0:00:06 > 0:00:10In July 1192, Richard the Lionheart...
0:00:10 > 0:00:12King of England, valiant crusader knight...
0:00:12 > 0:00:16stood with his holy warriors, preparing for a strike on Jerusalem.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Inside the Holy City, the mighty Saladin,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Jihadi warrior, unifier of Islam,
0:00:23 > 0:00:28readied his troops for the infidels' inevitable attack.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33These two legendary leaders had fought each other to a standstill
0:00:33 > 0:00:36during a year-long campaign across Palestine.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Thousands had perished.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Appalling atrocities had been perpetrated by both sides.
0:00:43 > 0:00:48Now they faced each other in a battle for their final objective,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51the sacred city of Jerusalem.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54This promised to be the ultimate clash between two of history's
0:00:54 > 0:00:56greatest leaders,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00men who, even today, are regarded as the figureheads of the Crusades.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We think we know these medieval titans. Saladin, the pious
0:01:04 > 0:01:06and just champion of Islam, Richard,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10the brutish hothead with a gift for battle.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12But we shouldn't settle for legend...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15because if we look at what Richard and Saladin actually did,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17what they said about themselves, and how
0:01:17 > 0:01:19they were described by the very people who lived alongside them,
0:01:19 > 0:01:21then we can go further.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26We can begin to glimpse them both as men each capable of dark deeds
0:01:26 > 0:01:28and stunning acts of genius.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54To understand these men and their epic struggle,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59we need first to understand the world that became their battlefield.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01At its heart was Jerusalem...
0:02:01 > 0:02:03the holy city prized
0:02:03 > 0:02:05by both Christianity and Islam.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11In 1099, a crusading army had seized it from Muslim hands,
0:02:11 > 0:02:16wresting it from Islam's control for the first time in four centuries.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22This bloody conquest eventually ignited two hundred years
0:02:22 > 0:02:28of violent Holy War between Christian West and the Muslim East.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30But, surprisingly,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33it did not provoke an immediate response from Islam.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40The Muslim world was fractured, riven by an ancient
0:02:40 > 0:02:44feud between Sunni and Shia Muslims, over the rightful line of succession
0:02:44 > 0:02:49to Mohammed, and paralyzed by the power struggles of rival warlords.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Against this backdrop, the capture of Jerusalem barely registered.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Near and Middle Eastern Muslims seem to have had little idea
0:02:59 > 0:03:04of who the Crusaders were and why they'd come to Syria and Palestine.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Most probably thought that they were Byzantine mercenaries,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09engaged in a short-term military incursion,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13not driven warriors bent upon the conquest
0:03:13 > 0:03:15and settlement of the Holy Land.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20This dire misconception helps to blunt Islam's response to
0:03:20 > 0:03:23the First Crusade, a costly mistake.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Had the Muslims recognized the true nature and scale of the Crusades,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32they might have put aside their differences to repel a common enemy.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Instead, Islam's uncoordinated response allowed
0:03:35 > 0:03:39the Christians to strengthen their foothold here in the East.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45With Islam divided, the Christian invaders, or Franks,
0:03:45 > 0:03:50were left to expand and prosper in their new kingdom in the East.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54This realm was known in the Middle Ages as Outremer,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56the Land across the Sea.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57It was divided into
0:03:57 > 0:03:59four major territories
0:03:59 > 0:04:00known collectively
0:04:00 > 0:04:03as the Crusader States...
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Antioch, Edessa, Tripoli
0:04:05 > 0:04:06and the Kingdom
0:04:06 > 0:04:07of Jerusalem.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12As East collided with West,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16cities like Jerusalem became cultural melting pots,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21creating a medieval society unique to the crusader states.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23One settler, writing in the 1120s, noted,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27'We who were Occidentals have become Orientals.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30'He who was a Roman or a Frank has in this place become
0:04:30 > 0:04:32'a Palestinian or a Galilean.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36'He who was a citizen of Rheims or Chartres is now
0:04:36 > 0:04:38'a member of Antioch or Tyre.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40'We have forgotten the very places of our birth.'
0:04:42 > 0:04:48A minority Latin elite ruled over a mixture of Muslim, Jewish
0:04:48 > 0:04:49and Eastern Christian subjects.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Growing familiarity forged a degree of mutual acceptance.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55And, inevitably,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59the Westerners developed a taste for local goods and delicacies.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Sugar cane, olive oil, citrus fruits, pomegranates,
0:05:06 > 0:05:07rice and saffron...
0:05:07 > 0:05:11all became popular with the Western Europeans.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Some began to frequent Turkish bath-houses, or hammams,
0:05:14 > 0:05:18others started to adapt their dress to suit the climate,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21especially the aristocracy, who could afford silks.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32Some 30 years after the First Crusade, this cultural fusion
0:05:32 > 0:05:37was epitomised by the marriage of Fulk V and Melisende,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40his half-Latin, half-Armenian bride.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Melisende was heir to the throne of Jerusalem and Fulk,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48a wealthy count of Anjou, had been brought East to marry her.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Together, they were to rule the kingdom.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55An extraordinary memento of their world survives
0:05:55 > 0:05:59today in the form of a small prayer book, thought to have been
0:05:59 > 0:06:03made in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 1130s...
0:06:03 > 0:06:06one of the greatest treasures held in the British Library.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08It's a thing of the most remarkable beauty and craftsmanship.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11And for someone who loves the Crusades, its every
0:06:11 > 0:06:15bit as important as the Doomsday Book or the Bayeux Tapestry.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19And that's because it speaks to us of the Medieval World,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22it offers us a direct connection to the crusading era.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28This Psalter is a beautifully ornate personal prayer book,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32probably given as a peace offering from King Fulk to Melisende,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36to repair the wounds of a bitter feud.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Inside are full page images from the life of Christ,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41illustrated in a typically Byzantine,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44or Greek Christian, style.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49Magnificent as the book itself is, in many ways, the real treasures
0:06:49 > 0:06:53are the pair of covers that originally enclosed the Psalter.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Two pieces of ivory, intricately and precisely carved,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and decorated with semi-precious stones and turquoise.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05And what I love about these covers is that I think they show us
0:07:05 > 0:07:08the message that Fulk wanted to send to his wife.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09And that message was...
0:07:09 > 0:07:13from this point forward, I will rule as a good king.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16On the front cover are a series of images
0:07:16 > 0:07:18drawn from the life of King David...
