The Crusades: Part 3 – The Rise of Salah ad-Din (Part 1)
- Coin of Amir ul-Mu'minin Sayyidina wa-Maulana Mu'awiya ibn Abu Sufiyan - 00:15
- Governor of Homs was 'Abdur Ra'hman ibn Khalid ibn al-Waleed - 01:25
- Manuel-I komnenos, the Roman Emperor - 02:10
- Raymon-III (Raymond III of Tripoli), a Crusader - 02:25
- Bohemond-III (Bohemond III of Antioch), the prince of Antioch - 02:35
- Roger-II (Roger II of Sicily). He is not a Crusader. He is the Normand ruler of Sicily. 1105 A.D. Started at 1061. They conquered it from the Arabs. Normand were French speaking Vikings who after conquering northern France, got board & decided to conquer Southern Italy & Sicily. Then got bored again & decided to conquer England - 02:50
- When Roger-II (Roger II of Sicily) took over, the Normand already undisputed on Sicily for 24 years. On one side of the coin it's written in the Latin & on the other side of the coin, it's written in Arabic. Even though they were Christians, the rulers of Sicily realized that they couldn't just delete the Arabs who were living there. That's how the Norman coins & then later German coins, cause the German Royal family takes over Sicily. That's how the coins were minted for couple of centuries. They would have Arabic on one side & Latin on the other side - 03:45
- Nur ad-Din Mahmud Zengi (Al-Malik al-Adil Abu al-Qasim Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd bin Imad al-Dīn Zengī)'s coin - 04:30
- Nur ad-Din's son, al-Salih Ismail al-Malik (Abu al-Fath Ismail bin Nur al-Din Mahmud bin Imad al-Din bin Aq Sunqur al-Zangi)'s coin - 04:35
- Saladin (Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub)'s coin. Minted in 1169 or 1170 or 1171 A.D. It has Fatimid Ruler on the back - 04:45
- The Crusade starts. They capture 4 states. The Crusaders leave the Central Europe. They're mostly French & German. They work their way through the Roman Empire. People incorrectly call the Roman Empire the Byzantine Empire but there is not such thing. Nobody ever called themselves the Byzantine Empire. - 07:05
- They work their way through the Roman Empire eventually they go through the Kingdom of Hungary all the way to the Roman Empire. It's a Mess. Some of them are plundering. Some of them are not really soldiers, just brigands - 07:35
- The Crusaders fight their way though Anatolia. The Sultanate of Rome was a Turkiyan Kingdom in the Middle of Turkiya that has been fighting the Roman Empire successfully for the most part. There is a little fight with them & the Crusaders. The Crusaders get to Syria & curve off their first state - 07:45
- First state was the County of Edessa. Edessa is Northern Syria & Southern Turkiya. The city itself is in Şanlıurfa (Urfa), Turkiye - 08:15
- Then they take over the principality of Antioch in 1098 A.D. - 08:30
- 1096 A.D. is when the Pope called for Crusade. It takes the 2 years to get them to Syria. They curved of two little states - 08:35
- Then 1099 they conquered Jerusalem & created the Kingdom of Jerusalem - 08:45
- Godfrey de Buong (Godfrey of Bouillon) takes over Jerusalem & never calls himself a King even though he established the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He only rules for few months then he dies - 08:50
- Godfrey de Buong (Godfrey of Bouillon) is replaced by Baldwin-I (Baldwin I of Jerusalem) who is the first Crowned King of Jerusalem - 09:00
- Three years later, the crusaders also captured the County of Tripoli, Lebanon - 08:55
- There are 4 Crusader states which hit the high water mark in 1024 A.D. - 09:15
- In 1024 they captured the City of Tier (Sur) in Southern Lebanon - 09:30
- When they capture Tier, that sinks their control of Syria & it makes them indisputable master of Western Syria. Not Central Syria. Cause they didn't capture Damascus or Aleppo yet - 09:40
- That's the high water mark for the Crusaders. It's only downhill from that moment - 09:55
- The problem is - The Arabs & the Turkish Rulers can't get their act together. When the Turkish Rulers do manage to pull off some sort of victory, that leader gets assassinated or catch an arrow or something goes sideways. They're alcoholics. They just can't keep it together. It's one disaster after another - 10:05
- Finally a Turkish leader Atabeg names Imad al-Din Zengi takes over Aleppo (largest city in Syria. Damascus was the political center). He has Mosul (Northern Iraq) - 10:30
- When Imad al-Din Zengi takes over Aleppo, he has effectively created a miniature state in Northern Iraq & Northern Syria. He is not in paper independent. He is part of the Saljuk Empire. But in reality the Saljuk Empire is falling apart - 11:00
- Imad al-Din Zengi decides to capture Damascus - 11:20
- 1144 A.D, the Arabs get their first real break - 11:30
- Imad al-Din Zengi manages to capture Edessa in 1144 A.D.- 11:45
- Muen Unar (Mu'in ad-Din Unur) decides to take over as Regent of Damascus for her Zumurrud Khatun's son - 13:45
... From second part ...
