Saladin Chose Mercy Over Massacre When Retaking Jerusalem 1187 | Muslim Leader Praised by Christian Enemies SALADIN CHOSE MERCY OVER MASSACRE. EVEN HIS ENEMIES CALLED HIM HONORABLE. October 2, 1187. Jerusalem. Saladin (Salah ad-Din) recaptured the holy city from the Crusaders. 88 years of Christian rule ended. The Context When Crusaders first took Jerusalem in 1099, they massacred an estimated 70,000 Muslims and Jews. Contemporary accounts describe streets running with blood. Survivors sold into

The Leper King Who Defeated Saladin: Baldwin IV vs 26,000 Soldiers (1177) A 16-YEAR-OLD DYING OF LEPROSY DEFEATED SALADIN'S 26,000 SOLDIERS ⚔️ November 1177. Montgisard, Kingdom of Jerusalem. Saladin—the greatest Muslim general of the Crusades—invades with 26,000 soldiers. King Baldwin IV has 500 knights. Oh, and Baldwin is 16 years old. And he's dying of leprosy. His body is falling apart. Half-blind. Hands losing feeling. Face disfigured. He wears a silver mask to hide the disease. But he moun