gave two horses to the Lionheart King who had lost his mount, and also sent fruits and fresh ice and snow to the fevered King of England to heal and cool him down.
"The Monarch with a Knightly Demeanor" crown has been worn on Saladin's head since then, and it is the title given to him by the enemy Christians.
1192, exhausted, the two sides decided to negotiate peace. In addition to dividing the territory of both sides, they mainly determined the ownership of Jerusalem. In the end, it was agreed that the Holy City was still controlled by Muslims, but it was open to Christians and could travel and go in and out.
Saladin
Hero ended up when torture
When both sides retreated, Saladin returned to Damascus, a place that embodies his childhood memories.
At this time, Saladin continued to build roads on a large scale, build water conservancy and agriculture, and open schools so that those teenagers who believe in Sunni can truly sit in the classroom to study.
In addition to dealing with complicated government affairs every day and patrolling his own territory, the happiest thing is to play with a few young children in his palace garden in Damascus. Whether it is Egyptians, Syrians or Iraqis, they all live in the great and warm country captured by Saladin.
However, no one expected that half a year later, their beloved monarch and benevolent leader would leave them.
1 In late February of 1193, Damascus was full of spring. At this time, the Frank envoy came to Damascus. They wanted to visit Saladin, but no one expected that this meeting would be the last time the hero of the Arab world met with foreign guests.
Crusader
When several crusaders entered the palace, Saladin, who had dealt with Europeans many times, suddenly burst into tears and cried out of control, just like a child, which surprised the ministers who were attending the surroundings.
Obviously, in this case, it is no longer suitable to hold talks with guests, so Frank bowed out after celebrating.
Fortunately, Saladin returned to normal when facing his consultant Sadard. The two came to talk about the pilgrimage to Mecca. Of course, in the meantime, Saladin also ate some rice cooked with milk and light snacks.
Two days later, accompanied by Shadard, Saladin rode out of Damascus. On the way, they met many pilgrims, and people cheered and respected their monarch. However, Shadard found that Saladin did not wear the defensive lining jacket, and he knew that the monarch's forgetfulness was already serious.
Crusader
That night, Saladin suddenly had a high fever. After being diagnosed by the imperial doctor and taking the medicine, Saladin slowly fell asleep. However, he still had a low fever in the early morning of the next day. Saladin told the servant beside him: "This is the worst sleep I have ever slept."
Of course, he still arranged everyone to deal with the complicated government affairs in an orderly manner. Although the ministers of the Ayubic dynasty all wanted Saladin to get better quickly, things went against their wishes, Saladin's condition became worse and worse, and he finally had to rest in bed.
to day 4, after trying various methods, Saladin's condition still did not improve at all, so the doctors decided to try bleed therapy.
However, this new method did not play a magical role, and as the blood flowed, Saladin became weaker and weaker.
By the time of day 6, Saladin's taste had been lost, and he could not taste both warm water and cold water. He smiled bitterly and said, "God, I'm afraid no one can give me water of the right temperature."
Then Saladin was in a half-dream and half-awake state, constantly having hallucinations, and began to talk nonsense.
By the 9th day, Saladin completely lost consciousness and could no longer open his mouth to take medicine and drink water. On the 10th day, the doctor tried to perform enema therapy, which was better than bloodletting therapy, because Saladin was finally able to drink a little barley water, and the nervous people began to smile after thinking that there was a turning point.
Saladin started sweating, which helped to lower the temperature and people cheered up a little more. However, this hope was soon shattered. On the 12th day, Saladin's fever broke out again and fell into an unconscious moan.
Saladin
This is a long and difficult night. The most famous Imam Yaph in Damascus kept reciting scriptures beside Saladin's bed.
Saladin sent him away and survived this dark night, but in the early morning of March 4, 1193, he entered the heaven of the Islamic world at the age of 56.
People in grief began to prepare for funerals, but at this time people were surprised to find that the great Sudan actually had only 1 gold coin and 40 silver coins. People sadly gathered money to handle the funeral.
This king who controls the vast territory did not accumulate money. He left his love to the Arab people, but he left the world with just a striped cloth.
Although Saladin urged his eldest son, Melic Everdale, to "respect Allah, to understand the people's sentiments, and to care about the sufferings of the people" before his death. However, after Saladin's death, the Ayub dynasty he established himself quickly fell apart.
References
[1] Saladin's most brilliant victory: Restoring the holy city of Jerusalem, China History Network, 2020.04.21;
[2] by Nicholson, translated by Liu Jingbo, Crusader, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press, 2013.07.