0:07:18 > 0:07:21another ruler of Jerusalem, from the Old Testament.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Here he is shown fighting against Goliath.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And on the rear cover, we see a second king, this time, probably
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Fulk, and he's shown carrying out acts of Christian virtue.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39Here he is feeding the hungry, and here, clothing the naked.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41The message here is,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44from this point, I will rule as a monarch should.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50But the Psalter is not just a reflection of Fulk's Christian faith,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53it also allows us to glimpse the wider world that he
0:07:53 > 0:07:55and Melisende inhabited.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Because it is a product of the mixture of cultures that
0:07:58 > 0:08:00shaped the Crusader States.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05We can see in the way in which it's constructed and designed evidence
0:08:05 > 0:08:09of different cultures, different artistic styles coming together.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Within the book itself, we can see French, English
0:08:13 > 0:08:14and even Armenian styling.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17And these covers are very clearly Byzantine
0:08:17 > 0:08:22or Greek in their overall style and design.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Here is Fulk dressed very much as a Byzantine emperor,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26as a man of great power,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30and if we look at the geometric patterning
0:08:30 > 0:08:31surrounding the whole design,
0:08:31 > 0:08:36this is very suggestive of Islamic influence.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37What this book says to me is that
0:08:37 > 0:08:41the Crusaders did not live in some hermetically sealed environment,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43instead, even in the context of the Holy War,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45these Christians were being influenced
0:08:45 > 0:08:47by the Near Eastern world around them.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58But even as Fulk was giving peace gifts to his queen,
0:08:58 > 0:09:03outside the boundaries of their kingdom, a new force was gaining momentum...
0:09:03 > 0:09:08prompting Islam to unite and fight back against the Christian invaders.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09Jihad.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I've come to Cairo to meet
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Taef Al Azhari,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Professor of Islamic Studies,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21to find out how Islam's recorded history sheds light on Jihad
0:09:21 > 0:09:25and the First Crusade, from the Muslim perspective.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29In the Middle Ages, the idea of Jihad is to spread
0:09:29 > 0:09:33the message of Islam into the non-Muslim territory -
0:09:33 > 0:09:36in central Asia, in North Africa,
0:09:36 > 0:09:37and most importantly,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39into Christian territory,
0:09:39 > 0:09:40Byzantine Empire.
0:09:40 > 0:09:46But Jihad gained huge momentum when the Crusaders came to
0:09:46 > 0:09:50the Middle East in the 11th and 12th century.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52You are not into the others' territory,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56you are defending your own territory against the others.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00So Jihad was a prime responsibility and duty.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Jihad literally means struggle,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05but in the Middle Ages, this could represent
0:10:05 > 0:10:11a fight against internal impurity or a sacred physical struggle,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15a Holy War. And its message could be spread by poetry.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20The Arab poetry from pre-Islamic time through the Islamic history
0:10:20 > 0:10:24was one of the tools to galvanise society and,
0:10:24 > 0:10:29you have thousands of lines of poetry
0:10:29 > 0:10:34urging Muslim communities to defend and recapture Jerusalem.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Let me read you just few lines.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42HE SPEAKS ARABIC
0:10:42 > 0:10:49Here, the poet is reminding the Muslim community about how important
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Jerusalem is, and he's calling for its recapture, and he says
0:10:53 > 0:10:56the only way to recapture it
0:10:56 > 0:11:01is through blood which would purify Jerusalem.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06In the 12th century, the torch of Jihad was taken up by a new,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09powerful Turkish dynasty...
0:11:09 > 0:11:10The Zangids.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12In the name of Islam, they conquered great
0:11:12 > 0:11:17swathes of territory in the East and brought the promise of a new era.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21One in which the Christians might be driven from the Holy Land.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29In 1146, the Sunni warlord Nur al Din Zangi came to power.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34In the course of his career, he united Aleppo and Damascus,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37consolidating the Zangid hold on Syria,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and pushed their rule further, into Egypt.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46But rising up through the ranks of his armies was an ambitious
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Kurdish soldier.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Born Yusuf son of Ayyub, he's known to history by the honorific title,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Salah al Din, Goodness of the Faith.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57In the Western tongue, Saladin.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02In 1169, Saladin took command of the Syrian forces
0:12:02 > 0:12:06that had seized Shi'a-controlled Egypt.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Although, officially, the answer to the Shi'ite caliph,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12or spiritual leader of Shi'a Islam,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16he began to act with increasing autonomy.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20But as a Sunni Muslim, Saladin was an isolated outsider,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22and his prospects seemed bleak.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26The qualities that would mark Saladin's career soon shone through.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30When threatened with open rebellion by a powerful Sudanese
0:12:30 > 0:12:33regiment based in Cairo, Saladin was ruthless, burning their garrison
0:12:33 > 0:12:37to the ground with men, women and children still locked within.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40But he also knew the value of caution,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44waiting a full two years before abolishing the ruling Shi-ite
0:12:44 > 0:12:48caliphate and uniting Egypt under his own rule.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52And as Egypt's new lord, he now possessed a base with huge
0:12:52 > 0:12:54economic reserves,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58riches provided by the arable lands of the Nile Delta.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02In 1174, Nur al Din died,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04leaving his 11-year-old son to rule in his stead.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08But Saladin seized this opportunity to expand into Syria.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12To lend his rule the aura of legitimacy, he moved to Damascus,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Nur al Din's capital, and married his widow, Ismat.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21Saladin was quickly becoming the premier Muslim leader in the East.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25With the might of Egypt behind him, Saladin brought Arabia
0:13:25 > 0:13:27and Syria under his control.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31And before long, he united the disparate Muslim
0:13:31 > 0:13:36factions into a cohesive army and began styling himself as Sultan.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42The Sultan proclaimed his growing power and status
0:13:42 > 0:13:46with massive public building works, like this citadel here in Cairo.
0:13:46 > 0:13:47A towering fortification
0:13:47 > 0:13:52that served as his royal residence and military barracks.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56On the gate into the citadel is an ornate inscription,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00commissioned by Saladin and deliberately placed here,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03where ordinary residents of Cairo could see it.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07So what does this inscription tell us?
0:14:07 > 0:14:08Well, on the one hand,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12it proclaims Saladin as the builder of this great citadel,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and it names him with honorific titles,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Al-malik Al-nasir, the victorious king,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Salah al-Dunya Wa al-Din, the goodness of the world
0:14:22 > 0:14:23and of the faith.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26But the inscription also sets out to demonstrate that Saladin's
0:14:26 > 0:14:29achievements weren't all about serving his own agenda.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30Because it states
0:14:30 > 0:14:33that this citadel was built to protect his people.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And it affirms that he was the one who had restored orthodox
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Sunni faith to Egypt.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42This was the image that Saladin wanted to present to the world.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46As a great Sultan, but also a man of the people and a servant of Islam.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52As Saladin's status and kingdom grew, he presented his gains
0:14:52 > 0:14:55as a necessary step on the road to Jerusalem.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00By the mid 1180s,
0:15:00 > 0:15:04the Sultan's empire stretched from the Nile to the Euphrates.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07But his grip on this realm remained fragile and hung
0:15:07 > 0:15:12on the question, would he make good on his promises to wage holy war?
0:15:14 > 0:15:18As yet, he had not shown total dedication to all-out battle
0:15:18 > 0:15:20with the Franks.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21Did he really aim to annihilate them
0:15:21 > 0:15:26and recapture Jerusalem for Islam, or were they merely a convenient
0:15:26 > 0:15:29justification for his meteoric rise to power?
