Known in the West as a "noble heathen," the great Muslim sultan Saladin led Muslim forces in the reconquest of the Crusader kingdoms and captured Jerusalem in 1187. This concise history traces Saladin's role in the contest between Islam and Christianity during the twelfth century. Following the Sultan's life from the rise of the Crusader states through his triumph over the Franks to the Third Crusade, Mohring elucidates the sultan's accomplishments in uniting much of the Middle East, his enlightened relationship with European opponents, and the unique legacy of his rule in the Middle East and beyond. This faithful English-language translation also includes an introduction that places Saladinin his geographic, political, and cultural context.