‘Founded at the conclusion of the First Crusade in 1099, The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was always in a precarious position. It was surrounded by Muslim enemies and suffered from a lack of resources and support from its Christian allies, both in Europe and the Byzantine Empire. The rise of Saladin in Egypt and Syria in the 1170s was also a threat which could not be ignored. Saladin rose to power as a vizier of Fatimid Egypt. He then abolished the Fatimid Caliphate in 1171 eventually replacing it with his own Ayyubid dynasty. He campaigned in Syria taking Damascus, Hama, and Homs to expand his empire. From his earliest military appointments in Egypt, Saladin had been at war with the Crusader states and the Byzantine Empire.’

This episode was written by Murray Dahm.

Murray is an ancient and medieval military historian from New Zealand, living in Australia. He has written more than 100 articles on various aspects of ancient and medieval military history and other historical topics from all periods. He is the author of Macedonian Phalangite vs Persian Warrior, Athenian Hoplite vs Spartan Hoplite and Leuctra 371 BC all from Osprey publishing. He is a regular on the Ancient Warfare Podcast.