The Crusades: Crescent and the Cross — Season 1, Episode 3: The Second and Third Crusades
Documentary • 90 min • 1 season, 4 episodes
Episode synopsis
An enigma even in his own time, Saladin became a hero in the West long before his rediscovery in the Muslim world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His famous truce with Richard the Lionheart is the most iconic moment in the entire history of the crusades. But why did Saladin negotiate a truce when he won nearly every battle? This programme will tease out the hidden history of Saladin, Richard and the Third Crusade. Saladin unexpectedly rises to power upon the death of Nur Al-Din. Under him 'jihad', or Islamic counter-crusade, becomes a coherent rallying concept for the Muslim world. Unifying Syria and Egypt, he defeats the crusaders at Hattin to reconquer Jerusalem in 1187.
About The Crusades: Crescent and the Cross
The Crusades: Crescent and the Cross is a documentary that tells the story of the battles between the Christian Crusaders and the Muslims for the city of Jerusalem.