Saladin Prince Of Chivalry Free PDF book by Charles J. Rosebault (1930)





Excerpt from the author's introduction:





By every theory of inheritance and environment Saladin, the Kurd should have been ruthless, rapacious, indifferent to the rights of others, a type of arrogant despot controlled by his own selfish desires.



The people from whom he sprang were a wild lot, fighters, robbers and contemptuous of the advancement in civilization shown by their less primitive neighbors. The right of the strongest sword was incontestable in their eyes, and no other right received consideration. Truculently they invaded the lands of the Armenians .and the Persians and possessed themselves of whatever they found worth the taking. By turns shepherds and bandits, as conditions favored, subsist- ing simply, indifferent to the comforts craved by weaker humanity.





There certainly was not a hothouse for the propagating of gallantry and courtesy and the grand manner. Nor for the growth of those virtues, always rare but never more so than in the semi-barbarous medieval period, of forbearance, kindliness and the spirit of mercy. Yet all the evidence agrees, and none cries so loudly as that of his opponents, that Saladin was all these. A cavalier at all times, as perfect in a manner; two men of consequence met in the camp of King Amalric of Jerusalem, outside of Alexandria. One was the Christian knight, Humphrey of Toron.



The other was Saladin, ruler of Damascus, and at the moment lieutenant to his Uncle Shirkuh, commander of the Turcoman soldiers opposed to the Christians. For seventy-five days Sala- din had been holding Alexandria against the assaults of Amalric, but now a truce had been arranged, and it was as the guest of the King he had come into the Christian camp.

Introduction







I The Knighting of Saladin . . . . I II God Wishes! 8 III In and Around the Holy Land ... 19 IV Cities of Splendor 29 V Paving the Way ...... 42 VI From the. Loins of Fighters .... 56 VII Sultan of F.gypt 66 VIII At Grips with the Envious .... 80 IX Entry into Syria 93 X The Old Man of the Mountains . . . 107 XI The Man Himself 118 XII A Night with the Sultan . . . .135 XIII The Sultan’s Many Duties .... 147 XIV Saladin the Munificent . . . .160 XV Preparations for the Holy War . . . 174 XVT The Battle of Hattin 184 XVII On to Jerusalem 199 XVIII Fortune No Longer Kindly .... 216 XIX Fighting at Acre 239 XX Saladin and Richard 258 XXI De.struction of Ascalon . . . .271 XXII Coming to Terms 282 XXIII Death of Saladin 298Author: Charles J. Rosebault Publication Date:1930