Saladin Research Paper

Saladin is a historical figure not well known to the general public. However, much can be learned from him. Although specific facts about his life are hard to find, what is found leads a person to regard Saladin with a sense of awe. While he gained his position with mainly clannish nepotism, he had talent commanding troops and leading his people. Mainly, Saladin is a historical leader many young and old leaders can learn much from.
Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, translated to Righteousness of the Faith, Joseph, Son of Job, and more commonly known as Saladin to English speakers, was born during 1137 in Takrit, Mesopotamia (which is now located in modern day Iraq) to a prominent Kurdish family (Walker, 2016). On the day of Saladin’s birth, Najm al-Din Ayyub, Saladin’s father, moved the family to Aleppo and entered the service of Nur ad-Din, who was located in northern Syria and was a powerful Turkish governor (Walker, 2016). Despite coming from a primarily military family, Saladin was unremarkable and had a larger interest in religious studies rather than military training. Additionally, during the 10 years he lived in Damascus at the court of Nur ad-Din he distinguished himself in Sunni theology rather than military …show more content…
During the war, Saladin was betrayed by many Christian leaders. However, especially in the case of Richard the Lionheart, he still treated him with the same respect he would have given any other king. The are two examples of this. First, during one of their many battles Richard the Lionheart’s horse was killed. Saladin did not believe it was proper for a king to fight on foot. So, Saladin sent not only one but two horses for King Richard I to fight upon. Second, when King Richard I was sick, even though he had broken a peace treaty with Saladin, Saladin still sent men bearing fruit to King Richard to help him