- Ismail (Shams al-Mulk Isma'il) is a basket case. He goes the very similar path that Aleppan Alp Arsalan (Alp Arslan al-Akhras) went down killing people - 58:10
- Ismail (Shams al-Mulk Isma'il) started to negotiate with the Crusaders just like Hashshashin (Order of Assassins) - 58:35
- Ismail (Shams al-Mulk Isma'il)'s mother (Zumurrud Khatun) - 58:50
- Imad al-Din Zengi told Zumurrud Khatun that he would work with her if she works with him. She rejects her. But she kills her son Ismail to replace him with another son Shihab al-Din Mahmud - 59:00
... From second part ...
- Imad al-Din Zengi threatens punishment Yarankash then goes back to sleep but Yarankash tabs him to death when he was sleeping drunk (1146 A.D.) & join the Crusaders to get honored - 14:50
Sayf al-Din Ghazi-I (Older son for Mosul) to deal with crazy of Civil war of a Khalifa that wants to take over & whatever is happening with the Saljuks - 17:35
- Nur al-Din Zengi (Younger son for Aleppo) to focus on Syria for the Crusaders - 17:45
- Because they liked each other, respected each other & trusted each other, they can then turn their backs on each other & not worry about being backstabbed - 17:50
- Jocelyn-II (Joscelin II of Edessa), the guy who was the ruler of Edessa decided to use that moment of chaos & retake Edessa but again lost it to Nur al-Din Zengi (Younger son for Aleppo) - 18:10
- Edessa was an Armenian city. The Crusaders were Christians but Catholic. The Armenians were Christians but Orthodox - 18:40
- By that point, The Eastern Christians; the Orthodox Christian; The native Christians of Middle East has stated to dislike & hate the Crusaders - 18:50
- The King's daughter, Alice (Alice of Antioch); The Princess of Antioch; Rebelled against her father the Crusader King Baldwin II of Jerusalem. She was half Armenian & sympathized more with the native Christians & Muslim population. Because She was the Second Generation Crusader, she was identified as a local & didn't see herself as an European invader anymore - 19:00
- Joscelin-II (Joscelin II of Edessa) was ½ Armanian. So they had a sympathy for him - 10:50
- 1144 A.D. The Pope (Pope Eugene-III) calls for the Second Crusade i.e. exclusively to take Edessa back & reinforce the Crusader states to make sure that no other no Crusader states fall & if possible, expand - 20:00
- The Second Crusade is like the First Crusade large populated by the Germans & French. Some of the French were Normand but it's going to include Conrad III of Germany of Germany & Louis VII of France - 20:55- These Kings are coming along with the goal to take the glory to show themselves to go to Jerusalem to be part of this thing that would guarantee them the gateway to heaven where when they would die, they would spend the all eternity hanging out with Jesus Christ Himself - 21:20
- The Frist was noble but it wasn't loyalty. This is a whole new thing - 21:40
- Louis VII of France married to his cousin, Eleanor (Eleanor of Aquitaine).Then she marries Henry-II (Henry II of England), The King of England - 21:50
- Eleanor (Eleanor of Aquitaine) was married to the King of France (Louis-VII) & the King of England (Henry-II) & she went on to the Crusade. In reality, she was her own military commander - 22:10
- Roger-II; Roger II of Cicely; The Normand King of Cicely; he could speak Arabic, French, Latin; he created a bureaucracy which would include the Muslims, Christians & the Jews. He is not acting like a typical Christian leader from the time period. Because the typical Christian leader would have nothing to do with the Muslims & Jews - 23:15
- Roger II of Cicely hated Conrad III of Germany. - 23:45
- The easiest way to get to Palestine was to go by ship. The problem is if they go by ship, they risk running into Roger II of Cicely's navy. Because he just might send his navy out to intercept Conrad III of Germany with the goal of capturing him or killing him; ransoming him; shaming him; who knows - 23:50
- But wisdom is recognizing when you are doing the stupid thing again - 24:30
- Louis VII of France can go by sea. So Louis-VII is debating what to do with the French army. But decides to go with the Germans, Conrad III of Germany - 24:35
- Anatolia by land - 24:50
- It angers Roger II of Cicely. He decides that he is gonna punish everybody instead of participating the Crusades instead of participating in the Crusades & going to Palestine & killing Muslims, he decides to attack the Roman Empire. He lands an army in peninsula with the goal of chopping Greece out of the Roman Empire - 24:55
- Kilij Arslan I was defeated in Dorylaeum in the First Crusade. In the Second Crusade, Conrad III of Germany is coming up to Dorylaeum. They thought of doing a Dorylaeum - #2 - 25:55
- The Turkish leader; The Sultan of Rome; The Turks living in Anatolia called themselves The Sultan of Rome. Their flag was two headed eagle. As in the Roman flag. Because their explicit goal was to replace the Christian Roman Empire with the Muslim Roman Empire. Which is why they had their eye on one day capturing Constantinople. Which is why when in 1453 A.D. when the Ottoman empire do capture Constantinople, it's so amazing because that was their goal. Because they were working towards that for centuries - 26:15
