A.  Plan of Investigation

This investigation will attempt to answer the question “How useful is the movie “Kingdom of

Heaven” as a source to a historian studying Saladin Ayyubi?” As a Muslim and a fan of the film,

I believe this question is important because the depiction of historical figures in artistic films can

lead to an understanding of biases within the movie industry.

In order to determine the accuracy of Saladin’s portrayal in the movie, I will begin with an

overview of Saladin’s actions and personality in Jerusalem in the year 1187 AD. I will closely

examine “The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin” by the Arab historian Baha al-Din Ibn

Shaddad, as well as the film in order to determine its values and limitations in understanding

Saladin. I will also analyze other primary and secondary accounts of Saladin’s character that will

help me to understand how accurately Saladin is depicted in the movie.

B.   Summary of Evidence

Personality

Saladin was fastidious in his religion; he prayed every day (even while sick), gave charity

generously, and revered the practice of his religion (Edde 334).. He was often moved to tears

upon hearing words from the Prophet Muhammad or the Holy Quran (Ibn Shaddad 18). Many of

the actions he took were based on decisions he believed would be right for Islam (Edde 334). It

was for this reason that Saladin wanted to take back the Holy Land of Jerusalem (Ibn Shaddad

18).  Saladin wanted to take Jerusalem “the way the Christians took it from the Muslims ninety-

one years ago” (qtd. in Edde 218). In addition, however, Saladin’s health was in a fragile state in

1187 and he wanted a victory that could allow his name to go down in history (Edde 216).

Saladin also valued justice and honor deeply, and according to Ibn Shaddad “Saladin was

just, gentle and merciful, a supporter of the weak against the strong” (Ibn Shaddad 22).

Moreover, Saladin had a reputation for incredible generosity; he would be generous in times of

hardship and comfort alike, and his treasurers often hid money from him because they knew he

would dispense it among the lesser fortunate (Ibn Shaddad 25). However, he lived his personal

life in utter simplicity, preferring encampments to comfortable residences and cotton to silks

(Edde 351). He had a penchant for the austere life of soldiers and believed that luxury

“weakened the mind and reduced one’s energy” (Edde 352).

Actions

A mutual respect was shown through Saladin’s relationship with Balian of Ibelin, one of

the most esteemed local Barons who had authority over the south of Palestine and who

eventually surrendered Jerusalem to Saladin on October 2, 1187. Balian suffered a defeat to

Saladin’s forces at the Battle of Hattin on July 4, 1187, and was captured by Saladin. However,

Saladin released and forgave Balian because of his respect for Balian’s immense courage and

determination (Nicolle 20). Balian swore an oath to never take up arms against Saladin again

because he had witnessed his chivalry; however, when he came to Jerusalem to find his wife,

Balian was asked by the citizens and the Patriarch to stay because it was his duty to protect

Christendom (Edbury 49). Balian sent a messenger to Saladin to inform him that the former

would not be able to keep his oath and was required to defend Jerusalem. Saladin forgave him

and agreed to send guards to safely escort his wife and children out of Jerusalem to Tripoli

(Edbury 55).

After the Muslim victory at Hattin, Saladin invited Lusignan and Prince Reynald de

Chatillon (the Prince of Antioch), into his tent (Ibn Shaddad 37). Reynald de Chatillon had

previously captured a Muslim caravan that had passed through his city of Kerak on its way from

Damascus to Cairo during a time of peace between the Christians and Saracens (Edbury 29). The

prince captured the members of the caravan and kept them in dungeons; when the prisoners tried

to remind him of the truce he replied, “Tell your Muhammad to release you” (qtd. in Ibn

Shaddad 37). When he had heard of this, Saladin had vowed to kill him (Ibn Shaddad 37). After

inviting Lusignan and de Chatillon into his tent, Saladin offered the former a glass of sherbet.

After taking a sip, Lusignan offered it to Reynald de Chatillon, whereupon Saladin said “You are

the one who gave him the drink. I give him no drink nor any of my food” (qtd. In Ibn Shaddad

38). He also said “Drink, for you will never drink again” (qtd. in Edbury 48). Saladin then

beheaded Reynald with his own sword (Edde 211). He proceeded to tell Guy de Lusignan that “It

has not been customary for princes to kill other princes but this man has transgressed his limits”

(qtd. in Edde 211).

