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Secondary sourcePainting1337

The Army of Saladin, from William of Tyre's History of Outremer

Anonymous · 1337

A 1337 illuminated manuscript miniature showing the army of Saladin, from a copy of William of Tyre's crusader history.

This manuscript illustration imagines the army led by Saladin, made over a century after his death.

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Medieval illuminated manuscript miniature with gold background showing a mounted knight in red shield with gold fleur-like motifs, horses with blue and gold trappings, and a row of white-turbaned men behind shields with stars and a lion emblem.
L'armée de Saladin, from Guillaume de Tyr, Histoire d'Outremer, Paris, 1337. BnF, Manuscrits (Fr 22495 fol. 229v).

About this source

What it is

This is a miniature painting from a 1337 illuminated manuscript of William of Tyre's History of Outremer, made in Paris on parchment. It shows mounted knights and a row of turbaned men identified as Saladin's army, painted against a gold background. The manuscript is held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Why it matters

William of Tyre was a 12th-century chronicler of the Crusades, and this manuscript is a later copy of his history made over a century after Saladin's death. It shows how European artists of the 1300s imagined Saladin's forces, using the clothing, armor and symbols familiar to them rather than accurate details of the historical army.

Look closer

  • What clues in the clothing and equipment tell you this image was made in medieval Europe, not the Middle East?
  • Why might an illustrator show an enemy army with turbans and shields as a way of marking them as different?
  • How reliable do you think this image is as evidence of what Saladin's real army looked like?

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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