- Masud-I (Rukn al-Din Mesud ibn Kilij Arslan) first sets up an ambush at Dorylaeum, Conrad III of Germany & the Germans march right into the ambush & are mascaraed - 27:00
- Conrad III of Germany barely escapes with the handful of Germans to dig their way out to make their way to the French camp to regroup - 27:15
- German & French army starts to disintegrate - 27:45
- They get into a second battle with the Turk & it's another disaster. Part of the baggage train gets left behind. Hundreds of Crusaders are killed - 27:45
- Eventually they get in to Antioch - 28:15
- Raymond of Poitiers first gets to Antioch. They all follow him to regroup 1148 A.D. - 28:20
- Nur ad-Din Mahmud Zengi is panicking. What the Crusaders should do next is to attack Aleppo, Nur ad-Din's city. They city Aleppo held out against the Crusaders for decades now. The principality of Antioch goes right up almost to the city walls. Like Aleppo is not just on front lines figuratively, it was literally on the front lines. They were put under siege time after time after time. The Crusaders couldn't capture the city was devastating for the Crusaders because this was the linchpin - 28:35
- The Crusader army is shaken because it should have been twice the size & it's missing most of it's Germans - 29:20
- Nur ad-Din Mahmud Zengi confused of having enough men to defend so he is panicking - 29:40
- Another reason to go after Aleppo besides it will break Syrian resistance because Damascus without Aleppo, it's done! It's over! Specially because Muen Unar (Mu'in ad-Din Unur); the guy ruling Damascus; has already struck a deal with the Crusaders. One of the reasons why Zengi haven't been able to take the city yet. Every time they move an army to Damascus, the Crusaders come up to defend the city because they have a deal, this Muslim-Turkish-lead-Arab city is allied with this European Crusader state - 29:55
- If you capture Aleppo; that's it; it's over! Because you already got Damascus. Not truly but partially. And then nothing to stop you from going to taking Edessa back & you complete the Crusade. You fulfil the goal - 30:35
- Louis VII of France decides to go to Jerusalem instead of taking Aleppo. Because Jerusalem is high value to the Pilgrimage to Jerusalem - 30:50
- Jerusalem decides to capture & conquer Damascus. They were previously allied to Damascus - 31:25
- There are two cities. You want both. You are allied with one & the other one might not have the forces to resist you. In that scenario, attack your ally - 31:40
- There is a fight coming. There are two people in the fight. One of them is your friend & the other one is the guy you want to really beat up. The friend you are not sure about. But he is still your friend who hates the guy you really want to beat up. So, who should you attack? - 32:00
- So, who should you attack? The friend, of course - 32:15
- This is just an easy one - 32:20
- Louis VII of France march an army to Damascus - 32:25
- Muen Unar (Mu'in ad-Din Unur) knows that Louis VII of France is coming so he starts to prepare defenses. Sends words to everybody including his enemies like Nur ad-Din Mahmud Zengi. Nur ad-Din Mahmud Zengi send words to his (older) brother (Sayf al-Din Ghazi-I in Mosul). Sayf al-Din Ghazi-I in Mosul sends an army - 32:30
- The Crusader army (Louis VII of France) is right up next to the wall. They put the city under siege. Trying to grind it into the dirt. When Nur ad-Din & his (elder) brother Sayf al-Din Ghazi-I show up with army & saved the enemy Muen Unar (Mu'in ad-Din Unur) to defend Damascus - 32:50
- Mu'in ad-Din Unur starts to write letters to the Crusaders. He is sending it to both camps. The local Crusaders, the descendants of the crusaders who arrived in 1098 A.D. & He is sending letters to the new Crusaders, the guys that just got there - 32:20
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- Mu'in ad-Din Unur's letter to the new Crusaders, "If you guys insist on doing the siege, I'm gonna turn the city over to Nur ad-Din Mahmud Zengi. You're gonna really regret that." - 33:50
- Mu'in ad-Din Unur's letter to the old Crusaders, "I can't believe you betrayed me. Not because I can't believe you would betray anybody. You pretty much betrayed everyboody including yourselves. You've loyalty no nobody. That's not what I'm freaked out about. I just don't think that you've thought this through. If you guys capture my city & hand it over to the new Crudsers, they're gonna use it as a power race to unseat you & take your stuff. The new crusaders don't like you. They think you're native. They think you're locals. They're just working it so they get more lands so that they can later turn on you!"- 34:00
- Conrad III of Germany puts Echelon under siege & waits for other the other Crusaders to show up. Nobody came & He ultimately leaves - 34:55
- Conrad III of Germany takes Frederick Barbarossa - 35:35
- Louis VII of France & his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine go back by sea. Eleanor of Aquitaine wanted annulment in 1152 A.D. They didn't have a son - 35:40
- Louis VII of France dies the next year after divorce by dysentery - 36:00
- Godfrey de Buong (Godfrey of Bouillon) don't become the king.