0:15:29 > 0:15:36In December 1185, Saladin fell ill and retired from the battlefield.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39The exact nature of his malady is unknown, but it involved
0:15:39 > 0:15:42severe bouts of fever that left Saladin racked with pain.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45And as the weeks turned to months, his condition became
0:15:45 > 0:15:47increasingly grave.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Emaciated and drifting in and out of consciousness,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53the Sultan was on the edge of death.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Physicians were called and announced there was no hope.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59The Muslim world was gripped with confusion and fear.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03But after three months, he pulled through.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08Saladin's friends and closest advisers saw this illness,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11this brush with mortality, as a moment of transformation...
0:16:11 > 0:16:16sent by God to wake the Sultan from 'the sleep of forgetfulness'.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20The experience does seem to have deepened Saladin's piety
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and spiritual devotion.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Before his illness, Saladin had been a ruler who spoke about Jihad,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30he had spent most of his time fighting fellow Muslims
0:16:30 > 0:16:32and forging an empire.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34He now emerged with new drive
0:16:34 > 0:16:39and purpose as a man ready to wage the Holy War in earnest.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44The Sultan mustered a huge force near Damascus,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48and prepared for an invasion of the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52His troops were drawn from across the Near Eastern world,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55some 12,000 professional cavalrymen
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and 30,000 volunteers,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00described by a Muslim eyewitness
0:17:00 > 0:17:03as a pack of 'old wolves and rending lions.'
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Surveying his own troops, Saladin observed that a huge dust
0:17:10 > 0:17:12cloud darkened the eye of the sun
0:17:12 > 0:17:16once the swarming Muslim horde began to advance.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20But victory here wouldn't depend simply upon military might.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22The real key would be water.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30To lure the Crusaders into his trap,
0:17:30 > 0:17:31Saladin attacked
0:17:31 > 0:17:34the Christian-held town of Tiberias.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35Sure enough,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38on 3rd July 1187,
0:17:38 > 0:17:43a massive Latin army set out from Saffuriya, led by Guy de Lusignan,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46the recently-anointed King of Jerusalem.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49In these hot, dry conditions,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52dehydration could be a deadly weapon,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55something that Saladin understood only too well.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59The Sultan had carefully scouted his chosen terrain.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01He knew where water could be found
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and went to great lengths to ensure that the Christians were denied it.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08The Sultan immediately dispatched a number of men to guard
0:18:08 > 0:18:11the nearest ample spring in the village of Hattin,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and then filled in all the remaining wells in the region.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19His own soldiers and horses would be supplied with water
0:18:19 > 0:18:23ferried in on camel-back from the Jordan valley below.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26The Christian army, marching in the height of summer,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28was being led into a waterless killing zone.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Around noon that day, parched and weakened, the Franks paused
0:18:34 > 0:18:40briefly to quench their thirst, beside the settlement of Turan.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42There was a small spring in the village,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45a last precious lifeline of water,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47but oblivious to their desperate situation,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49the Christians left it behind,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52pressing on with their march eastwards.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56As soon as they had left, the Sultan sent flanking divisions
0:18:56 > 0:18:57to capture the town.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00There was no going back.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03The Christian armies were forced to press on to the plateau
0:19:03 > 0:19:05so carefully prepared by Saladin.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10On 4th July, the Christian troops left their camp
0:19:10 > 0:19:14and Saladin's cruel and brilliant strategy was revealed.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Instead of launching an immediate attack,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20the Sultan allowed them to continue their pitifully slow progress
0:19:20 > 0:19:25eastwards, and waited for the midday sun to take effect.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30And then Saladin's archers began bombarding the Frankish troops.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31In desperation,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35they headed to higher ground on the Horns of Hattin,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38to make their last stand.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44I'm visiting the site with Rafael Lewis,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47a specialist on the Battle of Hattin.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48We know that, at a certain point,
0:19:48 > 0:19:54the foot soldiers had left the main body of knights and escaped
0:19:54 > 0:19:56and basically ran up towards the mountain.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Anyone who was seated on a horse was basically stuck
0:19:59 > 0:20:02in the basin between the mountain
0:20:02 > 0:20:05and between Salah al Din himself, who was probably positioned
0:20:05 > 0:20:10about 800 metres from here, on the other side of this valley.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Twice, the Christians launched driving counter-attacks,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17pushing the Muslims back, but it was no use.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21They were annihilated by Saladin's forces.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Salah ad-Din chose to lead his army into battle,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28he didn't stay aside and let his emirs plays the role.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31At the final moments of the battle, he was the one there,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33he was the one standing with his people,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36close enough to see that everything turns out
0:20:36 > 0:20:38the way that he wanted it to be.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42From his vantage point, the Sultan saw the red tent
0:20:42 > 0:20:45of Guy de Lusignan fall, and with it,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48the last shreds of Christian resistance.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52For Saladin, the battle of Hattin was a total victory.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55It culminated in the capture of the Christian King of Jerusalem
0:20:55 > 0:20:57and the sacred relic of the True Cross.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00And it left virtually the entire army of the crusader states
0:21:00 > 0:21:03either slain or in captivity.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07By day's end, this landscape was littered with the bodies of the dead.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10And a Muslim eyewitness reported that the perfume of victory
0:21:10 > 0:21:12was thick with the stench of them.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16As the sun set, Saladin was said to have looked over
0:21:16 > 0:21:20the field of battle like a lion in the desert.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24This was his moment of triumph, a proclamation to all Islam
0:21:24 > 0:21:27that he was a true jihadi warrior.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33With the Christian armies decimated at Hattin, Jerusalem,
0:21:33 > 0:21:34Saladin's avowed objective,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38stood virtually undefended.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40And in September 1187,
0:21:40 > 0:21:45he directed the full force of his army towards the Holy City.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Within ten days, he knocked through the outer walls.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Christian mothers shaved their children's heads in atonement
0:21:54 > 0:21:59and the clergy led barefoot processions through the streets.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04But in stark contrast to the Crusaders' sack of Jerusalem in 1099,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08the Sultan took the city without a bloodbath.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12And this episode has been instrumental in shaping
0:22:12 > 0:22:14his reputation.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17For centuries, it's been argued that Saladin,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19the wise and just ruler,
0:22:19 > 0:22:24willingly agreed terms of surrender with Jerusalem's Christian citizens.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27This notion has become a cornerstone of his legend.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29But I think it's just a pretty fiction,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33because it ignores the evidence drawn from those closest to the events
0:22:33 > 0:22:35and to Saladin himself.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Shockingly, this material suggests
0:22:37 > 0:22:42that what Saladin wanted was not peaceful capitulation,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44but a bloody massacre!
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Saladin's secretary, Imad al Din al-Isfahani,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52arrived in Jerusalem the day after its surrender.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55An early copy of his written account is kept
0:22:55 > 0:22:57in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04This text is not just important contemporary testimony,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06it offers us the fall of Jerusalem
0:23:06 > 0:23:09as Saladin wanted it to be remembered.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13What's so remarkable is that Imad al-Din
0:23:13 > 0:23:17makes no attempt to present Saladin as the man of peace.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Instead, what we get is Saladin the holy warrior.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24He is described telling the Christians inside Jerusalem
0:23:24 > 0:23:26in categorical terms,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30"You will receive neither amnesty nor mercy!
