{"product_id":"the-life-and-legend-of-the-sultan-saladin","title":"The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e'Superbly researched and enormously entertaining... One of the outstanding books of the year' \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eAn epic story of empire-building and bloody conflict, this ground-breaking biography of one of history’s most venerated military and religious heroes opens a window on the Islamic and Christian worlds’ complex relationship.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWINNER OF THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen Saladin recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187, returning the Holy City to Islamic rule, he sent shockwaves throughout Christian Europe and the Muslim Near East that reverberate today.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt was the culmination of a supremely exciting life. Born into a significant Kurdish family in northern Iraq, this warrior and diplomat fought under the banner of jihad, but at the same time worked tirelessly to build an empire that stretched from North Africa to Western Iraq. Gathering together a turbulent coalition, he was able to capture Jerusalem, only to trigger the Third Crusade and face his greatest adversary, King Richard the Lionheart.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDrawing on a rich blend of Arabic and European sources, this is a comprehensive account of both the man and the legend to which he gave birth, describing vividly the relentless action of his life and tracing its aftermath through culture and politics all the way to the present day.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e'An authoritative and brilliantly told account of the life of one of the world's greatest – and most famous – military leaders' Peter Frankopan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eSuperb, highly readable and definitive\u003cspan\u003e ... One of the world’s leading crusades scholars ... Phillips's narrative of Saladin's career is vivid and judicious, punctuated by set pieces that charge along like battle scenes from Game of Thrones \u003cstrong\u003e-- Dan Jones ― \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSuperbly researched and \u003c\/span\u003eenormously entertaining\u003cspan\u003e ... \u003c\/span\u003eone of the outstanding books of the year\u003cspan\u003e -- Gerard DeGroot \u003cstrong\u003e― \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003c\/span\u003eauthoritative and brilliantly told account of the life of one of the world’s greatest – and most famous – military leaders\u003cspan\u003e. Jonathan Phillips leaves no stone unturned in this impressive and lively history of the genius who was Saladin \u003cstrong\u003e-- PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eOutstanding\u003cspan\u003e. Jonathan Phillips has written \u003c\/span\u003ea compelling account of arguably the most inspirational of Islamic military heroes\u003cspan\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e-- CHRISTOPHER DE BELLAIGUE, author of The Islamic Enlightenment\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eFascinating, authoritative and intelligent\u003cspan\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e― \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSpectator\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eThis illuminating and fascinating biography of Saladin could not be timely\u003cspan\u003e. Today political figures often inspire little admiration, but Saladin’s career at the height of the Crusades reminds us that moral charisma and integrity can be recognised and honoured by people on both sides of a vicious conflict. His concluding account of the intense emotion that the memory of Saladin still inspires in the Middle East today reveals the sensitivity and pain that underlies so many of the region’s unresolved problems \u003cstrong\u003e-- KAREN ARMSTRONG, author of Fields of Blood\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eBeautifully researched and authoritative\u003cspan\u003e, Jonathan Phillips's very fine biography of \u003c\/span\u003ethis fascinating historical character\u003cspan\u003e underlines how serious history made accessible to the general reader is invaluable if we hope to understand our world today \u003cstrong\u003e-- JASON BURKE, author of The 9\/11 Wars\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eVivid and authoritative, with glistening details on every page\u003cspan\u003e. Phillips explains Saladin’s ability to mesmerise not just through the achievements of his lifetime but through his inspiration of Arab leaders, including Nasser, Assad and Saddam Hussein, ever since \u003cstrong\u003e-- JAMES BARR, author of A Line in the Sand\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJonathan Phillips explores new themes and makes use of various underused or wholly neglected Arabic sources ... vivid and convincing \u003cstrong\u003e-- Robert Irwin ― \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eMore than just a biography ... this book paints a rich, absorbing picture of the 12th-century Middle East\u003cspan\u003e ... gives expert accounts of the many hard-fought battles and sieges ... vividly describes the Crusader fightback ... One major lesson of this book is that the facts about the distant past are much, much more interesting than the opportunistic uses made of them by anyone in the present \u003cstrong\u003e― \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eTelegraph\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJonathan Phillips\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is Professor of Crusading History at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is the author of \u003c\/span\u003eHoly Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades\u003cspan\u003e;\u003c\/span\u003e The Second Crusade: Extending the Frontiers of Christianity;\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople\u003cspan\u003e; \u003c\/span\u003eThe Crusades, 1095-1197\u003cspan\u003e; \u003c\/span\u003eDefenders of the Holy Land, 1119-1187\u003cspan\u003e and the co-editor of three academic essay collections on the Crusades. Phillips is the co-editor of the academic journal \u003c\/span\u003eCrusades\u003cspan\u003e, writes for \u003c\/span\u003eBBC History\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003eHistory Today \u003cspan\u003eand has made numerous radio and television appearances.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jonathan Phillips","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45255173341384,"sku":null,"price":120.0,"currency_code":"ILS","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0507\/3679\/1752\/files\/sultan_saladin.jpg?v=1794500839","url":"https:\/\/educationalbookshop.com\/products\/the-life-and-legend-of-the-sultan-saladin","provider":"EducationalBookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}