Replaced by Baldwin-I (Baldwin I of Jerusalem).
Baldwin-I is replaced by Baldwin-II (Baldwin II of Jerusalem).
Baldwin-II is replaced by Fulk (Fulk V of Anjou) - 36:40
[Baldwin planned to conquer Damascus, but he needed external support to achieve his goal. He married off his eldest daughter, Melisende, to Count Fulk V of Anjou in 1129.]
- Baldwin-II eldest daughter Melisende (Melisende of Jerusalem) & Fulk (Fulk V of Anjou) co-rule - 36:50
- Melisende (Melisende of Jerusalem) & Fulk (Fulk V of Anjou)'s oldest son is names Baldwin-III (Baldwin III of Jerusalem) - 36:55
- Baldwin-III (Baldwin III of Jerusalem) becomes the king at the age of 10 - 37:00 
- Baldwin-III has his mother Melisende as his Regent - 37:15
- When Baldwin-III finally becomes old enough to takeover, Melisende refuses to hand him over the Reigns of Power. They do a civil war. Son defeats mother & Baldwin-III finally takes over! - 37:20
- Baldwin-III will be the King for 20 years. When he dies, he is replaced by his younger brother Amalric (Amalric of Jerusalem) on 1163 A.D. - 37:35
- Amalric married Agnes of Courtenay. Nobody liked her. She was like Eleanor of Aquitaine - 38:05
- Maria Komnene is the great granddaughter of Alexios Komnenos. His son was John Doukas Komnenos. His son is Manuel I Komnenos. So Maria Komnene is the grand-niece of the Roman Empire - 39:05
- So Amalric marriage to Maria is a good thing for them because it would link them back to the Roman Empire - 39:25
- Movie - Kingdom of Heaven 2005 - 39:45
- There is no Hollywood movie that has ever been historically accurate - 40:10
- The reality of Hollywood: Hollywood has a formula. Every movie must fit the formula. If the movie doesn't fit the formula, it won't work. & as a result, they won't make it (movie). Your film will never be shown. You can write as many screenplay as you want to if you don't follow the formula, you'll be a screen writer with no movies. - 40:15
- The saying in Hollywood is: Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story! - 40:40
- Problem is lowest common denominator. If a move is made which is too heavy; it's too complicated; the movie is gonna lose too many ticket sales at the box office. The movie have to have a movie that can appeal to a broad audience - 40:55
- Error in the movie - Balian of Ibelin is the star of the movie. In the movie he is a blacksmith living in France or Germany. HIs father is Godfrey of Ibelin. Godfrey finds his illegitimate son Balian that he had left behind back with him on the Crusade to take over Ibelin. Ibelin is on the coast of Palestine. That's the basis for the movie - 41:35
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- The hero who didn't really want to do it but he kind of got pulled into it by circumstances & he just goes ahead & does the right thing cause he is there. But he never sets out to do it...
...That's wrong at every level...
