Al-Malik
an-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf, or Saladin (Tikrit, 1138, Damascus, March 4, 1193)
is the first ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty, who ruled in Egypt from 1169 to 1250
and in Syria from 1174 to 1260 He himself directs Egypt from 1169 to 1193,
Damascus from 1174 to 1193, and Aleppo from 1183 to 1193. His name, an-Nasir,
means "he who receives the victory of God," and Saladin means
"the straightness of the Faith. He is known to have been the main opponent
of the Franks settled during the last third of the twelfth century and the
architect of the recapture of Jerusalem by the Muslims in 1187.
Yusuf
(Joseph), son of Ayyub (Job), was born in Tikrit on the Tigris into an
Arabic-speaking family of Kurdish origin from Dvin, ancient Armenia. Shortly
after his birth, his family leaves Tikrit and goes to the court of Zengi,
atabeg of Mosul. The latter names Ayyub governor of Baalbek and Shirkuh
(Saladin's uncle) officer in his army.
In 1163,
Nur ad-Din, Zengi's son, sent Shirkuh to restore Shawar to the vizierate. Nur
ad-Din, Sunni, was reluctant to intervene in the affairs of the Fatimid Shiite
Caliphate, but he can not afford to let the Franks occupy the country. The
first expedition ends with a half-success, Shawar is restored, but did not pay
the benefits to Shirkuh. In 1167, a second expedition was sent to Egypt, during
which Saladin accompanied his uncle. Saladin notably defends Alexandria, while
Shirkuh fights in Upper Egypt. Finally, a peace is concluded between Egyptians,
Franks and Zengides and the Frankish and Zengid armies evacuate Egypt. In 1169,
a third expedition allowed Shirkuh to seize the vizierate, but he died soon
after, March 23, 1169.
The
advisors of the Fatimid Caliph al-Adid advise him to appoint Saladin as a
vizier, hoping to profit from his youth and his inexperience. But Saladin does
not allow himself to be controlled and replaces the Egyptian officials whose
loyalty is not judged by his relatives to be tried. The caliph's confidant, a
eunuch named al-Mutamen al-Khilafa, tries to appeal to the Franks, but his
message is intercepted and Saladin discreetly beheaded on August 20, 1169. The
Black Guard, whose The members were closely linked to the disgraced officials
and rebelled, but Saladin sent his brother Fakhr al-Din Tûranshâh to fight
them, and the guards were massacred after two days of heavy fighting on 23
August. Saladin brings most of his family to his home and places them in Egypt
on property confiscated from wealthy landowners who had supported the revolt.
On October
16, 1169, the Frankish army led by King Amaury I of Jerusalem leaves Ascalon
and reaches Egypt on October 25 and, joined by a Byzantine fleet, sieges
Damietta. Saladin senses that the situation in Cairo is not safe and fears a
revolt if he leaves the city to defend Damietta. He sent an army commanded by
his uncle Sihab al-Din Mahmoud and his nephew Taqi al-Din Omar, who managed to
supply Damietta with a garrison. Finally, the disagreement settles between
Franks and Byzantines and the seat is raised on December 19th.
Amaury then
tries to conclude an alliance with Saladin against Nur ad-Din, feeling that
Saladin begins to consider his independence vis-à-vis Nur ad-Din.
Saladin
surrounds the capital with a limestone wall that stretches from al-Qahira to
Fustat and the Nile. At the center of this defensive system is the Citadel,
from which the new sovereign governs the country. Now open to the people,
al-Qahira, whose palaces are demolished, houses caravanserais, souks and homes
of merchants, craftsmen and bourgeois of the new regime.
In
December 1170, he attempted an incursion into the kingdom of Jerusalem on
Daron, but Amaury I forced him to retreat. In 1171, Nur ad-Din, a Sunni,
ordered him to abolish the Shia caliphate of Egypt and to place the country
under the moral authority of the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad, Al-Mustadhî bi-'Amr
Allah. Saladin hesitates, because he holds his post of the caliph: abolishing
the caliphate risks compromising the legitimacy of his power. Finally, a Mosul
resident on a visit to Cairo ascends the pulpit and delivers the prayer in the
name of the Caliph of Baghdad on September 10, 1171. Al-Adid, dying, is not
informed of the event and dies shortly thereafter.
The
abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate gives an international dimension to Saladin,
who is not satisfied with a simple role of governor in the name of Nur ad-Din.
Despite the claims of submission and vassalage, he seeks to make himself
independent, always finds a pretext not to join the troops of Nur ad-Din during
actions against the Franks. He also instructed Shams al-Dawla Tûrân Shâh, one
of his brothers, to conquer Yemen to create a land of retreat and refuge. The
Franks took advantage of these dissensions to foment a Shiite revolt in Egypt,
but it is discovered and crushed by Saladin on April 6, 1174. At the same time,
Nur ad-Din prepares an expedition to submit Saladin, when he died in Damascus
on 15 May 11, 1174. On July 11, it is the turn of Amaury I to die.
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