Case study: King Richard or Saladin
Richard or Saladin- Who was the hero?
RICHARD THE LIONHEART
A lot of people might say that Richard the lion heart was the greatest hero of the Crusades.
However according to many sources Richard was a violent, cruel and merciless man. 'No man could escape his sword.' This implies that Richard killed anyone who crossed his path and all Muslims. The source also tells us that, ' King Richard ordered that 2700 prisoners the led out of the city and be executed.'
Contradicting to the previous source, another source gives us the impression that King Richard was regarded as a hero. 'He led his army towards Jerusalem twice but decided not to attack.' This, therefore, could be either correct or incorrect as the previous source and other sources tell us that in fact Richard attacked the Muslims in Jerusalem and stole all their goods.
SALADIN THE GREAT
One source from a biography of Saladin Baha ad-din who was a member of Saladin’s household (1188-1193). The source tells us that Saladin was a kind and merciful man. It is about how a woman had her little girl stolen by Muslim thieves and asked for Saladin's help. 'Saladin was touched and tears came to his eyes. He sent someone to the slave market to look for the girl and later a horseman arrived there with the child on his shoulders.The daughter returned to her.' This shows that Saladin was a kind and generous man unlike some sources describing Richard the Lionheart.
However, contradicting to this point, a source shows that, 'Saladin also ordered the execution of the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller, the soldier monks.' This does not imply that Saladin was kind OR generous.
So. Who was the hero?
Personally, I don't think either Saladin or Richard was the hero.
Who do YOU think was the hero???
Fun Facts about SALADIN and RICHARD
SALADIN THE GREAT
- Saladin was a kurdish Muslim
- Saladin had 7 siblings : 5 brothers and 2 sisters
- He was the founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty
- Saladin captured Jerusalem from the Franks (Europeans) on the second of October 1187
- He was buried in Umayyad Mosque, Damascus
- On the night of his birthday, Saladin's father gathered his family and moved to Aleppo
- He had 7 sons
RICHARD THE LIONHEART
- He had 4 brothers, 3 sisters and at least 2 half brothers#
- He had no children with Berengaria of Navarre - who was his wife
- His mother was Elanor of Aquitaine
- His father was King Henry II of England
- He was born 8th of September 1157
- He died the 6th of April 1189
- A crossbow man (from RICHARD'S army) attacked Richard the Lionheart because he wanted to take revenge on Richard for killing his family. The wound that the crossbow man gave Richard became gangrenous (infected) and eventually led to Richard’s death!
But as a final act of mercy Richard the Lionheart forgave him.
