Richard and Saladin Tile
Discovered on the grounds of the chapter house of Chertsey Abbey in the 19th century, these ceramic roundels depict the crusading king of England, Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199), piercing Saladin (1137–1193), the Ayyubid sultan of Egypt and Syria, with a lance. This scene is fictional – not only did Richard never defeat Saladin in single combat, Richard and Saladin never even met in person, although they were opponents in the Third Crusade (1189–1192). This military campaign ended with a truce, and Richard returned to France. The English crusading victory represented on these tiles is propaganda, constructing an advantageous view of Richard the Lionheart. The scene constructs a false precedent for the probable original patrons of the tiles, the English king Henry III (1207–1272; Richard’s nephew) and queen Eleanor of Provence (c.1223–1291), who in 1250 proclaimed their own intention to go on crusade.
Who was Saladin?
Salah al-Din (1137–1193), known in the west as “Saladin,” was the Ayyubid ruler of Egypt and Syria. He was most famous in medieval Europe for capturing Jerusalem from the crusaders and then successfully defending the city during the Third Crusade. He was known to both Muslims and Christians as a strategic and skillful leader.
Saladin began his political career by seizing power in Egypt under the command of the ruler Nur ad-Din (1146–74) and then, after Nur ad-Din’s death, went on to unite the Islamic regions of Syria, Northern Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Palestine. Through diplomacy, warfare, and appeal to religion, Saladin and his armies destroyed the armies of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem at Hattin in 1187 and then recaptured most of the so-called “Crusader States” — polities created by Christian, European leaders of the First Crusade (1096–99). Saladin’s seizure of Jerusalem in 1187 prompted Pope Gregory VIII to launch the Third Crusade (1189–92), in which the English king Richard I the Lionheart, the French king Philip II Augustus, and the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa participated. The armies of the Third Crusade reclaimed major cities such as Acre and Jaffa; however, they never took Jerusalem.
While Saladin and Richard the Lionheart never met in battle, they did negotiate a peace treaty. With Islamic control of the Holy Land intact and the crusaders largely driven out of the region, Saladin retired to Damascus. He died there at the age of 55, having proven himself a skilled military leader, devout Sunni Muslim, and effective ruler.
Who was Richard the Lionheart?
Richard I “the Lionheart” (1157–1199) ruled as king of England from 1189 until 1199 and is perhaps best-known for his leadership in the Third Crusade (1189–1192).
After Pope Gregory VIII called for a crusade to capture the Holy Land from Saladin in 1187, Richard became singularly focused on reclaiming Jerusalem as a crusader state. Fervor for religious violence in England ran high in these years, leading to outbreaks of violence against non-Christians, including the murder of Jewish families who had been longtime residents in English cities and towns.
On his way to the Holy Land, Richard conquered Cyprus, and when he arrived on the coast of Syria took command of much of the crusading army. Richard and the crusader armies conquered significant areas in the Holy Land, including the city of Acre. His armies came within miles of Jerusalem, but they decided not to attack or conquer the city. In September of 1192, Richard negotiated a peace treaty with Saladin that provided protections for Christian pilgrims and merchants to move throughout Muslim-controlled Jerusalem.
Richard returned to France and fought to regain lands which had been seized from him by Philip II, the king of France. Richard later died in Normandy after a wound he sustained from a crossbow became gangrenous.
When the Chertsey combat tiles were commissioned some fifty years after Richard’s death, he was already a popular hero among the English nobility. Richard’s exploits as king and knight, particularly his history of violence against non-Christians during his reign, have earned him both fame and infamy from the Middle Ages to the present day.
For more information on these and the other Chertsey Tiles as well as information about Chertsey Abbey and the tile reconstruction process, visit the Bringing the Holy Land Home exhibition website.