0:23:30 > 0:23:35"Our sole desire is to inflict perpetual subjugation upon you.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40"And worse still, we will kill and capture you wholesale,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44"spill men's blood and reduce the poor and the women to slavery."
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Saladin only relented and offered more generous terms
0:23:49 > 0:23:53when the Christians responded that they would fight to the very last man,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56destroy Jerusalem's Islamic holy places
0:23:56 > 0:24:00and execute thousands of Muslim prisoners still held in the city.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Imad al-Din's account is corroborated by
0:24:03 > 0:24:08a series of official letters, written in the Sultan's own name.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09Taken together,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12this evidence offers us a startling insight
0:24:12 > 0:24:15into Saladin's state of mind in the autumn of 1187.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20He arrived at Jerusalem conscious of one overwhelming truth.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22He had forged his empire
0:24:22 > 0:24:27and bent Islam to his will on the promise of jihad, selling himself
0:24:27 > 0:24:31as the man who would crush the Christians and re-conquer Jerusalem.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Under these conditions,
0:24:32 > 0:24:37anything short of a brutal sack would be positively embarrassing!
0:24:37 > 0:24:41This revelatory text shows us that the Sultan felt the need to
0:24:41 > 0:24:46explain why he had failed to butcher the Christians inside Jerusalem.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Saladin's primary concern
0:24:48 > 0:24:52was not to present himself as a magnanimous victor.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57What he feared, above all, was an attack upon his image as a mujahid,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00as Islam's perfect champion of Holy War.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Jerusalem was back in Muslim hands
0:25:08 > 0:25:12and Saladin's string of achievements that year
0:25:12 > 0:25:14turned him into an Islamic hero.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17But they also sparked a new Crusade.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25News of Saladin's attack on the Crusader States,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29his conquest of Jerusalem and the catastrophe at Hattin,
0:25:29 > 0:25:34sent a shockwave of horror and dismay coursing through the West.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37When the first tidings reached the elderly Pope Urban III,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40he promptly died of a heart attack on the spot.
0:25:40 > 0:25:46He was replaced by Pope Gregory VIII, who immediately issued a new
0:25:46 > 0:25:51papal proclamation, Audita Tremendi, declaring a new Crusade.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56Audita Tremendi's call to crusade was lent particular force
0:25:56 > 0:25:57by two compelling themes.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02God's supposed decision to allow Islam victory in the East
0:26:02 > 0:26:04was explained as a punishment for sin,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07the guilt for which was shared by all Christians.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11And for the very first time, the evil enemy was personified,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Saladin himself was named and likened to the Devil.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21The messages contained within Audita Tremendi
0:26:21 > 0:26:24were soon translated into popular songs and music,
0:26:24 > 0:26:29composed and played by travelling court singers.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33HE SINGS IN LATIN
0:26:36 > 0:26:40These troubadours toured the courts of the European aristocracy
0:26:40 > 0:26:44to sing about chivalry and love.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Now their words and music became infused with religious
0:26:47 > 0:26:50passion, as they spread the word about the coming war.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02As the crusading message swept across Europe,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04it began to acquire a more distinct identity.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Previously, crusaders had been variously dubbed as travellers,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11pilgrims, even soldiers of Christ.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Now, for the very first time,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16documents began to speak of them as Crucesignatus,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18one signed by the cross,
0:27:18 > 0:27:23the very term that would lead to the words "crusader" and "crusade".
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Tens of thousands of Latin Christians enlisted,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38including whole tranches of the European aristocracy,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40princes and monarchs,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42among them the King of France.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47But even before this crusading fever had spread,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51one leader made an immediate commitment to the cause,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56the man who would emerge as the driving force behind this crusade.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Richard I was crowned King of England,
0:28:00 > 0:28:05here in Westminster Abbey on 3rd September 1189.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08He was now ruler of the Angevin Empire,
0:28:08 > 0:28:13a powerful realm that stretched from Ireland to the Pyrenees.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15But by the time he took the throne,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Richard had already committed to joining the crusade.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28The decision had shocked his family, a volatile dynasty.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33Richard's youth was spent variously scheming against his brothers,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36including Prince John,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39and then uniting with them in opposition to their father,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Henry II.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48The old King opposed Richard's decision to enlist in the crusade,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51viewing it as an act of unsanctioned folly.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52But for Richard,
0:28:52 > 0:28:57the Holy War offered an opportunity to emerge from his father's shadow.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Henry died in July 1189,
0:29:01 > 0:29:07and Richard was transformed from scheming prince to ruling monarch.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12But this did nothing to stem his crusading enthusiasm.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15This was his chance to prove his prowess, his valour and his
0:29:15 > 0:29:19skills as a military commander, to make his mark on history.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23But this was also the start of a troubling crisis of identity,
0:29:23 > 0:29:29as the Lionheart struggled to reconcile his roles as a crusader and as a king.
0:29:30 > 0:29:31Like all medieval monarchs,
0:29:31 > 0:29:36Richard had a sacred obligation to protect his people.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39But enthralled by the allure of Jerusalem,
0:29:39 > 0:29:44he was about to turn his back on his realm, leaving his grasping brother,
0:29:44 > 0:29:46John, behind, and his kingdom vulnerable.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51For now, England would be entirely dedicated
0:29:51 > 0:29:54to the preparations for Holy War
0:29:54 > 0:29:59and to footing the bill for the King's colossal military campaign.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Henry II had already begun to raise the necessary funds
0:30:03 > 0:30:05by imposing a special crusading tax,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08the Saladin Tithe, throughout England.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10Enforced by threat of excommunication,
0:30:10 > 0:30:12it proved deeply unpopular.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15But the Lionheart pushed these fundraising efforts even further,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18he was said to have put up for sale...
0:30:18 > 0:30:23lordships, earldoms, sheriffdoms, lands, castles, towns, everything.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27And then the Lionheart began spending on an unprecedented scale.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31Thanks to fastidious record-keeping in medieval England,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35details of this immense outlay can now be recovered from the pipe
0:30:35 > 0:30:37rolls of the Exchequer,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39kept at the National Archives.
0:30:39 > 0:30:40These documents,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43the earliest surviving public records in England,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47contain accounts of the royal income, arranged by county,
0:30:47 > 0:30:49for each financial year.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53This is the pipe roll for the year 1189-90,
0:30:53 > 0:30:57effectively a full financial account of Richard's reign.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00And what's fantastic about this piece of evidence
0:31:00 > 0:31:04is that it shows us an incredibly precise and detailed record
0:31:04 > 0:31:07of what was spent to prepare for the Third Crusade.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10If we look at one example here... this is for Sudhantescr,
0:31:10 > 0:31:12that's Hampshire,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15and we can see incredibly precise details
0:31:15 > 0:31:19of what was taken to the Holy Land and how much it cost.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Here's a listing for 800 baconibus,
0:31:22 > 0:31:27that's sides of cured bacon, to be taken to Jerusalem with the King.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29And the cost...
