How Did Saladin Die?
Saladin died on 4 March 1193 in Damascus, at the age of 55. The most important primary source for Saladin’s last illness is the biography by Baha al-Din ibn Shaddad, his personal secretary, who was at the Sultan’s side in his final days and who left an account that is one of the most moving in medieval Arabic literature. The standard English-language study of the events is still Malcolm Lyons and D. E. P. Jackson’s Saladin: The Politics of the Holy War (1982). He had been in poor health for several years, and his final illness was a fever that he developed shortly after returning from a military campaign. He died at his home in Damascus, and his death was widely mourned in the Muslim world. The circumstances of his death, the disposition of his wealth, and the legacy of his passing are all significant aspects of his story, and they have been the subject of intense historical and literary interest ever since.
For the broader context, see the main article on Saladin, was Saladin a Kurd or Arab, and the Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem.
The Final Illness of Saladin
Saladin’s health had been in decline for several years before his death. The chronicler Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad, who knew Saladin personally and who attended him during his final illness, recorded that Saladin had been weakened by his many military campaigns and by the strain of ruling a vast empire. Saladin had also been affected by personal losses, including the death in 1191 of his eldest son and heir al-Afdal, who had been deprived of the succession in favor of Saladin’s brother al-Adil.
Saladin’s final illness began in late February 1193, shortly after he returned to Damascus from a military campaign. The illness was a fever, and it was accompanied by severe abdominal pain. Saladin was attended by his personal physicians, but the treatments were not effective, and his condition worsened over the next several days. By 3 March 1193, Saladin was clearly dying, and he received the visits of his family and his closest advisors.
The account of Saladin’s final illness in Baha ad-Din’s biography is one of the most famous in the medieval Arabic sources. Baha ad-Din describes Saladin as calm and resigned in the face of death, and he records that Saladin gave instructions for the disposition of his wealth and for the continuation of his empire. The account is a powerful testimony to Saladin’s character, and it has shaped the Muslim view of Saladin ever since.
The Disposition of Saladin’s Wealth
One of the most famous aspects of Saladin’s death is the disposition of his wealth. According to the account of Baha ad-Din, Saladin’s personal fortune at the time of his death was very small. He had given away most of his wealth during his lifetime, and he had used his personal fortune to fund his military campaigns and to support the poor.
According to the tradition, when Saladin’s treasury was opened after his death, it contained only 47 pieces of silver and one gold coin. The account is probably exaggerated, but it has become a powerful symbol of Saladin’s generosity and his commitment to the principles of Islam. The Muslim tradition has used the story to illustrate the principle that true wealth is not measured in material possessions but in good deeds.
The account of Saladin’s wealth is also significant for the modern image of Saladin as a chivalrous and generous leader. The Western tradition has often contrasted Saladin’s generosity with the greed of the Crusader kings, and the story of his small fortune has been a major part of this contrast. The story has shaped the modern perception of Saladin, both in the Muslim world and in the West.
The Funeral and Burial of Saladin
Saladin’s funeral was a major event in Damascus. The funeral procession, according to the contemporary sources, was attended by a vast number of mourners, including the religious scholars, the military commanders, and the ordinary citizens of the city. The body of Saladin was carried through the streets of Damascus to the great mosque, where funeral prayers were said.
The burial of Saladin was originally in the garden of his palace in Damascus, but his son al-Afdal later built a mausoleum for him near the Umayyad Mosque. The mausoleum was a major architectural achievement, and it became a major shrine in the Muslim world. The mausoleum was restored in the 19th century, and it is now a major tourist attraction.
The mausoleum of Saladin is significant for several reasons. It is a reminder of Saladin’s enduring importance in the Muslim world, and it is a major symbol of the Muslim response to the Crusades. The mausoleum is also a reminder of the cultural and architectural achievements of the Ayyubid period, and it reflects the complex identity of Saladin as a Kurd, a Muslim, and a member of the Arabic-speaking civilization.
The Reaction to Saladin’s Death
The death of Saladin was widely mourned in the Muslim world. The chronicler Ibn al-Athir, who was not always friendly to Saladin, recorded that “the Muslims were overwhelmed with grief, and the markets were closed, and the women wept, and the children cried, and the hearts were filled with sorrow.” The reaction to Saladin’s death was a vivid demonstration of his importance in the Muslim world, and it has shaped the Muslim view of Saladin ever since.
The death of Saladin was also noted in the Christian West. The chronicler Roger of Howden, who had been a contemporary of Saladin, recorded that “the news of the death of Saladin reached the ears of the Christians, and they were filled with joy.” The Christian reaction to Saladin’s death was a reminder of the importance of Saladin as an adversary of the Crusader States, and it shaped the Christian view of Saladin for centuries.
The death of Saladin was also a major event in the political history of the Ayyubid state. Saladin’s empire was divided among his relatives, and the Ayyubid state soon fragmented into a number of smaller states. The fragmentation of the Ayyubid state was a major factor in the rise of the Mamluk Sultanate, which would eventually finish off the Crusader States in the late 13th century.
The Legacy of Saladin’s Death
The death of Saladin marked the end of an era in the history of the Crusades. Saladin was the most important Muslim leader of the Crusading period, and his death was a major blow to the Muslim response to the Crusades. The Ayyubid state that he had built would eventually be replaced by the Mamluk Sultanate, but the Mamluk state would never achieve the same level of unity and strength.
The death of Saladin was also a major event in the development of the Saladin legend. The story of Saladin’s death, including the disposition of his wealth and the mourning of his people, has been a major part of the Saladin legend. The legend has shaped the modern perception of Saladin, both in the Muslim world and in the West, and it continues to be a powerful image in popular culture.
Modern scholars have re-examined the circumstances of Saladin’s death and the construction of his legend. Hannes Möhring and Emmanuel Sivan, in particular, have studied how Saladin’s image as a pious and generous ruler was shaped in the years after 1193, both by Muslim eulogists and by Western chroniclers who admired the sultan even as they fought him.
Saladin’s Place in the Muslim Imagination
Saladin’s death marked the beginning of his transformation into a legendary figure. In the Muslim world, Saladin became a model of Muslim virtue, and his life was used as a moral example for generations of Muslims. The most important Muslim source on Saladin is the biography of Saladin by his contemporary Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad, The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin. The book is a major primary source, and it has shaped the Muslim view of Saladin for centuries.
In the Christian West, Saladin’s death was also a major event. The medieval Christian view of Saladin was largely negative, and he was often portrayed as a fierce and dangerous enemy. The 19th-century Romantic view of Saladin, however, was more positive, and he was often portrayed as a chivalrous adversary of Richard the Lionheart. The most famous modern treatment of Saladin is in Walter Scott’s novel The Talisman (1825), which has shaped Western perceptions of Saladin for nearly 200 years.
In the modern world, Saladin has become a powerful symbol of the Muslim response to the Crusades, and his image is invoked in various political contexts, especially in the struggle for Palestinian self-determination. The figure of Saladin as a chivalrous and religious leader has been a powerful symbol in the modern Muslim world, and it continues to shape the relationship between the Christian West and the Muslim world.