Saladin

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Saladin (萨拉丁)
Alias(es)	Sultan Saladin; “Victor” (a title he used for himself before formally accepting the title of Sultan) 258
Species/Race	Human; Kurd 346 486
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ayyubid Dynasty; Saracen Sultanate; Mamluk forces
Occupation/Role	Sultan, military commander, and ruler of Egypt; later rules from Constantinople 606
Status	Alive; elderly but still preparing for what he considers his final battle 630
First Appearance	Chapter 98

Background & History

Saladin was born in Tikrit while his father, Ayyub, served as a local official. After Ayyub lost that position, the family relocated to Zengid territory and eventually Damascus. Saladin grew up amid political turmoil and financial difficulty, but his intelligence, perseverance, and an uncle’s service in the Zengid army brought him to Nur ad-Din’s attention 98.

Alongside his elder brother Turanshah, Saladin was sent to Nur ad-Din as both a hostage and a reserve for official service. He served as Nur ad-Din’s attendant and student, and was regarded by some as a favored protégé. Despite this upbringing, his independent authority in Egypt later caused Nur ad-Din’s followers to regard him as a rebel 263 486.

After establishing himself in Egypt, Saladin constructed the Saladin Citadel in Cairo, replaced much of the old Fatimid administration with trusted supporters, granted fiefs to secure loyalty, and reorganized his military household. He orchestrated Caliph al-Adid’s removal, restored ceremonies praising the Abbasid Caliph, and displayed 147 formations at a military review funded by nearly thirty thousand gold coins in rewards 252.

Following Nur ad-Din’s death, Saladin moved more openly to consolidate power. He answered Damascus’s call for aid with three thousand men, recruited displaced Zengid officials such as Kamal, and pursued his stated goal of uniting the Saracens against the Crusaders 263.

His rule was repeatedly threatened by Assassin plots, Fatimid holdovers, ambitious emirs, and disloyal relatives. After surviving an assassination attempt, he accepted his generals’ demands for wealth and authority in order to expose and remove unreliable elements within his army 270. He later crushed a Fatimid rebellion and deliberately allowed Damascus to fall to the Crusaders, intending to turn the loss into a cause for Saracen unity 286.

Saladin led multiple expeditions against Jerusalem. At the Battle of Nablus, he used Mamluks, Kurdish and Bedouin mercenaries, harassment, scouting, and feigned retreats against the Crusader army. The campaign ended in retreat and a five-year truce after his forces suffered severe losses; Saladin accepted responsibility and offered to ransom every captured Saracen, including Turanshah and his son al-Afdal 373 374.

After Ayyub was killed during a Byzantine attack on Alexander the Great, Saladin retaliated by seizing Crete and several cities in Asia Minor. His later victory over Byzantium strengthened his authority among the Saracens, and he eventually ruled from Constantinople 531 560 606.

In his later years, illness exposed the weakness of his succession. Cesar healed him during a severe fever, but Saladin subsequently uncovered a palace conspiracy. After Ramadan, he ordered the execution of implicated sons, their mothers, and other conspirators, then prepared a campaign against the Sultanate of Rum 617 618. By Chapter 630, he and Cesar are mobilizing vast armies for a final confrontation near Edessa 630.

Appearance

Saladin dresses with deliberate austerity despite his position as Sultan. He avoids gold ornaments, wears simple cotton and wool garments, and carries a curved sword 258.

• Loose white robe with a round collar and a black outer robe 258
• Broad black cowhide belt with a silver buckle 258
• Small round cap wrapped in a long cloth; black sleeveless wool cloak 258
• Wears only a silver ring rather than gold jewelry 258
• Pale skin; later suffers a severe wound through the back of his hand after Aziz attacks him 471

Personality

Saladin is deeply devout, disciplined, and conscious of the moral dangers of authority. He takes cold baths as a daily test of body and mind, prays regularly, and once refused to call himself Sultan, instead styling himself the Abbasid Caliph’s deputy and commander-in-chief as a reminder of his oath to Allah 258.

He is notably tolerant toward Christians and Jews, a quality that draws criticism from other Saracens. His tolerance is not weakness: he admires loyalty and courage even in enemies, particularly Cesar, and expects opponents to fight with full commitment to their own sovereign and faith 258 263 274.

As a ruler, Saladin combines mercy with calculated ruthlessness. He pardons defeated enemies and pays prisoners’ ransoms, yet executes corrupt commanders, rebellious Fatimid nobles, and palace conspirators when he considers them threats to the state 259 276 286 618. His ultimate priority is political unity; he believes that faith requires force to endure and that religious authority must not stand above the Sultan 471 615.