1. Balian was a real person. His father's name was Barisan of Ibelin not Godfrey of Bouillon.
2. He would born in Ibelin, he was the third oldest son to Barisan of Ibelin - 42:20
- Agnes of Courtenay is old & no longer married to Amalric of Jerusalem, she turns around & actually marries Balian's older brother - 43:00
- In other words - The person who should have been Queen; the person who is the mother to a prince & a princess in the line of succession, is married to Balian's older brother - 43:10
- To make things even weirder, when Amalric does die, Balian would marry Amalric's wife - 43:25
- In another words - Balian was so intertwined into the system & he was such a local, that he actually marry the former Queen - 43:40
- In the movie they wanted Balian to have a love affair with Amalric's daughter ... Sibylla (Sibylla of Jerusalem) - 44:15
- Sibylla is a real person. She is a princess who is in line of succession. But her brother of course Baldwin I of Jerusalem is ahead of her - 44:20
- Raynald of Châtillon - He was from Europe. He was not like the other Crusaders. He was in the Second Crusade. He basically acts as a mercenary fighting for whoever pays the highest amount of money. After 6 years he marries the princess who is ruling Antioch. The princess (Alice of Antioch) who went rogue against her own Father, the King. So, her daughter; Raynald of Châtillon marries her. Her name is Constance. After married Constance, Raynald of Châtillon becomes the prince of Antioch - 44:35
- Raynald of Châtillon becoming princess makes Roger-II (Roger II of Sicily) also mad because he wants to take over Antioch. He thinks, it's his. Roger-II (Roger II of Sicily) is always cranky. But he doesn't actually go to Palestine. He stays in Southern Greece fighting Roman Empire - 45:30
- Ronald De Chatillon is ruling Antioch. He does lots of raids. He is sort of supplementing his tax with stealing stuff from other people - 45:50
- It gets in his mind that Raynald of Châtillon should just plunder; burn; pillage; destroy; rape the island of Cyprus - 46:05
- Island of Cyprus belong to the Roman Empire Manuel-I komnenos. The Roman Empire thinks Antioch belongs to it - 46:20
- The fact that there is a principality of Crusader state & principality of Antioch that is not part of the Roman Empire, drives Roman Empire Nuts - 46:30
- Here this guys (Raynald of Châtillon) who runs this state that the Roman thinks belongs to them who decides to attack a Roman Island - 46:40
- Raynald of Châtillon lands his Crusaders on the island. The island is Christian. But there are all kinds of Christians right there. There are Orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians & he just begins murdering everybody. He is just mascaraing the island. He sets it's fields on fire. He is taking people in the salary. He is murdering people. He is having his army systematically rape. They are burning homes. They are plundering big towns in the island of Shreds - 46:50
- Cyprus still has not recovered - 47:20
- Raynald of Châtillon just rips the place to pieces. It's a blood bath. Like the first Crusade was. He comes back to Antioch - 47:35
- The Roman Empire (Manuel-I komnenos) is mad. He mobilizes his army. He leaves Roger II of Sicily. He pulls his army to head to Antioch. He expect that Raynald of Châtillon is probably going to be killed & he is going to take Antioch over - 47:45
- Raynald of Châtillon dresses as a beggar. He walks out to where the Emperor (Manuel-I komnenos) is. Lays face down in the dirt. The Emperor is talking to other people. He ignores Raynald of Châtillon. The Roman Empire (Manuel-I komnenos) forgives Raynald of Châtillon - 48:05
- Ronald De Chatillon continue to do his raids will continue to do his raids. He is constantly attacking the area. He is constantly making a mess of everything. Until 1160 A.D. - 48:50
- In 1160 A.D. Nur al-Din Zengi defeats Ronald De Chatillon in battle captures him & throws him in prison in Aleppo & he is out of the picture. Well, for now - 49:00
- You can never put a good man down - 49:10
- Amalric of Jerusalem starts to get little obsessed after seeing an opportunity with Manuel-I komnenos (Roman Empire) army parked near Antioch & Nur al-Din Zengi solid in his position - 49:30
- Nur al-Din Zengi wasn't like his dad. Imad al-Din Zengi was vultures. Rough guy. Ready to fight. Looking for an opportunity to fight. Alcoholic. Drinking all the time - 50:00
- Nur al-Din Zengi was opposite. He was humble. He did not drink. He looked like he might actually be a believer. He looked like he might be a devout Muslim. So people kind of look to him for inspiration - 50:15
- Nur al-Din Zengi setup an entire Bureaucracy dedicated to propaganda - 50:35
- Nur al-Din Zengi would say stuff. Like he would make a prayer. He prayed to God saying,
"Don't give Mahmud victory! Who is this dog Mahmud to deserve victory? Give victory to Muslim people."
Nur al-Din Zengi name is Nur al-Din Mahmud. He is talking about himself in his prayer. So the propaganda ministry wrote it down & they started disseminating it so it would be a rumor that he put himself down in his prayers to God calling himself a dog. Saying that he is unworthy of victory. He just wants the Muslim people - 50:45
- So now the people say, "Oh! He is not in it for himself."