0:31:29 > 0:31:3458 pounds 18 shillings and 11 pence.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39And the record continues with 20 portions of beans,
0:31:39 > 0:31:44an extraordinary 10,000 horse shoes with double nails,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47and a hundred weight of cheese.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50This pipe roll allows us to see what was spent in Hampshire,
0:31:50 > 0:31:54just one area of England, in preparation for the Third Crusade.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57It allows us to glimpse the furious activity that was going on
0:31:57 > 0:32:00before Richard set out for the Holy Land.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05In total, Richard spent around £14,000
0:32:05 > 0:32:07preparing for his crusade.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12This was more than half of England's entire annual crown revenue.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18Not only would Richard be the best provisioned crusader king,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21he also adopted an entirely new approach to
0:32:21 > 0:32:24the problem of reaching the Holy Land.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26His crusade would travel by sea.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30This major logistical operation required detailed
0:32:30 > 0:32:33and extensive planning, and it was not without its dangers
0:32:33 > 0:32:36from the likes of shipwreck and disease.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39But if Richard could pull it off, this new approach would be
0:32:39 > 0:32:42quicker and safer than marching his troops through enemy territory
0:32:42 > 0:32:46and would also allow him to transport the machinery of war to the East,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49from weapons and armour to horses.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53But success would depend upon a leader of exceptional strategic
0:32:53 > 0:32:55and organisational ability.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Most of Richard's men would have
0:32:59 > 0:33:02little or no previous experience of sea travel,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05so the King paid special attention to discipline on board.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08The King drew up a precise set of regulations,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10outlining harsh penalties for disorder.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13If a soldier committed murder while at sea, then
0:33:13 > 0:33:16he would be tied to his victim's corpse and pushed overboard.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20If guilty of the same crime on land, he'd be thrown into a grave
0:33:20 > 0:33:23and buried alive alongside the body.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25And thieves had their hair shaved
0:33:25 > 0:33:29and boiling pitch poured over their heads to mark them as criminals.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Finally, his meticulous preparations complete,
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Richard was ready to depart from the port of Marseille.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43Although familiar to pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46this was the first time it would be used for such a major
0:33:46 > 0:33:47crusading expedition.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51What would the conditions have actually been like
0:33:51 > 0:33:53for the crusaders on board a ship?
0:33:53 > 0:33:54The conditions
0:33:54 > 0:33:56would've been appalling.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58They departed Marseille
0:33:58 > 0:34:00on 7th August 1190,
0:34:00 > 0:34:05so we can assume the temperatures hovered around 35 degrees Celsius.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13You're talking about 150 men or more
0:34:13 > 0:34:16crammed in with provisions and arms in a vessel
0:34:16 > 0:34:18with a shallow keel,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22meaning it was susceptible to anything above mild sea states.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25Sea sickness, with certainly the knights and their attendants,
0:34:25 > 0:34:30who weren't used to sea travel, would have been a real concern,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32as would dehydration.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Dysentery and any of the maladies
0:34:35 > 0:34:38that you would expect among men in close quarters
0:34:38 > 0:34:40for a prolonged period of time.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47The fleet would take the long way round,
0:34:47 > 0:34:52avoiding the more treacherous route straight through the middle of the Mediterranean.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57You needed to go as close as possible
0:34:57 > 0:35:01to the shoreline in order to navigate,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05and this meant that you had to travel during the day.
0:35:05 > 0:35:10Also, water was a severe limitation, rowing was arduous work,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13your oarsmen needed approximately eight litres a day,
0:35:13 > 0:35:19it'd take a metric tonne of water to keep a whole crew compliment
0:35:19 > 0:35:21going for the day.
0:35:21 > 0:35:27The horses would have taken as many as 28 to 35 litres a day,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30so you had to put in almost daily for water
0:35:30 > 0:35:32and food replenishment reasons alone.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49In June 1191, Richard the Lionheart sailed down the coast of Palestine,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52at the head of his fearsome crusading army,
0:35:52 > 0:35:55and caught his first glimpse of Acre.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58One of the greatest ports of the Near East,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Acre stood at the gateway to Palestine.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03For the Muslims, it was a bastion
0:36:03 > 0:36:07against Christian attack from the north, whether by land or sea.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Its looming defensive walls rising from the Mediterranean
0:36:09 > 0:36:13would have been visible to Richard as he approached with his fleet.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17And what the Lionheart found was a city deeply entrenched
0:36:17 > 0:36:20in a siege that had already lasted one and a half years.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24The Muslim garrison within the city
0:36:24 > 0:36:28was besieged by tens of thousands of Crusaders.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Beyond those, spread out across the plains,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35were the tents and trenches of the Muslim armies,
0:36:35 > 0:36:37with Saladin in their midst.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Why was Saladin unable to crush the Crusaders' siege of Acre
0:36:42 > 0:36:45before Richard the Lionheart arrived?
0:36:45 > 0:36:47The answer was the sea.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Because this was a coastal port,
0:36:49 > 0:36:53the Mediterranean acted as a pulsing, unstemmable artery,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56allowing troops to flow from the west to the Holy Land.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59No matter whether the Sultan would kill 1,000
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Christians on one day, 2,000 more would appear on the next.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07For Saladin, Acre quickly became a military engagement
0:37:07 > 0:37:09that was almost impossible to win.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15Breaking this siege would take all of Richard's military genius.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20To smash through Acre's mighty walls, the Christians deployed heavyweight
0:37:20 > 0:37:25siege machines capable of unleashing a terrifying aerial barrage.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30The Crusaders nicknamed their most powerful trebuchet "Bad Neighbour",
0:37:30 > 0:37:34while at the foot of another machine christened "God's Own Catapult",
0:37:34 > 0:37:35a priest stood,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38preaching and collecting money to pay to repair damage
0:37:38 > 0:37:41done by the incessant Muslim counterattacks.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46But the Lionheart's machines continued to wreaked havoc.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49And to make them even more destructive,
0:37:49 > 0:37:51they were loaded with huge stones
0:37:51 > 0:37:53that Richard had brought from Western Europe.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56The Crusaders' most powerful trebuchets could propel
0:37:56 > 0:37:59a missile into the very heart of the city.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01And a single catapult stone
0:38:01 > 0:38:05might kill 12 of Acre's Muslim garrison.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08By late July, the Christians' tactics had worked
0:38:08 > 0:38:12and the city's walls were on the verge of collapse.
0:38:12 > 0:38:17The men inside were weak and exhausted by constant fighting.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21One Crusader summarised the Muslims' predicament.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23He wrote, "They were afraid of the miracle they now beheld,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27"how the whole world had come to annihilate them.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30"They saw their walls broken down, pierced and destroyed,
0:38:30 > 0:38:34"they saw their people injured, killed and cut to pieces.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37"Saladin's garrison could take no more."
