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Tertiary sourceDocument1911

Saladin Entry, Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911

1911

A 1911 encyclopedia article summarizing Saladin's life, origins and rise to power.

An encyclopedia summary of Saladin's rise and his role as founder of the Ayyubid dynasty.

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About this source

What it is

This is an entry on Saladin from the 1911 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, a reference work giving an overview of his life, from his birth at Tekrit in 1138 to his role as the first Ayyubid sultan of Egypt.

Why it matters

The article places Saladin within the wider political and religious conditions of the 12th century, describing the decline of earlier Muslim powers and the rise of a unified movement against the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. It shows how later scholars summarized his achievements for a general audience.

Look closer

  • Why does the article spend time explaining the broader political situation before discussing Saladin himself?
  • What does the phrase 'the brilliance of his career was only made possible by the condition of the East' suggest about how historians explain success?
  • What kind of reader might use an encyclopedia entry like this, and what are its limits?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saladin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Bronze dirham coin, obverse, showing a seated figure facing forward, cross-legged, with a rounded face and hands resting on knees, flanked by a high-backed throne. Arabic inscriptions in circular margin around the edge.Artifact

Primary source

Dirham of Saladin

AH 586 (AD 1190-91)

Engraving of a mounted figure in a tunic on a pale horse, with a banner-carrying rider behind him and a scroll above reading a proclamation. Soldiers with spears and a tent camp appear on the left, and a walled town on a hill behind. Caption below in print reads that Saladin caused it to be proclaimed that he carried nothing with him to the grave but a shirt.Painting

Secondary source

Saladin Proclaims He Will Take Only a Shirt to His Grave

John Payne · 1639

Exterior of the Saladin Citadel in Cairo at golden hour: thick tan stone walls with round towers and crenellated battlements, with the domed mosque and two slender minarets rising behind on the hilltop. A modern city street with trees and lamp posts lies to the right.Artifact

Primary source

Cairo Citadel

Saladin · begun 1176

Sepia photograph of the Tomb of Saladin in Damascus. A large stone arch spans the left, behind a domed structure with arched windows and a striped-arch window. Ruined walls, a rubble courtyard, and a few people near a ladder stand in front. The caption reads 791 Tombeau de Saladin Damas, with the name Bonfils.Photograph

Secondary source

Tomb of Saladin, Damascus

Medieval manuscript illumination of mounted knights in combat on a grassy field with red-dotted ground. Riders with lances and shields charge; one rider labeled Saladin and another labeled Guy. Red and black Latin text fills the page above.Painting

Secondary source

Saladin Seizing the True Cross from Guy of Lusignan

Matthew Paris

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