Note 16 — Chapter V · Life in the Castle

Saladin, the Egyptian Sultan, was born at Tekrit in 1137, and died at Damascus in 1193. He was made Sultan in 1173, and conquered Damascus and Syria. He defeated the Christians at Tiberias in 1187, and also captured Acre, Jerusalem, and Ascalon. The fall of Jerusalem led to the third Crusade, in which Frederick Barbarossa, Richard the Lion-hearted of England, and Philip II of France took part. In 1192 Richard forced Saladin to make a three years’ truce. Saladin died before its expiration.