Peter Gubser has written an extraordinary book on Saladin (depicted below), the 12th century warrior-king Middle East leader who was the great Muslim opponent in the Third Crusade. Gubser died just before his exceptional book was published in late 2011. Peter Gubser was an Oklahoman who received his BA in Political Science from Yale University; a Masters in Middle East Studies from the American University in Beirut; and a PhD in Political Science from St Anthony’s College at Oxford University.
He was an accomplished Middle East linguist. He spent his career heading humanitarian 0rganizations in the Middle East, but always a scholar, he published several books on the Middle East.
What is exceptional is Gubser’s use of primary sources- letters, reports, and documents. In Europe many of the great libraries were burnt over the centuries, but the documents on this period have been preserved, especially in the Cairo libraries.
Basically, Gubser looks at the thoroughly complex 12thCentury Muslim Middle East and the complex Middle Ages Europe and presents a balanced often day by day, week by week, and month by month overview of events. His scholarship is complete.
Do we learn anything from history? Often issues change little generation after generation and his understanding of the issues in the Middle East is seminal. What Gubser does is to give us a background to the endless conflicts almost 1,000 years ago between rulers, cities, tribes, and peoples. His five maps are fascinating: the Middle East, Egypt, Palestine and Transjorden, Lebanon, North Syria, and Southern Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia, Iraq, and Jazira. Gubser outlines how these cities, rivers, and ports were fought over in the 12th century. He details the military tactics, the diplomatic efforts, the political alliances, the economic developments, etc. The victories, defeats, and tragedies are the essence of universal drama.
The scope of the 12th century conflicts is astounding with thousands of combatants. For example one fascinating issue is how the Moslems and Christians dealt with taxes and tax revenue. Saladin removed the tax on pilgrims to Mecca, which immediately increased pilgrims and revenue from Mecca. Any Crusader who joined the Third Crusade was exempt from the large Crusade tax. When Saladin took an area he would allocate the tax income or “Iqta” to his new allies.
Saladin through diplomacy and war built a massive empire, a large area of the presence Middle East. His unifying call was to unify the Muslim world, but under his rule and on his terms. The empire extended from Egypt, to North Africa, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, north Iraq , and parts of Anatolia. There is still debate was his motive personal gain or Muslim unity.
Gubser details the methods of attack, the citadel defenses, and the Army and naval movements. He describes the fall of cities, destruction of armies, and the depths of rivalries in the Muslim and Christian worlds. This area today is the arena of constant conflict and upheaval. Seemingly little has changed since the 12th century.
Saladin, born 1138 and died 1193, was a Kurd, born in what was Armenia. He was a Sunni Muslim and brought Sunni religion to Cairo when he overthrew the Ismaili Shia Fatimid empire. He had an extraordinary world view, with administrative qualities, excellent negotiation skills, and military excellence. He is known in history both in the Muslim and Christian worlds as a great king, diplomat, warrior, and empire builder.
In 1187 Jerusalem was conquered by Saladin. The reaction in Europe was to create the Third Crusade. The Pope, the kings, the Templars, the Hospitales, and soldiers from all European nations created and army of perhaps 100,000 or more Crusaders. King Richard the Lion Hearted was one of the leaders. After constant battles, he realized he could not take and hold Jerusalem. After years of battles, he withdrew. But he had insulted the Duke of Leopold at the battle of Acre, and the when Richard passed through Austria, the Duke arrested him. He then turned Richard over to Emperor Henry VI of Germany who demanded a king’s ransom. King Richard was killed in 1199 at the battle of Limousin. France.
Once Saladin consolidated his empire, his health broke, and he died in July, 1193, at the age of 55. His Ayyubid empire in Egypt lasted until 1250. Mongols drove the Ayyubids from Syria but the Mamlukes defeated them at Ain Jalut in 1260. Minor local Ayyybid dynasties ruled in other areas for another seven decades.
In 1291 the Mamlukes conclusively defeated the Crusaders. In 1517 the Ottomans defeated the Mamlukes in Egypt, Syria, the Holy Land, and Iraq. The eternal Middle East conflicts continue today.
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