Saladin was born in 1137 AD in Tikrit, in the territory of modern day Iraq, and was a Kurd by blood. Shortly after he was born Saladin's father Ayub and uncle Shirkuh, voluntarily gave themselves into the service of Zengi in Mosul. The two brothers served in his armies in many wars, and when Baalbeck fell, in October 1139, Ayub became the governor of the conquered city. Baalbeck was celebrated not only for its antiquity and its temples, but for its lofty situation. Baalbeck in the time of Ayub was surrounded by fertile fields, orchards, and gardens. It was here that the governor's son Yusuf (the future Saladin) received the typical education for a Muslim boy. He most likely learned Arabic grammar, in order for the reciting of the Koran, as well as the elements of rhetoric, poetry, and theology.
From 1154 to 1164, Saladin lived in Damascus, at the Court of Nur-ad-din. The Arab chroniclers are silent as to what Saladin studied, but we are informed that he showed himself a youth of “excellent qualities,” that he learned from Nur-ad-din how “to walk in the path of righteousness, to act virtuously, and to be zealous in fighting the infidels.” As the favored governor's son, he naturally enjoyed a privileged position. He was the shining example of that tranquil virtue which shuns, “the last infirmity of noble minds.” This is all we are told of Saladin up to the age of twenty-five. The fact that Saladin, who later would become the most renowned leader of his day, was apparently an obscure individual up to the age of twenty-five, is even more mysterious given that his uncle Shirkuh, who later brought him into public life, was Nur-ad-din's right hand man, an able and ambitious general.
In 1159 Nur-ad-din was stretched out on a bed dying of an illness. Shirkuh was thinking to take the crown himself, but Ayub counseled his brother otherwise and suggested to wait and see if their master was in fact going to die or not. Nur-ad-din did recover, and in 1160 Shirkuh acted as leader of the Damascus caravan of pilgrims on their way to Mecca. Shirkuh took a prominent part in the wars of Nur-ad-din, in the conquest of Harim from the Franks in 1164, and the massive capture of fifty Syrian fortresses. In all of this Saladin had no share. It was not until Shirkuh made his memorable expeditions to Egypt that the future “Sultan of the Muslims” emerged from his voluntary retirement and stepped boldly into his uncle's place as the true successor of Zengi in the role of champion of Islam.
For two centuries Egypt had been ruled by a dynasty of Caliphs who claimed to descend from Fatima, the daughter of Mohammad, and were hence known as the Fatimids. Now in the days beginning in 1164 there were many Syrian soldiers in Egypt, mainly from the forces of Nur-ad-din. Many conflicts between the Syrians, Crusaders, and the Fatimids took place for about five years. Then on the 26th of March in 1169, the Fatimid Caliph chose Saladin to be the successor of his uncle Shirkuh. Saladin was led to the throne, and was invested with the mantle of vizier and decorated with the title el-Melik en-Nasir, “The King Strong to aid.” Saladin began to order his life more rigorously. Devout as he had always shewn himself, he became even more strict and austere. He put aside the thought of pleasure and the love of ease, adopted a Spartan rule, and set it as an example to his troops.
In the years to follow in the land of Egypt, Saladin managed to fend off attacks from Christian Crusaders, as well as insurrection from within Egypt itself. And with the death of Nur-ad-din in May of 1174, Saladin became the most powerful ruler between Baghdad and Carthage. Following in the footsteps of Zengi, and Nur-ad-din, Saladin made his way onto the conquest of Syria. However, the Assassins of Persia had at this time made their way into Syria and were the terror of the country. While making his march to Allepo, Saladin was resting in the tent of one of his captains, when an Assassin rushed in and struck at his head with a dagger. Thankfully the chain-mail Saladin was wearing saved his life, but his sudden assault from the Assassins brought terrors which he never felt on the battle-field.
So Saladin fervently increased his assaults. On June 21st 1176 the fortress of Azaz surrendered to Saladin. He then turned to Aleppo, and made an agreement with the king of Aleppo, and other neighboring princes. Now Saladin was officially recognized as ruler over all the dominions he had conquered. Saladin would also go on to make truces with the Christians.
By July 1187 AD, Saladin had captured most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. On the 4th of July in 1187, at the Battle of Hattin, he faced the combined forces of Guy of Lusignan, and Raymond III of Tripoli. In this battle the Crusader force was almost completely annihilated by Saladin's tenacious army. It was a major disaster for the Crusaders and a turning point in the history of the Crusades. Saladin captured Raynald of Chatillon and was personally responsible for his execution in retaliation for his attacks against the Muslim caravans making the Hajj. The members of these caravans had besought his mercy by reciting the truce between the Muslims and the Christians, but Raynald ignored this and insulted the Islamic prophet Mohammad, before murdering and torturing a number of them. Upon hearing this, Saladin swore an oath to personally execute Raynald. Guy of Lusignan was also captured. Seeing the execution of Raynald, he feared he would be next. However, his life was spared by Saladin, who said to Guy, “it is not the wont of kings, to kill kings; but that man had transgressed all bounds, and therefor did I treat him thus.”
After the Battle of Hattin and capturing almost every Crusader city, Saladin set his eyes on Jerusalem. Saladin offered generous terms and desired to take Jerusalem without the shedding of blood. Unfortunately those inside the holy city refused Saladin's terms and vowed to destroy Jerusalem in a fight to the death rather than surrender it peacefully into the hands of the Muslims. Thus Jerusalem fell to Saladin's forces om Friday, 2nd of October in 1187 AD, after a brief siege. In the aftermath Saladin met with the Crusader noble Balian of Ibelin to discus terms. The terms agreed upon were for every Christian to pay Saladin a tribute for their freedom. Saladin let some very poor families leave without paying the tribute. Also Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem organized and contributed to a collection that paid the ransoms for about 18,000 of the poorer citizens, leaving another 15,000 to be enslaved. In addition to the capture of Jerusalem, Saladin petitioned the Jews and permitted them to resettle in the holy city.
Once all the Franks had departed, and only the slaves and rescued Muslim captives remained, along with the native Christians who begged to stay and pay tribute, Saladin ordered the holy places to be purified and restored for the worship of Islam. The golden cross had been torn down from the Dome of the Rock, and all traces of the Templars' additions were removed from the Al-Aqsa Mosque by ritually purifying the entire site with rose water. However, Saladin would only briefly enjoy his crowning achievement of Muslim control over Jerusalem. For news had reached all the way into England that the holy city was now ruled by a Muslim Sultan. Thus in the year 1189 AD, King Philip II of France and King Richard I The Lion-heart of England joined forces to lead what would become the Third Crusade.
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