& Of course; Mahmud also known as Nur al-Din Zengi; he didn't horde wealth. He didn't live in a big palace. He preferred to live a simple life. He wasn't covered in silk all the time. He looked different than the other rulers. He acted different than other rulers & then he capitalized on it with his propaganda papers. They're sort of floating around starting rumors. Is it really a rumor if you did it on purpose? - 51:20
- It was like the Bush administration that kept leaking stuff. Is it really a leak if you are leaking it? - 51:50
- Isn't it a leak when you didn't mean for it to come out? - 51:55
- Muen Unar (Mu'in ad-Din Unur) has this problem. He can't defeat this guy (Nur al-Din Zengi). He tried. Even the Crusaders tried to defeat him (Nur al-Din Zengi) but can't get him (Nur al-Din Zengi) unseated - 52:05
- What Nur al-Din Zengi would do is instead of doing like his dad (Imad) would do to put the city under siege or kill, at one point Imad attack Balbak & killed a bunch of people. Tried to send a signal to Damascus saying, "If you guys don't surrender, then this could happen to you." Had the opposite effect. People are like, "Oh my God, if we don't fight this guy, he is going to massacre us." So they fought even harder - 52:15
- Nur al-Din Zengi pulls his army up. He says, "If you come to me, I'll take care of you!" Then everybody is ready to fight, he says, "I'm not here to fight" & he pulls his army away. Then he pulls his army back up. He goes, "I'm not here to fight. I just want you to consider joining me. Let's work together." Then when the people are getting ready to fight, he is like, "No no no! I'm not fighting." & he pulls his army away & then he keeps talking to them & he starts sending people into the city to sort of talk the propaganda that he has been doing. He is paying a strange diplomatic war with the people inside the city - 52:35
- At one point, he sends a Kurd names, Ayyub into the city to befriend the militia. The militia basically declares it's neutrality saying, "If you attack the city we would not fight you." - 53:15
- Muen Unar (Mu'in ad-Din Unur) gets dysentery & dies. The guys that he had reagent for is Abaq (Mujir ad-Din Abaq)... He is young. He doesn't really know what he was doing. He is still trying to make things work. Keep Damascus separate. But as time goes by, Nur al-Din Zengi is slowly getting the city over to Him. Abaq eventually dies. He looses control & looses confidence. He doesn't die. He does die in 1165 A.D. Abaq looses his confidence in the city & Nur al-Din Zengi it's his chance to strike. He moves his army up - 53:35
- It's 1153 A.D. it's one of Nur al-Din Zengi men climbed up on top of the all & plant Nur al-Din Zengi flag. Everybody was like what just happened. The city just changes hands. No blood bath. No blood shed. It's over. He goes to ... Akab ... & he goes, "I'm gonna give you land over by Homes!" Abaq doesn't get executed. No murder - 54:15
- Nur al-Din Zengi finally has Damascus & Aleppo merged together with in a way which was genius he didn't had to overcome Damascus's defenses to do it. - 54:45
- That year 1153 A.D. the Crusaders finally captured Ashkelon. Ashkelon was not controlled by the Syrians. It was controlled by the Egyptians. So it's on the other side of the Palestine from Syria. It's by the Sinai - 55:00
1. They have their fleet parked there & it put them in close proximity to mess with the Crusaders states when they needed to.
2. It made it difficult for the Crusaders to actually attack Egypt. Because as long as there is an Egyptian army & Egyptian fleet in Ashkelon, the Egyptians could literally go behind the Crusaders - 55:20
- The Crusaders really needed to Ashkelon first & they do get it at 1153 A.D. - 55:45
- Amalric takes over 1163 A.D. & decides to make the Crusaders state a Super State by taking Egypt - 55:50
- Because Egypt back then the largest population in Arab state. It was filthy rich. Like today it's the largest Arab state still. That hasn't change. So if the Crusaders could capture Egypt, like game over! This is it! There is way you'll unseat them - 56:05
- The reason that matters is now everybody is looking at the possibility of the Crusaders capturing Egypt - 57:15
- In another words: If the Crusaders have not done that & just gone & capture Egypt like off the bad, it would have been a different story - 57:20
- Because they had this sort of botch failed little run, it puts everybody on alert - 57:30
- There was two Khalifas for the Arab world. There is one in Baghdad; he is the Abbasid Khalifa & there is one in Cairo; the Fatimid Khalifa - 57:45
- That guy didn't rule Egypt just like in Baghdad the Khalifa doesn't rule the Arab world. He is more of a symbolic gesture - 57:55
- Think the King of England. Person with the title. They gave tax money we don't know why. Beautiful lavish palaces & the tax money goes to support that. We actually have no idea why - 58:05
- We actually do & the reason is: To prevent tyranny. The figure as King; the figure as Monarch; holds a space in our minds in our hearts & in our imaginations so we don't go running over & find a person to fill that space. Because it's a very Hobbesian idea. Hobbs believed that all humans by their nature are Monarchists - 58:25
- Amalric failed adventure in 1163 in Egypt - 58:55
- Nur al-Din Zengi top advisor Shirkuh (Asad al-Dīn Shīrkūh bin Shādhī). Shirkuh falls head over heels, madly in love with the idea of an Egyptian expedition. His name is Shirku. - 01:00:30
- Shirkuh: Sheer means lion. Ku is mountain in Persian. They're Kurds. It's the same in Kurdish. Shirkuh is a Kurd with a name Lion Mountain. He is very different than Nur al-Din Zengi. He is a drinker. He likes food. He is a little pudgy. Nur al-Din Zengi is thin. He is elegant. Shirkuh is rough ... cantankars .. He is missing is an eye. They are kind of opposite & really like each other. Shirkuh is totally devoted to his father (Imad al-Din Zengi) - 01:00:45
- Shirkuh's brother ... Ayyub ... actually saved Nur al-Din Zengi father at one point. So the ZENGI FAMILY was totally reliant on these two men. Ayyub & Shirkuh - 01:01:25
- Shirkuh decides he really wants to do the Egyptian expedition to put Showar (Shawar ibn Mujir al-Sa'di); Shi'a Wazir; back in power - 01:01:40
- Nur al-Din Zengi goes, "That's enough money I might be able to just buy Jerusalem from the Crusaders!" - 01:02:10
- Amalric decides he is going to invade Egypt again - 01:02:20
- In 1164 A.D. Amalric is going to go in Egypt for Second Attempt at the same time when Shirkuh is working his way to Egypt - 01:02:25
- Shirkuh by the way before he goes grabs his nephew saying, "You're going with me."