0:38:37 > 0:38:41The great victor at Hattin, conqueror of Jerusalem,
0:38:41 > 0:38:46Saladin now had to watch in horror as Acre's shattered garrison
0:38:46 > 0:38:50buckled and negotiated peace terms with King Richard.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53According to the deal struck,
0:38:53 > 0:38:55the Muslims captured would only be released
0:38:55 > 0:38:56when specific terms were met by Saladin.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Including the payment of 200,000 gold dinars,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03and the return of the True Cross.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06The Third Crusade had achieved a categorical victory.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12Richard wanted the terms of the surrender settled quickly
0:39:12 > 0:39:16so that he could press on with his Palestinian campaign.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18But Saladin played for time,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22a dangerous strategy that prompted Richard to take shockingly
0:39:22 > 0:39:23brutal action.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28As Saladin's advance guard looked on, the bulk of Acre's Muslim garrison -
0:39:28 > 0:39:33some 2,700 men - were led from the city, bound in ropes.
0:39:33 > 0:39:34Herded onto the open plain,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37they huddled together in fear and confusion.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Some perhaps imagining that they were about to be released.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43A Muslim contemporary described what followed.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45"As one man, the Crusaders charged them,
0:39:45 > 0:39:50"and with stabbings and blows of swords, they slew them in cold blood."
0:39:50 > 0:39:54This terrible massacre sent Saladin a stark message.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58This would be the ruthless dedication that the Lionheart would bring to
0:39:58 > 0:39:59the Holy War.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03This atrocity,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06one of the most controversial acts in Richard's career,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10shocked Islam, fuelling the fires of Jihad,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14and left an indelible mark on the Lionheart's historical reputation.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Richard's task now was to try and march his army
0:40:21 > 0:40:23down the coast of Palestine.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Even for the Lionheart, actually persuading his troops
0:40:26 > 0:40:28to leave Acre proved no simple matter.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33The port had become a comfortable, even enticing,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37refuge from the horrors of Holy War. A fleshpot,
0:40:37 > 0:40:40offering all manner of illicit pleasures.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45One Christian conceded that it was "delightful, with good wines
0:40:45 > 0:40:47"and girls, some of them very beautiful,"
0:40:47 > 0:40:51with whom the Crusaders were "taking their foolish pleasure."
0:40:51 > 0:40:53Richard had to induce his men's obedience
0:40:53 > 0:40:58through a mixture of flattery, prayer, bribery and force.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01But his will would be done.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Four months after arriving in the Holy Land,
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Richard the Lionheart's Christian army set off
0:41:07 > 0:41:09on a long march down the coast.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14His aim was to avoid a risky confrontation,
0:41:14 > 0:41:19and reach the southern staging post of Jaffa with his armies intact.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22His soldiers would be escorted by a fleet of ships,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25sailing along the shoreline.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27They would rendez-vous along the way...
0:41:27 > 0:41:31at Haifa, Destroit, Caesarea and Jaffa.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33This meant that the soldiers
0:41:33 > 0:41:34could travel light,
0:41:34 > 0:41:36while the bulk of the resources
0:41:36 > 0:41:38could be carried by the fleet.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Richard's coastline hugging route offered his troops
0:41:40 > 0:41:43protection from Muslim encirclement.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Wherever possible, the Crusaders advanced at a measured pace,
0:41:46 > 0:41:51the right wing of their tightly packed ranks practically wading in the sea.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54By these measures, the Lionheart skilfully minimised the impact
0:41:54 > 0:41:56of marching through enemy territory.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02At every stage, they were shadowed by Saladin.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06He launched sporadic attacks and harassed them with skirmishers,
0:42:06 > 0:42:08always looking to provoke an open battle
0:42:08 > 0:42:10and stop Richard in his tracks.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Richard's constant visible presence in the midst of the Crusaders,
0:42:16 > 0:42:18signalled by his massive dragon banner,
0:42:18 > 0:42:22was critical to the morale and continued discipline of his troops.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26And it was the Lionheart's charisma and sheer force of personality
0:42:26 > 0:42:30that drove the crusade forward through the storm of war.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34Richard took great care to conserve his army's energy,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37resting them for two days after every marching interval.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41But by September, with food shortages starting to bite,
0:42:41 > 0:42:42arguments were breaking out.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Ordinary Crusaders apparently swarmed over the carcasses
0:42:46 > 0:42:49of the fattest horses to fall during each day's march,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51brawling over their flesh,
0:42:51 > 0:42:55much to the disgust of the dead animals' knightly owners.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58Richard stepped in, promising to replace any lost mounts
0:42:58 > 0:43:02so long as the carrion was freely offered to "worthy men at arms."
0:43:02 > 0:43:05His grateful troops were said to have eaten the horseflesh
0:43:05 > 0:43:06"as if it were game.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09"Flavoured by hunger rather than sauce,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11"they thought it was delicious."
0:43:11 > 0:43:14On 6th September, Richard set up camp,
0:43:14 > 0:43:18pausing to rest his starving, exhausted army.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22At that same moment, his enemy's patience was faltering.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Eyewitness testimony from within Saladin's camp tells us
0:43:25 > 0:43:28that he was deeply frustrated by Richard's
0:43:28 > 0:43:29inexorable advance,
0:43:29 > 0:43:33and wrong-footed by the Lionheart's policy of resting his troops
0:43:33 > 0:43:35every two to three days.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38What the Sultan needed now was to engineer a confrontation,
0:43:38 > 0:43:40a pitched battle.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43In the morning, Richard and his men set out for Arsuf
0:43:43 > 0:43:48and were almost immediately met with the full strength of Saladin's army.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52The Sultan had decided that this was where the Franks would be stopped.
0:43:52 > 0:43:57The Christians marched on, pummeled by Saladin's incessant onslaught.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00The air thick with Muslim howls and thundering battle drums.
0:44:00 > 0:44:05One eyewitness described how the Crusaders were "now surrounded,
0:44:05 > 0:44:08"like a flock of sheep in the jaws of wolves, so that they could
0:44:08 > 0:44:12"see nothing but the sky and their wicked enemies on every side.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15"The tumult was almost unbearable."
0:44:15 > 0:44:18King Richard's soldiers begged him to let them retaliate,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20but he refused.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23They would keep marching in formation.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25Richard's hand was suddenly forced.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29Two knights near the rearguard unexpectedly broke rank.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32Fuelled by anger, humiliation and bloodlust,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35they raced towards the Muslim lines, screaming the name of St George.
0:44:35 > 0:44:36Within moments,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39thousands of Crusaders joined the headlong charge.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43With no hope of recalling his men, the Lionheart immediately
0:44:43 > 0:44:46spurred his horse to gallop and led his remaining forces into battle.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52The Muslim armies shattered under the charge.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Hotly pursued, they melted into the forests.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59It was another damaging psychological blow for Saladin.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03The Sultan had thrown the full force of his armies into the field,
0:45:03 > 0:45:07hoping to stop the crusaders in their tracks, and yet he'd failed.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09Despondent, the Sultan's heart was said to have been
0:45:09 > 0:45:13full of feelings only God could know.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Richard, by contrast, could look back on Arsuf with some satisfaction.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20He may not have set out to confront Saladin in open battle,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22but when the moment of decision came,
0:45:22 > 0:45:27he reacted with swift resolution, scoring a morale-boosting victory.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29With the Crusaders' momentum building,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32it now seemed that Richard was primed to march on to Jerusalem.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36His strategy now combined
0:45:36 > 0:45:39a forceful military advance inland
0:45:39 > 0:45:42with a subtle diplomatic offensive.
