London: Faber and Faber, 1983
Honoured by Christian and Muslim alike, celebrated by Dante and Sir Walter Scott, Saladin in the most famous of all Muslim heroes.
As the Muslim sultan of Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Palestine, Saladin achieved great successes in the wars against Christian crusaders, particularly with his capture of Jerusalem in 1187, ending its 88-year occupation with the Franks. The discipline of his army then was in marked contrast to the indiscriminate slaughter that had followed the Christian’s victory in 1099.
In this thoroughly researched yet effortlessly readable account, P.H. Newby paints the picture of Saladin as a skilful diplomat quite capable of backing his diplomacy with the swift and resolute use of force. His reputation as a generous and virtuous but firm ruler contrasts strongly with most of his predecessors and peers, Christian and Muslim. His unwavering devotion to the jihad, inspired him – and his armies – to spread Islam and Muslim institutions throughout his empire and enabled him to fight the greatest champions of Christendom to draw.
Possessing many of the virtues the Crusaders assumed to be Christian, Saladin died without enough money to pay for his own grave.
“Saladin in His Time is a minor masterpiece, the kind of book that forces the reader to look at familiar events in a new and clarifying way.”