The Film Kingdom of Heaven

The movie ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ explores the events and personalities involved in the

lead-up to the surrender of Jerusalem to Saladin and his Muslim armies on October 2, 1187 AD.

At this time, Jerusalem had been under Christian rule for nearly a century, captured by the army

of the First Crusade in 1099 (Edde 92).

In the movie, Saladin is portrayed as skeptical, asking his advisors, “How many battles

did God win before I came?” (Kingdom of Heaven). According to an interview with Ridley

Scott, Saladin was portrayed in the movie to be “one of the big heroes in the film" (Scott,

Ridley). In addition, Ridley Scott depicted both Muslims and Christians even-handedly due to

the fact that he identifies as agnostic and decided to have the film be written from that

perspective as well (Scott, Ridley).

C.   Analysis of Sources

This film is valuable because the screenwriter, William Monahan, is an agnostic expert

on the Crusades, and the director, Sir Ridley Scott, is a critically acclaimed agnostic director with

experience in historical epics. The film lacks religious affiliations; this is important because the

agnosticism can give a more balanced portrayal of Saladin since the perspective taken on the

events is not motivated by religion. (Scott, Ridley).

This film is limited because the film was made for the purpose of portraying a positive

message about accepting philosophies and religions so as to propagate peace. This means that

some of the violent actions motivated by religion may have been subdued or purposefully cut out

of the film in order to portray a positive message of acceptance. Moreover, in its agnosticism, the

film may not be able to fully comprehend some of Saladin’s motives, which were primarily

religious. In addition, because Saladin was created to be the hero of this movie, the movie may

not accurately reflect some of Saladin’s flaws, such as his quick temper and his brutality.

Because the movie was made to entertain audiences, it may also exaggerate certain features and

characteristics of Saladin that are more likely to be sensational and sell better in cinemas.

‘The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin’ is valuable because it was written by the

Arab historian Baha al-Din Ibn Shaddad in the late 12th century, and therefore can provide a

glimpse into the common view of Saladin in the eyes of Muslims at the time (Gabrieli xxix). In

addition, Ibn Shaddad was Saladin’s personal biographer and wrote this book for the purpose of

documenting Saladin’s life and “moral excellencies” that Ibn Shaddad believed was fit to live in

the memories of Muslims alongside all the other great figures of Islam’s early history (Gabrieli

xxix). This is valuable because, as the official biographer, Ibn Shaddad had access to

eyewitnesses and other primary sources. This may have led to a more balanced account of

Saladin’s life since Ibn Shaddad used multiple primary sources to corroborate his stories.

This source is limited because Ibn Shaddad did not work for Saladin before 1188 and

therefore could only have gotten his information from Saladin himself, or people who knew him

(Gabrieli 114). Therefore, it’s likely that information concerning the events of 1187 (that is the

primary focus of the movie) is somewhat inaccurate. In addition, due to the fact that it was

written by an admirer of Saladin, the source is panegyric in nature and is more focused on

Saladin’s admirable character traits rather than his weaknesses and flaws.

F.    Sources and Word Limit

Edbury, P. W. The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade: Sources in Translation.

Aldershot: Ashgate, 1998. Print.

Edde, Anne-Marie, and Jane Marie Todd. Saladin. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP,

2011. Print.

Gabrieli, Francesco. Arab Historians of the Crusades. Berkeley: U of California, 1969. Print.

Ibn Shaddad, Bahaʼ Al-Din Yusuf Ibn Rafiʻ, and D. S. Richards. The Rare and Excellent History

of Saladin, Or, Al-Nawadir Al-Sultaniyya Wa'l-Mahasin Al-Yusufiyya. Aldershot, Hants,

England: Ashgate, 2001. Print.

Kedar, B. Z. The Horns of Hattin. Jerusalem: Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi, 1992. Print.

Kingdom of Heaven. Dir. Ridley. Scott. Perf. Orlando Bloom and Ghassan Massoud. 20th

Century Fox, 2005. DVD.

Nicolle, David. Hattin 1187: Saladin's Greatest Victory. London: Osprey, 1993. Print.

Scott, Ridley. ""225m Isn't Bad, I Guess"" Interview by Lindesay Irvine.Theguardian.com. The

Guardian, 06 Oct. 2005. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

<http://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/oct/06/features.lindesayirvine>.