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Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-Din

 

 
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Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-Din
 
 
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Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-din ("most superior") popularly known as Al-Afdal was one of seventeen sons of Saladin
Saladin

ala ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub , better known as Saladin in medieval Europe, was the Sultan of Egypt and Greater Syria. He led the Islamic opposition to the Second Crusade and Third Crusade....
. He succeeded his father as the second emir
Emir

Emir , is a high Nobility or office, used throughout the Arab World and historically in some Turkic peoples states and Afghanistan. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking sheikhs, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes, with "Emirate" being analogous to principality in this sense....
 of Damascus
Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
. He was the leader of the Ayyubids in the Battle of Cresson
Battle of Cresson

The Battle of Cresson was a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, at the springs of Cresson, or 'Ain Gozeh, near Nazareth. It was a prelude to the decisive defeat of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin two months later....
.

Biography
When Saladin died in 1193, al-Afdal inherited Damascus
Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
, but not the rest of his father's territories; Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 was inherited by al-Aziz
Al-Aziz Uthman

Al-Malik Al-Aziz Osman bin Salahadin Yusuf was the second son of Saladin and the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt.Before his death, Saladin had divided his dominions amongst his kin - Al-Afdal ibn Salah al-din received Syria, Palestine and the Yemen, Az-Zahri received Northern Syria and Al-Adil I Mesopotamia....
 and Aleppo
Aleppo

Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, capital of the Aleppo Governorate; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km? and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria by population....
 by az-Zahir
Az-Zahir

Al-Dahir was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1225 to 1226. He was the son of an-Nasir. In his reign, he lowered taxes, and he built a strong army....
. He was very attached to his uncle al-Adil
Al-Adil I

Al-Adil I was an Ayyubid-Egyptian general and ruler of Kurdish people descent. From his honorific "Sayf al-Din", he was sometimes known to the Frankish crusaders as "Saphadin."...
, and sought his aid at various points when he was attacked by his own brother al-Aziz.






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Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-din ("most superior") popularly known as Al-Afdal was one of seventeen sons of Saladin
Saladin

ala ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub , better known as Saladin in medieval Europe, was the Sultan of Egypt and Greater Syria. He led the Islamic opposition to the Second Crusade and Third Crusade....
. He succeeded his father as the second emir
Emir

Emir , is a high Nobility or office, used throughout the Arab World and historically in some Turkic peoples states and Afghanistan. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking sheikhs, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes, with "Emirate" being analogous to principality in this sense....
 of Damascus
Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
. He was the leader of the Ayyubids in the Battle of Cresson
Battle of Cresson

The Battle of Cresson was a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, at the springs of Cresson, or 'Ain Gozeh, near Nazareth. It was a prelude to the decisive defeat of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin two months later....
.

Biography


When Saladin died in 1193, al-Afdal inherited Damascus
Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
, but not the rest of his father's territories; Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 was inherited by al-Aziz
Al-Aziz Uthman

Al-Malik Al-Aziz Osman bin Salahadin Yusuf was the second son of Saladin and the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt.Before his death, Saladin had divided his dominions amongst his kin - Al-Afdal ibn Salah al-din received Syria, Palestine and the Yemen, Az-Zahri received Northern Syria and Al-Adil I Mesopotamia....
 and Aleppo
Aleppo

Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, capital of the Aleppo Governorate; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km? and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria by population....
 by az-Zahir
Az-Zahir

Al-Dahir was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1225 to 1226. He was the son of an-Nasir. In his reign, he lowered taxes, and he built a strong army....
. He was very attached to his uncle al-Adil
Al-Adil I

Al-Adil I was an Ayyubid-Egyptian general and ruler of Kurdish people descent. From his honorific "Sayf al-Din", he was sometimes known to the Frankish crusaders as "Saphadin."...
, and sought his aid at various points when he was attacked by his own brother al-Aziz. In 1196, al-Aziz lost his patience as a result of al-Afdal's incompetent reign
Reign

A reign is the term used to describe the length of a monarch is the supreme leader over a kingdom. No time limit exists on reigns, nor is there a term of office....
. He allied with their brother az-Zahir, who was also al-Afdal's enemy, and they both raided Damascus
Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
. Al-Afdal was later exile
Exile

Exile means to be away from one's home while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return....
d to Salkhad
Salkhad

Salkhad a Syrian city in the As Suwayda' Province, Syria, southern Syria.It is the capital of Salkhad District, one of the governorate's three districts....
, Hauran
Hauran

Hauran, also Hawran or Houran, The Hauran is mentioned in the Bible describing the boundary area of the Israelite Kingdom at the time....
. There are no records of his death but it is supposed that he died there in exile.

Battle of Cresson

In 1187, al-Afdal led Saladin's forces against Gerard of Ridefort, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple , were among the most famous of the History of Christianity#Sanctification of knighthood military orders....
, at the Battle of Cresson
Battle of Cresson

The Battle of Cresson was a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, at the springs of Cresson, or 'Ain Gozeh, near Nazareth. It was a prelude to the decisive defeat of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin two months later....
. Al-Afdal's troops consisted of about 7000 men. Gerard unexpectedly ran into al-Afdal's army on May 1, and in the subsequent battle, the Muslims feigned a retreat, a common tactic which should not have fooled Gerard; nevertheless, he ordered a charge, against the advice of the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta is a Roman Catholic Church order based in Rome, Italy....
, Roger des Moulins, and the knights were separated from the foot-soldiers. The Muslims easily repulsed a direct Christian attack, killing both the exhausted knights, and, later, the foot-soldiers.

Gerard survived but almost all the others were killed. However, according to the Itinerarium Peregrinorum, a history of the Third Crusade
Third Crusade

The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin .After the failure of the Second Crusade, the Zengid dynasty controlled a unified Syria and engaged in a conflict with the Fatimid dynasty rulers of Egypt, which ultimately resulted in the unification of Egy...
 which followed the battle
Battle of Cresson

The Battle of Cresson was a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, at the springs of Cresson, or 'Ain Gozeh, near Nazareth. It was a prelude to the decisive defeat of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin two months later....
, Gerard did not rashly engage the enemy, but was actually caught unaware and was the victim of an attack himself.

See also

  • Saladin
    Saladin

    ala ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub , better known as Saladin in medieval Europe, was the Sultan of Egypt and Greater Syria. He led the Islamic opposition to the Second Crusade and Third Crusade....
  • Battle of Cresson
    Battle of Cresson

    The Battle of Cresson was a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, at the springs of Cresson, or 'Ain Gozeh, near Nazareth. It was a prelude to the decisive defeat of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin two months later....
  • Egypt
    Egypt

    Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
  • Damascus
    Damascus

    Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....