Synopsis: When Saladin recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187, returning the Holy City to Islamic rule for the first time in almost ninety years, he sent shockwaves throughout Christian Europe and the Muslim Near East that reverberate today.
It was the culmination of a supremely exciting life, fraught with challenges and contradictions but blessed occasionally with marvellous good fortune. Born into a significant Kurdish family in northern Iraq, Saladin shot to power in faraway Egypt thanks to the tutelage of his uncle. Over two decades, this warrior and diplomat fought under the banner of jihad, but at the same time worked tirelessly to build an immense dynastic empire that stretched from North Africa to Western Iraq. Gathering together a turbulent and diverse coalition he was able to capture Jerusalem, only to trigger the Third Crusade and face his greatest adversary, King Richard the Lionheart.
Drawing on a rich blend of Arabic and European sources, this is a comprehensive account of both the man and the legend to which he gave birth, describing vividly the relentless action of his life and then tracing its aftermath through culture and politics all the way to the present day. It reveals the personal qualities that explain his enduring reputation as a man of faith, generosity, mercy and justice, even while showing him to be capable of mistakes, self-interest and cruelty. After Saladin’s death, it goes on to explain how in the West this Sunni Muslim became famed for his charm and chivalric virtue, while across much of the Islamic world he stands as one of history’s greatest heroes, an inspiration to be admired and emulated.
To be perfectly blunt, I could not have cared less whether the chapters on how Saladin's image has been used now were included or not. It is pretty obvious that it is used for the sole purpose of furthering the political agenda of the day of whatever political group has hijacked it. In short, his image is defined by the needs of the multitudes, and bears no resemblance to historical records. As professor Nicholas Saunders remarked (on an unrelated issue): "The dead can always be weaponized politically ...."
I actually enjoyed the book more for being a detailed biography on the man himself. Medieval politics is a bit of a minefield to negotiate for the uninitiated - and Phillips does a sound job in explaining the political landscape that Saladin was born into and operated within.
Phillips' book is quite lengthy - it covers all the aspects of Saladin's personal life; his military career, especially that in Egypt; court life under both Zengi and Nur al-Din; political and religious histories of the then Muslim world. It is not solely focused on the Crusades, thought this period did indeed dominate his political and military career. Then, of course, are the chapters on his legacy, and the depictions of Saladin in both the West and the East.
A lot of research has gone into this book, with a plethora of sources worthy of exploring further. In fact, there were quite a few instances where little snippets of information piqued my interest which will result in my own further research.
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