The nephew goes, "No I don't wanna go! Who wants to go to Egypt. I don't care."
He actually says, "You could make me the king of Egypt but I don't wanna go."
His uncle was like, "You're going!" - 01:02:35
...THAT GUYS NAME IS Sala'huddin {SALADIN (Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub)} - 01:02:55
- Sala'huddin's singular name is Yusuf.
`Yousuf = Sala'huddin
`Ma'hmud = Nur ad-Din - 01:03:05
- There is something really powerful about saying Yusuf meaning Sala'huddin - 01:03:20
- Shirkuh has a problem. He has to go through the Crusader State territory. He can't just go to Egypt. Palestine is on the way. So he is travelling through the Crusader state territory hoping that Crusaders don't attach them. Trying to work his way to Egypt. He gets to Bilbeis. They march on Cairo - 01:03:35
- When they get to Cairo, they overthrow the government & put Showar back in power - 01:04:05
- After Showar is in power, he immediately orders Shirkuh out of the country & breaks the deal - 01:04:15
- He is treacherous & he backstabs them - 01:04:20
- Shirkuh is furious. He is like, "What? We did this for you. You promised us that you are going to basically tie your state into our state to be in the common cause to put down the Crusader state - 01:04:30
- Amalric shows up. His army is behind the Syrian army of Shirkuh & the Egyptian Army that's gonna fight for Showar is in front of them. He realizes that he is in trouble. So he spins his army around & he swings over to ... Bilbasen .. .. .. ... - 01:04:45
- At that point then Crusaders army turns around & attack Bilbeis. It's a mess. The combined Egyptian & Crusaders armies outnumbers Shirkuh like ten to one. Something Ridiculous like that. They're hammering the city day after day. There is no way that they're gonna be able to hold out. The siege is taking forever - 01:05:05
⚔️- It's inevitable Shirkuh will have to surrender. He knows this or escape. But how? Especially because there is an Egyptian feet. There isn't a Syrian fleet. So there is no where to go. He can't get out by sea - 01:05:25
- In the mean time, Nur al-Din Zengi (Younger son for Aleppo) decides, "I got to create a destruction. So he attacks in the north with the intention of drawing the Crusader forces away as much as possible. So they don't reinforce Egypt - 01:05:40
⚔️- There is no way Nur al-Din Zengi he is gonna get the Crusader forces in Egypt to leave but they won't be sending any reinforcements - 01:06:00
- Nur al-Din Zengi defeats a Crusader army. He cuts off a bunch of scalps. A lot of Crusaders were Vikings. There were French speaking Vikings. They have their hair braided. Think Viking like bold hair braided. They take these bold braided scalps & he strings them together. Then they take the banners that they captured. Nur al-Din Zengi sends them to ... Bilbase ... They smuggled them in - 01:06:05
- Shirkuh goes to the wall & drapes it down & he says, "We just did this to you guys in Palestine!" - 01:06:35
- It shakes Amalric. He looses his resolve. The crusader armies moral falls apart a little bit. Because they're also trying to figure how they smuggled it into the the Castle to begin with - 01:06:40
- They get to negotiating - 01:06:55
- Here is what Shirkuh talks Amalric into doing, "I'll leave if you leave!" - 01:07:00
- They pack up their army. One goes to Syria & one goes to Palestine - 01:07:05
- 01:07:10
- Amalric in 1163 A.D; two years later; decides he is going to invade again - 01:07:25
- Shirkuh brings his army. Instead of coming up to Cairo i.e. as brand new city; from the front; he decides he is going to go around it - 01:07:35
- Cairo was found in 969 A.D. So it was just over a thousand years old. That's a joke in the Middle East. It's like, "Oh! You are only a thousand? I had a hiccup once that lasted a thousand years." - 01:07:50
- There are towns in Egypt that were continuously populated for over five thousand years. Fifth or Sixth metropolitan city on the planet - 01:08:10
- When the the Arabs conquered Egypt, they created a city South of Cairo what people often referred to as old Cairo. When the Arabs conquered Egypt, they made their own little port. they actually called them ... Fustad ... which means Tents. It was the Fortress of Tents. When the Fatimid took over Egypt, they didn't want to use that Capital anymore. So it's ... Misral Fustat. ... Mirs ... means citadel. They made a new city called Misr al-Kaharah. Which really means the Citadel of the Conqueror. Kaharah becomes Cairo. That's how it got it's name. They treated the old city as Old Cairo. Even though it has actually been a different city - 01:08:45