Abilities & Skills

Military Command

Saladin is described as Nur ad-Din’s most capable general and remains calm and authoritative under battlefield pressure 373.

• Commands a core force of personally trained Mamluks, whose loyalty he values above mercenaries and inherited Fatimid troops 259 264
• Uses Kurdish cavalry and Bedouin mercenaries for reconnaissance, arrow harassment, surprise raids, and retreat tactics 373
• Maintains discipline through personal prestige and decisive punishment; two commanders were executed after returning from an Assassin stronghold without results 259
• Leads naval forces using rams, grappling, boarding actions, and close-quarters combat 629
• Adapts strategically after defeats, accepting a truce at Nablus rather than allowing his army to be destroyed during withdrawal 374

Statecraft and Political Strategy

Saladin is an effective administrator and long-term planner who builds loyalty through both reform and patronage.

• Reorganized Cairo’s royal guards and attendants after taking power 252
• Replaced Fatimid officials with trusted supporters and recruited capable administrators from Damascus 252 263
• Granted fiefs to secure the allegiance of his followers 252
• Identifies problems in tax collection, hospitals, schools, canals, and other government work with precision 606
• Uses apparent concessions to expose enemies, including allowing ambitious generals to reveal their disloyalty after his assassination attempt 270
• Delays conquests when political instability would make them unsustainable, such as his decision not to seize Damascus immediately 276

Prophetic Revelation

Saladin received a revelation from Ayyub, identified by Christians as Saint Job. Because Ayyub is associated with mercy rather than warfare, some initially doubted Saladin’s suitability to rule 259 373.

• His revelation is associated with generosity, kindness, and selflessness rather than overt martial power 373
• He answers doubts about his revelation through his record as a commander and ruler 373

Forces and Holdings

• Saladin Citadel — A vast fortress-city in Cairo containing palaces, courtyards, libraries, temples, a mosque, and extensive defensive walls and towers 252 472
• Nile moat — A broad trapezoidal moat surrounding the citadel, constructed with water diverted from the Nile; Saladin rejected the suggestion to fill it with crocodiles because civilians walked nearby 472
• Mamluk Army — Saladin’s most trusted military force, trained from childhood and personally dependent upon him for status, equipment, and livelihood 259 276
• 147 formations — The army publicly reviewed in Cairo after the fall of the Fatimid Caliphate 252

Relationships

• Ayyub — Father; a Kurdish chieftain and former governor whose political career shaped Saladin’s early life. Ayyub later dies during the Byzantine attack on Alexander the Great 486 531.
• Shirkuh — Uncle and military patron; Saladin’s forces and early position in Egypt were built upon Shirkuh’s foundation 145 259.
• Nur ad-Din — Former mentor, patron, and model of rulership. Saladin respects him deeply but becomes politically independent, leading Nur ad-Din’s supporters to consider him a rebel 98 263 486.
• Kamal — Trusted minister, adviser, and former follower of Nur ad-Din. Kamal becomes one of Saladin’s most reliable administrators and confidants 252 263 615.
• Turanshah — Elder brother. Saladin reprimands and even beats him for drunkenness and greed, but later forgives his failures and continues to entrust him with command 263 368 374.
• Adil — Younger brother and loyal supporter. Saladin considers him more capable than most of his sons and relies on him during family crises 471 472.
• Amina — Sister. Though their political positions become opposed after her return to Homs, she protects Saladin following his assassination attempt 259 270.
• al-Afdal — Eldest son and crown prince. Saladin repeatedly finds him proud, manipulative, and inadequate as an heir; al-Afdal is later executed in the Great Palace conspiracy 471 472 618.
• Uthman — Second son. Saladin considers him mediocre and attempts to direct him toward practical study, but Uthman grows jealous of Dawud and repeatedly disappoints his father 607 615.
• Aziz — Son who wounds Saladin during an argument and is imprisoned for associating with heretical monks 471.
• Dawud — Youngest son and Saladin’s most promising child for a time. Saladin sends him to Cesar for education and later appoints him secretary and liaison to Cesar 531 607.
• Cesar — Christian rival, respected enemy, and personal friend across religious lines. Saladin once gave him a ring, repeatedly spared or favored him, considered making him a son-in-law, and ultimately prepares to face him in a final war 258 531 617 630.
• Mamluks — Saladin’s personal military household. Their loyalty remains firm during his assassination attempt and later illness 270 616.

Notable Quotes

“Unity. The unity of the Saracens.” 263

“If he did not fight with all his strength, then I would think less of him.” 258

“The Sultan is only a mortal man.” 471