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Secondary sourcePainting15th century

Saladinus Rex Aegypti

15th century

A 15th-century manuscript illustration labelled 'Saladin, king of Egypt', showing an imagined portrait of the sultan.

This imagined 15th-century portrait labels its subject as Saladin, king of Egypt, long after his lifetime.

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Painted illustration from a manuscript showing a bearded man in a crown or turban, wearing armor with a scalloped collar and greaves, holding a curved sword and a golden orb. Handwritten caption at bottom reads 'Saladinus rex Aegypti'. Number 86 in red at top left.
Saladinus rex Aegypti, 15th-century manuscript illustration.

About this source

What it is

This is a painted illustration from a 15th-century manuscript, showing a bearded man wearing a crown or turban and armor, holding a curved sword and a golden orb. A handwritten caption identifies him as 'Saladinus rex Aegypti' — Saladin, king of Egypt.

Why it matters

Made centuries after Saladin's death, this image reflects how later medieval Europeans imagined famous historical rulers, often dressing them in European-style armor and symbols of royal power rather than depicting their true appearance. It tells us more about medieval ideas of kingship than about Saladin himself.

Look closer

  • What symbols of power can you spot in this picture, and what do they usually represent in European art?
  • Does the armor and clothing look historically accurate for a 12th-century Muslim ruler? Why might that be?
  • Why do you think artists kept recreating images of famous figures long after they died?

This painting 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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