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Saladin: The Politics of the Holy War
Saladin is one of the best known figures of the Middle Ages, and this study makes use of hitherto neglected Arabic sources, including unpublished manuscript material - -notably the correspondence, both private and official, of Saladin's own court -to set the whole of Saladin's career and achievements, civil and military, within the specific framework of his age.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 17, 2018
I actually think this could be the driest, most cobwebbily academic book I've ever read. Then again, this could possibly be because I'm very unfamiliar with the subject matter. Crusader history normally focuses pretty closely on the Frankish/Christian side of things, so this book was challenging just trying to keep up with a whole new cast of characters with very unfamiliar Arabic names.
This biography of Saladin is the standard academic work right now, referenced by all the most current Crusader scholarship. It was an extremely valuable read for my purposes, taking us step by step - often day by day - through the events of Saladin's life, with obsessive focus on the details of his letters, negotiations, and battles. The discussion of tactics and geography in the military maneuvers of the battle of Hattin and the Third Crusade gave me far greater understanding and clarity on these campaigns. For instance, Lyons and Jackson suggest that Guy may have been taking a calculated risk at Hattin, hoping to be able to withdraw in case anything went wrong.
Lyons and Jackson conclude with a fascinating summary of Saladin's life and impact:
It is the generosity of feeling derived from the this common ground - co-existing with hypocrisy and brutality - that gave the Crusades their mythopoeic quality, where the Muslims admired the Franks who were fighting not for money or through fear or because of compulsion by a ruler, but "purely out of zeal for the object of their worship", while, on the other hand, "had they [the Muslims] not been unbelievers," the Franks would have said that there were no better men born. This, in turn, is the basis of the western legend that elevated Saladin from being a "patron of prostitutes" to the company of Hector, Aeneas and Caesar amongst the virtuous pagans of Dante's Inferno.
It is surely this that serves to explain much of what can be known about Saladin himself. He cannot be thought of as an innovator, but as a man who was content to act on ideas supplied him. He was a good, but not a great, strategist and tactician, an open-handed but not far-sighted administrator and a man with his share of faults, mixed motives and weaknesses. His reputation, however, in history and legend, is based on his identification with conventional emotion. He appears to have held instinctively to the middle ground. The conventional mind was matched by virtues that were no less attractive for being themselves conventional. He was not concerned to question the relevance of his ideals or even apparently, to check how far he was guilty of distorting them. They were part of the heritage of Islam, to be accepted emotionally, not intellectually, and with such an attitude he could be presumed to ignore contradictions. The attractiveness of such a position must depend largely on the fundamental sincerity, however intellectually muddled this may be, of its holder. This is a test that Saladin must be allowed to have passed. Not surprisingly, he failed to win over his Muslim enemies, but he impressed the Franks and, as for his friends, Ibn Shaddad wrote of his death: "I have heard people say that they would like to ransom those dear to them with their own lives, but this has only been said figuratively in my hearing, except on the day of his death. For I know that had our sacrifice been accepted, I and others would have given our lives for him."
This biography of Saladin is the standard academic work right now, referenced by all the most current Crusader scholarship. It was an extremely valuable read for my purposes, taking us step by step - often day by day - through the events of Saladin's life, with obsessive focus on the details of his letters, negotiations, and battles. The discussion of tactics and geography in the military maneuvers of the battle of Hattin and the Third Crusade gave me far greater understanding and clarity on these campaigns. For instance, Lyons and Jackson suggest that Guy may have been taking a calculated risk at Hattin, hoping to be able to withdraw in case anything went wrong.
Lyons and Jackson conclude with a fascinating summary of Saladin's life and impact:
It is the generosity of feeling derived from the this common ground - co-existing with hypocrisy and brutality - that gave the Crusades their mythopoeic quality, where the Muslims admired the Franks who were fighting not for money or through fear or because of compulsion by a ruler, but "purely out of zeal for the object of their worship", while, on the other hand, "had they [the Muslims] not been unbelievers," the Franks would have said that there were no better men born. This, in turn, is the basis of the western legend that elevated Saladin from being a "patron of prostitutes" to the company of Hector, Aeneas and Caesar amongst the virtuous pagans of Dante's Inferno.
It is surely this that serves to explain much of what can be known about Saladin himself. He cannot be thought of as an innovator, but as a man who was content to act on ideas supplied him. He was a good, but not a great, strategist and tactician, an open-handed but not far-sighted administrator and a man with his share of faults, mixed motives and weaknesses. His reputation, however, in history and legend, is based on his identification with conventional emotion. He appears to have held instinctively to the middle ground. The conventional mind was matched by virtues that were no less attractive for being themselves conventional. He was not concerned to question the relevance of his ideals or even apparently, to check how far he was guilty of distorting them. They were part of the heritage of Islam, to be accepted emotionally, not intellectually, and with such an attitude he could be presumed to ignore contradictions. The attractiveness of such a position must depend largely on the fundamental sincerity, however intellectually muddled this may be, of its holder. This is a test that Saladin must be allowed to have passed. Not surprisingly, he failed to win over his Muslim enemies, but he impressed the Franks and, as for his friends, Ibn Shaddad wrote of his death: "I have heard people say that they would like to ransom those dear to them with their own lives, but this has only been said figuratively in my hearing, except on the day of his death. For I know that had our sacrifice been accepted, I and others would have given our lives for him."
August 26, 2012
This is a very good, but very academic history book.
If you are looking for facts and understanding about what we know about Saladin, thoughful commentary, and have an open-mind about this subject then it's well worth a read... but if you're after a romantic story about a muslim hero then probably best to avoid.
If you are looking for facts and understanding about what we know about Saladin, thoughful commentary, and have an open-mind about this subject then it's well worth a read... but if you're after a romantic story about a muslim hero then probably best to avoid.
