Saladin Retakes Jerusalem, and Spares Its People
In contrast to the 1099 massacre, Saladin allows the city's Christians to be ransomed rather than slaughtered
Quick facts
- Location
- Jerusalem
- Ruler at time of capture
- Guy of Lusignan (Kingdom of Jerusalem)
- Treatment of population
- Ransomed or enslaved, not massacred; contrast with 1099
- Consequence
- Direct cause of the Third Crusade
What happened
With the Kingdom of Jerusalem's army destroyed at Hattin, Saladin swept up Acre, Tiberias, Caesarea, Nazareth, and Jaffa in quick succession, leaving Tyre as the only significant city still in Frankish hands. Jerusalem itself, nearly undefended, surrendered in September 1187. Unlike the crusaders in 1099, Saladin did not order a mass killing: most of the city's Christian population was ransomed or enslaved rather than massacred, and eastern Christians were permitted to remain. All the city's churches except the Holy Sepulchre were converted into mosques. Saladin's restraint, deliberately publicized, became central to his reputation among both Muslim and later western writers as a chivalrous and merciful conqueror.
Why it matters
Jerusalem's fall ended 88 years of crusader rule and provoked the Third Crusade, bringing Richard the Lionheart, Philip II of France, and Frederick Barbarossa into direct conflict with Saladin. The contrast with 1099's massacre also shaped how each conquest was remembered for centuries afterward.
How we know
Saladin's treatment of Jerusalem's population is recorded by his own court biographers, who deliberately emphasized his clemency as part of a broader campaign to build his reputation as the ideal Muslim ruler.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Saladin · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- World History Encyclopedia. Knights Hospitaller · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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Part of a timelineThe Crusades27 events · Two centuries of holy war for Jerusalem, fought and remembered very differently by Christians and MuslimsView all →