This Osprey Command book looks closely at the early life, military
experiences and key battlefield exploits of Al-Malik al-Nasir Yusuf Ibn
Najm al-Din Ayyub Ibn Shahdi Abu'l-Muzaffar Salah al-Din - or Saladin as
he is more commonly known outside the Islamic world - who is broadly
regarded as the greatest hero of the Crusades, even in Europe. Most
chroniclers present him as a man of outstanding virtue, courage and
political skill.
More recently, however, efforts have been made to portray Saladin as an
ambitious, ruthless and even devious politician, and as a less brilliant
commander than it normally thought. This book sets out to reveal that
the truth is, as usual, somewhere in between.