October 9, 2025
It’s clearly very thoroughly researched, and the author has a clear intent in his purpose of biography. I appreciate his approach to not romanticize the life of Saladin as you often see in biography’s of generals or other great men of history. The only reason I give this 4 instead of 5 is because sometimes I feel he drags along with little details that can be a bit monotonous. This may be my fault in my cursory knowledge of the Muslim world. That being said Muslim names from the Middle Ages are so long, complicated and hard to remember.
On Saladin, he was a complicated man, and from my understanding a very tortured guy. He seemed always strapped for cash, and always forced to justify his actions in the purpose of the holy war. The author makes a great point on his cycle of expansion that he was stuck within. But, this is more of a judgement of the political theory of the era and of the region than of the man. One thing that was great about this is you do get some understanding of who he was. He was clearly deeply religious, and propaganda aside he did seem to be dedicated to holy war. I would say he was justified in his early Muslim conflicts because in the end they did bring about his goal of taking Jerusalem, and I do not believe if he did not first take Syria the Syrians would join him in a concerted effort against the Franks. All in all I would definitely recommend this to anyone trying to understand the crusading period. It really brings to light the complexities of the Muslim world at the time. It answered many questions of mine on How Muslim politics worked at the time, and as said in the title “the politics of Holy War”. Again I would definitely recommend for anyone interested in Islam or the crusades or in military history
On Saladin, he was a complicated man, and from my understanding a very tortured guy. He seemed always strapped for cash, and always forced to justify his actions in the purpose of the holy war. The author makes a great point on his cycle of expansion that he was stuck within. But, this is more of a judgement of the political theory of the era and of the region than of the man. One thing that was great about this is you do get some understanding of who he was. He was clearly deeply religious, and propaganda aside he did seem to be dedicated to holy war. I would say he was justified in his early Muslim conflicts because in the end they did bring about his goal of taking Jerusalem, and I do not believe if he did not first take Syria the Syrians would join him in a concerted effort against the Franks. All in all I would definitely recommend this to anyone trying to understand the crusading period. It really brings to light the complexities of the Muslim world at the time. It answered many questions of mine on How Muslim politics worked at the time, and as said in the title “the politics of Holy War”. Again I would definitely recommend for anyone interested in Islam or the crusades or in military history
February 14, 2019
Suriye ve Mısır başta olmak üzere, bölge ülkelerinin coğrafyalarını "karış karış" öğrenmek için tercih edilebilir. Askeri seferler meraklısından başkasının ilgisini çekemeyecek kadar ayrıntılı anlatılmış. İslam ve Ortadoğu tarihi açısından önemli bir liderin zihin dünyasını biraz daha anlama gayretine katkı sunabilecek bir kitap. Musul, Halep ve her gün ismini halen savaş ve fetihle andığımız bir çok bölge kentinin daha 12. yy.'da yaşadığı demografik ve politik değişimleri anlamak için derli toplu bir kronolojik anlatıma da sahip bir kitap. Kitap çevirisini genel olarak başarılı buldum. Yine de anlatım bozuklukları yok değil...
November 2, 2019
Kitapta ilk göze çarpan şey sanırım ilk baskı olmasından kaynaklı olan fazlaca yazım yanlışları. Üstelik arka kapağı okuyan biri çok rahatlıkla Eyyübi'nin aslında ne olduğuna; fakat nasıl algılandığına yönelik bir kitap bekleyebilir -ki ben de öyleydim. Ama ele geçen şey gün gün, saat saat oradan oraya koşan orduların bir vakanüvisliğinden başka bir şey değil. Kitap sadece kronolojiden ibaret ve isimler de bir o kadar karışıyor. Ben kitabın böyle gittiğini gördüğüm için okuyamadım, 150. sayfasında bıraktım ve böyle kitaplara yaptığım gibi 1 yıldız verdim. Okuyacak olan dostlar bu eksiği bilerek karar versinler. Sevgiler.
October 2, 2023
Full of good information but make sure you have a strong foundation in the politics of the crusades before you read this.
December 15, 2007
Book Description
Saladin was one of the best-known figures of the Middle Ages. The West accepted him as a hero; Islam was indebted to him for the recovery of Jerusalem. In this book Lyons and Jackson make use of hitherto neglected Arabic sources, including unpublished manuscript material - notably the correspondence, both private and official, of Saladin's own court. Such letters contain fresh information on the battles and diplomatic campaigns that accompanied Saladin's efforts to be accepted by his contemporaries as their leader in the Holy War.
Review
'It is certainly the best book yet written about Saladin in English.' The Times Literary Supplement
'Lyons and Jackson have produced a distinguished and extremely well-researched book ... It has the added merit of being accessible ... it reads easily and will be readily understood by the non-specialist.' History Today
Saladin was one of the best-known figures of the Middle Ages. The West accepted him as a hero; Islam was indebted to him for the recovery of Jerusalem. In this book Lyons and Jackson make use of hitherto neglected Arabic sources, including unpublished manuscript material - notably the correspondence, both private and official, of Saladin's own court. Such letters contain fresh information on the battles and diplomatic campaigns that accompanied Saladin's efforts to be accepted by his contemporaries as their leader in the Holy War.
Review
'It is certainly the best book yet written about Saladin in English.' The Times Literary Supplement
'Lyons and Jackson have produced a distinguished and extremely well-researched book ... It has the added merit of being accessible ... it reads easily and will be readily understood by the non-specialist.' History Today
August 24, 2015
A now-classic account of Saladin and his political career. Dispels many of the Hollywood myths about both the man and the political figure. Highly recommended as an antidote to version of Saladin presented in the well-made but utterly wrong Ridley Scott movie "Kingdom of Heaven"!
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