- Showar sets Old Cairo in fire. The fire burned for forty days - 01:10:10
- First he evacuated the population. The reason he is doing this is because he is saying to the Crusaders, "I will burn everything. You will not not take Egypt over. I'll scorch this place." - 01:10:20
- The Crusaders go like, "What the heck is this?" So they go to Showar saying, "You know, Shirkuh is here?" - 01:10:30
- Shirkuh brings his army on the East side of Cairo & the goes South of Cairo. Crosses the Neil & heads North to where Giza is. So he is on the other side of Neil. He has got the Pyramids behind him. He is looking at Cairo. He sends words to ... Showar ... saying, "Let's fight these Crusaders & take them out of your country together!" - 01:10:40
- Shirkuh takes his army & races South. He pretends he is panicking because he is away from his supply lines. Which makes sense because he is indeed away from his supply lines. Like he has grounds to panic but he is not actually panicking. He just pretends - 01:11:25
- He marches about 200 k.m. South of Cairo. He goes to a place called ... Babain ... Which means the Two Gates. Two Doors. It's near ... Samarut... . Which is a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere (?) in Egypt - 01:11:45
- There is a ... Maghagha ... near there. It's like the half way between the ... ceati (?) Cairo ... Shirkuh goes there then turn around faces the Crusader army that has been chasing him, Amalric himself. Amalric is leading the Crusader army - 01:12:00
- The reason Shirkuh did this was in part to get Amalric away from his supply chain - 01:12:25
- So they both out of Supply. Shirkuh attacks Amalric. He tears the Crusaders to pieces. Amalric barely escapes - 01:12:30
- Amalric races back to Cairo cause rest of his army is still there & figure out what to do next coordinate with Showar. Get the Egyptians into it somehow - 01:12:40
- All of a sudden they get news that Alexandria has fallen - 01:12:50
- Alexandria is on the other side of the Egypt. Like they were a third of the way South. In the time Amalric to run to Cairo. Not only did Shirkuh run to Cairo, He ran passed it. Abut equal distance. Got to Alexandria & captured it - 01:12:55
- Alexandria was the largest city at that time. So it was a devastating blow to the Egyptian moral & to Egyptian economy - 01:13:23
- Nobody can believe it. That's how Shirkuh was. He was a strategic genius. He thought outside of the box. He is constantly coming up with crazy stuff, executing it & pulling it off. He was one of those guys who just do unexpected just out of no where things like this - 01:13:30
- Like bait the Crusader King in South & once you defeat him, race more & capture the largest city before anybody has to figure it out what has actually happened - 01:13:50
- But the Crusader army & the Egyptian army, they march to Alexandria & they put it under siege - 01:14:00
- The siege is going on & on & on. It's becoming increasingly clear that they are running out of food. They are running out of supplies - 01:14:05
- At some point, Shirkuh is facing surrender & sense he doesn't have a navy there is no escaping. Cause Alexandria is a port city. Egyptian have the navy. He is stuck. There is no escape - 01:14:15
- He grabs a cavalry unit & in the night they open the gate & he takes his cavalry unit he charges out of the sea & he rampages right through the Crusader army & gets on the other side - 01:14:30
- He left but his nephew Sala'huddin is in the charge of the city - 01:14:45
- Shirkuh is on the other side of the Crusader army. He just goes on a rampage attacking Crusaders & Egyptian positions cutting of their supply lines. The siege is no longer attainable - 01:14:50
- They get together to talk & they come up with a solution. They will both leave. So, Amalric goes & Shirkuh goes. They pull out & everybody is disappointed because everybody was hoping that they would end up owning the Egypt but Showar got it again. Everyone is on shock & dismay - 01:15:15
- Amalric decides he is going fourth invasion of Egypt the next year the 1168 A.D. - 01:15:35
- Shirkuh shows up again & this time he defeats the Crusader army & he secures Cairo for Showar.- 01:11:50
- When ... Shirkuh ... marches his army in Cairo Showar comes out & say, "O thank you! You saved me. I am so happy you saves me - 01:16:15
- Shirkuh was like, "Oh of course." & they act like everything is ok! Everything is normal - 01:16:20
- Shirkuh has Showar lured out of the palace to some isolated location where Sala'huddin is waiting for Showar Sala'huddin Guts him like a pig. That's the end of Shawar. - 01:16:25
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