0:45:43 > 0:45:44This approach
0:45:44 > 0:45:46involved a remarkable proposition.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50The warrior-king offered his own sister in marriage to
0:45:50 > 0:45:51the Sultan's brother,
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Al Adil.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57The details of this offer are recorded in the biography
0:45:57 > 0:46:00of Saladin, written by his close adviser, Baha' al-Din.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04A rarely seen,
0:46:04 > 0:46:08800-year-old original manuscript of this account
0:46:08 > 0:46:12is held in the library of the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17It is an honour to be permitted
0:46:17 > 0:46:19to view this crucial eyewitness testimony,
0:46:19 > 0:46:24a piercing insight into the Muslim view of Richard the Lionheart.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26So one of the most extraordinary moments in the Third Crusades
0:46:26 > 0:46:30is when Richard is actually negotiating with Saladin's bother...
0:46:30 > 0:46:33Al Adil, and he makes a remarkable offer.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36Could you tell us what this text reveals?
0:46:36 > 0:46:37This text,
0:46:37 > 0:46:42actually, the folio 157, here,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45and Al Adil sent a letter for his brother, Salah al Din,
0:46:45 > 0:46:50and on the Monday 29th of Ramadan,
0:46:52 > 0:46:56they are reaching this deal after a lot of negotiations have taken place,
0:46:56 > 0:46:59a lot of letters between each other.
0:46:59 > 0:47:04But in the end, they're reaching a point that Al Malik Al Adil,
0:47:04 > 0:47:09the brother of Salah al Din, will marry the sister of Richard.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13This wedding offer was a cunning move by the Lionheart,
0:47:13 > 0:47:16designed to sow seeds of doubt about Al Adil.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20After all, he was not just Saladin's trusted brother,
0:47:20 > 0:47:22but also a potential threat to
0:47:22 > 0:47:23his son and heir.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26Someone who might just
0:47:26 > 0:47:28be harbouring personal ambitions.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31And Salah al Din agree about this agreement.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34Why they agree? Because everybody want the coast,
0:47:34 > 0:47:37and the, or the city or that city,
0:47:37 > 0:47:40but Richard agree to give all the coast
0:47:40 > 0:47:43to his sister after they married.
0:47:44 > 0:47:49It seems to me the sister of the King did not accept that,
0:47:49 > 0:47:54because she became angry. She makes an oath.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57She does not accept this thing, to do it.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00You see, it's not easy in the Middle Ages
0:48:00 > 0:48:02for the Muslims to marry from the Christians,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04or the Christians from the Muslims.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Absolutely.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10Reading Baha' al-Din's text, we get a real sense that Richard was an agile
0:48:10 > 0:48:14and cunning negotiator, and that Saladin was only too aware of this.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17The two of them were engaged in a delicate game.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19Saladin almost certainly only accepted
0:48:19 > 0:48:21the idea of a marriage offer
0:48:21 > 0:48:25because he thought it would later be withdrawn, and he was right.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27Within a few days, Richard replied that his sister would be
0:48:27 > 0:48:30unable to marry Al Adil because he was a Muslim.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36By December, Richard was ready to march on his holy prize,
0:48:36 > 0:48:37Jerusalem.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41He moved his troops to within 12 miles of the city
0:48:41 > 0:48:43and prepared for a strike.
0:48:45 > 0:48:47That winter, conditions were appalling.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51One eyewitness described how it was, "cold and overcast,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54"rain and hail battered us, bringing down our tents.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57"Food became water-logged, armour rusty,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00"and even the Crusaders' clothes began to rot."
0:49:00 > 0:49:03And yet in spite of all of this, morale was high.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06The Christians were almost within reach of their goal
0:49:06 > 0:49:07and were said to be filled with,
0:49:07 > 0:49:12"an indescribable yearning" to see Jerusalem, to complete their pilgrimage.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15This was why they had joined the crusade.
0:49:16 > 0:49:21But did Richard share his men's single-minded devotion?
0:49:21 > 0:49:24He was finally within reach of the Holy City.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28Now he faced an agonizing decision,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31between his crusader ambition
0:49:31 > 0:49:33and the stark reality of war.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37The Lionheart announced that the crusade
0:49:37 > 0:49:39was to turn away from Jerusalem.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42The fragile supply lines back to the coast were faltering amidst
0:49:42 > 0:49:43the freezing winter rains.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46And any attempt to actually besiege Jerusalem
0:49:46 > 0:49:48would be unacceptably dangerous.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51In strict military terms, Richard's decision made sense,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54but his announcement had a catastrophic affect
0:49:54 > 0:49:55upon the morale of his men.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57One Crusader later recalled,
0:49:57 > 0:50:01"Not since God created time was there ever seen an army so dejected,
0:50:01 > 0:50:05"and so depressed, everyone cursed the day he was born."
0:50:06 > 0:50:11The King dragged his devastated men away from their holy goal.
0:50:11 > 0:50:16Disillusioned, great numbers left Palestine and returned home.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20The Third Crusade was in disarray.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23But Saladin's armies were also faltering.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27And as the two forces circled each other at arm's length,
0:50:27 > 0:50:30rumours of insurrection among Saladin's troops presented
0:50:30 > 0:50:35Richard with an opportunity to make a second advance on Jerusalem.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39But his plans were disrupted by troubling news from Europe.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43During Richard's long absence from home, his brother, John,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46had been plotting to take control of England.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49This news deeply disturbed the Lionheart,
0:50:49 > 0:50:53he was said to have become "saddened, downcast and melancholy...
0:50:53 > 0:50:56"his thinking confused."
0:50:56 > 0:50:58This was also a stark reminder of the fact
0:50:58 > 0:51:01that he was not simply Commander in Chief of the Third Crusade,
0:51:01 > 0:51:04he was also an Angevin king.
0:51:04 > 0:51:05He now now had to decide,
0:51:05 > 0:51:09should he stay and fight for the Holy Land, or return home
0:51:09 > 0:51:11to try to secure his kingdom?
