Page 63 - All About History - Issue 59-17

What if…

RicHaRd i and saladin Had inTeRmaRRied?

queen’s children would then be in the position of not knowing would have been a good idea — but then
whether they would succeed to rule Saladin’s lands. I’m not I’m sitting here in the early 21st century.
sure anyone had thought it through that far. My values are not necessarily theirs.
Both sides would assume the other side could convert
because, of course, each would have known that their religion How different would our modern
was the most righteous and true. It’s quite sweet the way view have been of this period?
contemporary literature of both sides reflects this belief and Until very recently, scholars didn’t really
you look back over 800 years of history and think it’s a shame, look at the peace negotiations at all or
really — it would have been nice. the attempts to bring people together
If it had gone ahead, if one side had been ready to convert to as in the case of this one. The religious
the other religion, they probably would have been stopped by zealots on both sides had no interest
their supporters because Muslims are not going to be happy in promoting the fact that people were
to see al-Adil convert to Christianity, and likewise Richard’s trying to make peace.
advisers are not going to be happy to see a Christian princess So much of the literature that’s come
converted to Islam. down to us emphasised the fact that
It would be like a peace treaty in the 1950s between the war was necessary, whereas in fact when Richard I took over
command of the
Soviet Union and the US that had required the US president’s you go back and look at what people English forces after
sister to convert to communism and marry Joseph Stalin. One said at the time, there was a lot of talk the death of his
feels it would have been unlikely to happen. about peace-making. father, Henry II
However, if we put that on the internet
Would this unlikely marriage have brought an end to in the hope that it might generate positive discussion between
the Crusades? Muslims and Christians, you just get hate mail in response. All
Yes, it would have been the end of the Crusades as such. It I got was people telling me from both sides there was no way
would probably have been very good for trade, too — until the anyone could make peace with this appalling infidel. That
Mongols invaded [in the 1220s] and disrupted all the trade came from both sides. So I thought, oh, there’s not much hope
routes to the East, which would have happened anyway. that peace is going to break out on this planet in the near
Whether this new united kingdom could have stood against future, unfortunately.
the Mongol invasion, I don’t know.
But things could have been different?
What else might have been different? There is always hope that it could be different. It’s particularly
There would have been peaceful pilgrimage into Jerusalem for interesting that these people who were regarded as the
people from Western Europe and also for Muslims — and Jews, foremost leaders of the holy war on each side were the people
of course. The pilgrimage would probably have been easier who were actually prepared to make peace. Unless they were
for both sides. The end of the fighting might also have meant both faking it.
that trade would be easier. People’s crops wouldn’t be getting
burned down all the time. “Whether this new united kingdom
To judge from comments by people campaigning for
have to fight these people, we can’t possibly make peace with could have stood against the Mongol
Crusades in the 13th century, they made remarks like “we
don’t we just make peace, rather than going to war. I think it invasion, I don’t know”
them.” It suggests there were quite a lot of people saying why

l The Crusade ends l Fourth Crusade l Mongols invade l Last Crusade
Richard departs the Pope Innocent II calls The Mongols sweep The ninth and last
Holy Land, having failed for another excursion to into the Middle Crusade comes to an
to recapture Jerusalem, the Holy Land, at first East, disrupting end with Jerusalem
but making inroads in to recapture Jerusalem, trade heading still not recaptured and
a number of coastal but later to sack the city east and causing Muslims and Christians
regions. October 1192 of Constantinople. 1202 havoc. 1220s as divided as ever. 1272

l Death of Saladin l Death of Richard l Jerusalem defended
Saladin dies of fever five Richard I dies of a The new kingdom of
months after Richard rogue crossbow bolt Jerusalem is able to
leaves, bringing their wound during the siege withstand the Mongol
somewhat respectful of Châlus-Chabrol in invasion, keeping
relationship to an end. Haute-Vienne, France. peace in the Middle
March 1193 April 1199 East. 1220s

l Queen of Jerusalem l Lasting peace l Trade deals l Richard lives l Faiths aligned
Joan becomes queen With Jerusalem now Trade flourishes Richard is never The Muslim and
of Jerusalem and, partly under Christian between Europe killed by a Christian faiths live
with the aid of her control, the Crusades and the Middle East, crossbow bolt at in harmony 50 years
brother Richard, come to an end and with few skirmishes a castle in France after the marriage of
sets up a new regime the fighting between or broken alliances and remains Joan and al-Adil, who
in the kingdom. Richard and Saladin’s taking place between king for decades leave a dynasty in their
December 1191 sources ceases. 1192 factions. 1193 more. 1199 wake. 1241

63