0:51:13 > 0:51:15Richard was paralysed by indecision,
0:51:15 > 0:51:20but his men were determined to strike out for Jerusalem.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22The King eventually conceded.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26Against his better judgment, the Lionheart began a second advance,
0:51:26 > 0:51:31having effectively lost control of his crusade.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35Richard's lack of resolve had given Saladin time to regroup.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38He was already positioned inside Jerusalem with his troops,
0:51:38 > 0:51:42readying himself for the moment of decisive confrontation.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44But then, the Sultan wavered.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48His financial resources were profoundly overstretched,
0:51:48 > 0:51:52and, after four years of campaigning, men were in short supply,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55and their loyalty was waning.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57With an attack on Jerusalem imminent,
0:51:57 > 0:52:00his remaining troops threatened mutiny.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04Many were fearful of being trapped in another disastrous siege
0:52:04 > 0:52:05like that at Acre.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07With the pressure mounting,
0:52:07 > 0:52:11long-submerged tensions between between Turks and Kurds in Saladin's forces began to
0:52:11 > 0:52:15bubble to the surface, threatening to boil over into open conflict.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18In this increasingly precarious position,
0:52:18 > 0:52:21Saladin's closest advisers urged him to leave the Holy City
0:52:21 > 0:52:23while he still could.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29It was the Sultan's turn to agonise.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33Should he stay to mount a hopeless defence of Jerusalem,
0:52:33 > 0:52:37or do the unthinkable and turn his back on this most sacred city?
0:52:39 > 0:52:42Baha' al-Din was beside Saladin through a long
0:52:42 > 0:52:44and tortuous night and he's left us
0:52:44 > 0:52:48an extraordinary record of the Sultan's state of mind.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50He wrote that Saladin felt a concern for Jerusalem
0:52:50 > 0:52:52that could "move mountains", and that it was
0:52:52 > 0:52:57"a night entirely given over to the concerns of Holy War."
0:52:57 > 0:53:00By morning, the Sultan had made a shocking decision.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02He would abandon Jerusalem.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09With his fateful choice made, Saladin took a final chance
0:53:09 > 0:53:13to lead prayer in the heart of the Holy City.
0:53:14 > 0:53:20Here, in the Aqsa mosque, on Friday 3rd July 1192, Baha' al-Din watched
0:53:20 > 0:53:24the Sultan "prostrate himself and say some words,
0:53:24 > 0:53:26"while his tears fell on his prayer rug."
0:53:26 > 0:53:31On the verge of collapse, the Muslim Army prepared for exodus.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38Richard was on the brink of victory.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Once Saladin marched from Jerusalem, the city would be open to attack.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48It seemed that the Lionheart was hours away from achieving
0:53:48 > 0:53:49a startling triumph.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55But entirely unaware of Saladin's astonishing decision,
0:53:55 > 0:53:58the King's own resolve was weakening.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02Richard was said to have looked upon Jerusalem with its massive,
0:54:02 > 0:54:05near impregnable defences and to have had a change of heart.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07He called a meeting of leading Crusaders
0:54:07 > 0:54:09to discuss what should be done.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11But according to Christian eyewitnesses,
0:54:11 > 0:54:13his mind was already made up.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Having once again led his men to within hours of the city,
0:54:16 > 0:54:18the attack was called off.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24For the Crusaders, this was an appalling reversal.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27After the vast sums raised and spent,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29the months campaigning away from his empire,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32all the lives given up in the name of Jerusalem,
0:54:32 > 0:54:34his retreat was utterly shocking.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38Richard apparently said that he was unwilling to lead the crusade
0:54:38 > 0:54:42on such a "rash venture" because it would end in "terrible disgrace"
0:54:42 > 0:54:46for which he would be "forever blamed, shamed and less loved."
0:54:46 > 0:54:49At this moment of crisis, as the fate of Jerusalem
0:54:49 > 0:54:51hung in the balance,
0:54:51 > 0:54:54Richard refused to risk everything on a direct assault,
0:54:54 > 0:54:58at least in part out of fear for his reputation.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Had he held his nerve, the King could have defeated
0:55:01 > 0:55:04Saladin's stricken armies and conquered Jerusalem.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Instead, his crusade was torn apart,
0:55:08 > 0:55:12without either side scoring a victory.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22Richard the Lionheart, the legendary crusader knight,
0:55:22 > 0:55:26left the Holy Land without ever setting foot in Jerusalem.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30When he returned to his Angevin realm,
0:55:30 > 0:55:32the kingdom was still his to rule
0:55:32 > 0:55:35and he spent the remainder of that decade
0:55:35 > 0:55:39campaigning against his European enemies,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42until he was shot and killed by a crossbow bolt.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48King Richard was buried at his father's feet
0:55:48 > 0:55:51here in Fontevraud Abbey in the heart of his realm.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55He's remembered as a peerless warrior and a great crusader,
0:55:55 > 0:55:57the man who brought Saladin to his knees.
0:55:57 > 0:56:02But in reality, he never truly mastered the art of Holy War.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Torn between the need to defend his realm
0:56:04 > 0:56:07and the desire to forge a legend in Palestine,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11the Lionheart failed to lead the Third Crusade to victory.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19Islam held onto its Holy City,
0:56:19 > 0:56:23but despite his undoubted military genius,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26Saladin had been wholly unable to prevent the Franks
0:56:26 > 0:56:28from reconquering the coast.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32Exhausted, after years of campaigning,
0:56:32 > 0:56:36Saladin died just six months later, at the age of 55.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39Born a Kurdish outsider, he had risen through the ranks
0:56:39 > 0:56:41to become an Islamic icon,
0:56:41 > 0:56:44one of the most extraordinary and fascinating leaders
0:56:44 > 0:56:45of the Medieval age.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47But one question remains.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50Did he champion the cause of Jihad and wage the war
0:56:50 > 0:56:53for the Holy Land in pursuit of his own gain
0:56:53 > 0:56:56and glory, or in the interests of Islam?
0:56:56 > 0:56:59In the end, I think perhaps even Saladin himself
0:56:59 > 0:57:01remained unsure of the answer.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14The story of these two men has so often been simplified
0:57:14 > 0:57:19and manipulated, cast as emblematic of the great struggle
0:57:19 > 0:57:23between East and West, Christians and Muslims.
0:57:23 > 0:57:30Even today, their images are still appopriated and twisted.
0:57:30 > 0:57:35Richard, the ultimate warrior, the cruel king, lionhearted,
0:57:35 > 0:57:42and Saladin, the clement hero of Islam, avowed enemy of the West.
0:57:42 > 0:57:44Their confrontation during the Third Crusade
0:57:44 > 0:57:46also revealed the complexity of their characters.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49Saladin was not simply the pious defender of Islam.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52He could also be ruthless and self-serving.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55And Richard was not just the masterful warrior-king,
0:57:55 > 0:57:58but a wily and skillful negotiator.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00Almost perfectly matched as adversaries,
0:58:00 > 0:58:03these were the men who contested the Third Crusade
0:58:03 > 0:58:07and who ultimately fought one another to a standstill.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13The bloody war for possession of Jerusalem
0:58:13 > 0:58:15had raged for 100 years.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17In the century to come,
0:58:17 > 0:58:18the final chapter of this epic struggle
0:58:18 > 0:58:22would be played out in Egypt, as a saintly French King,
0:58:22 > 0:58:24afire with crusading zeal,
0:58:24 > 0:58:28and the most remarkable Muslim in the Middle Ages,
0:58:28 > 0:58:30fought for ultimate victory in the East.
0:58:40 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:42 > 0:58:46E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk