Damascus, 1187 AD. Defeated Crusader.
Pictured here is one of the few Christian survivors of the Battle of Hattin in 1187 AD..
Saladin decisively defeated the Crusader army led by Guy, king of Jerusalem and his mortal enemy, Reginald of Chatillon who he personally slew after the battle. On Saladin's orders two hundred Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller were killed, a few fortunate survivors were ransomed and the rest of the captured prisoners sold on the local slave markets.
This young Crusader was fortunate to survive the battle. Although, in time, he will lament the fact that he didn't meet a quick, honourable death on the battlefield rather than the lingering agony of living as a slave and suffering under the Saracens' whips.
Taken to Damascus, he was stripped naked and sold on the auction-block to the highest bidder. Because of his fine physique and great strength, he was bought by a wealthy land-owner to work on his vast agricultural estate.
Fitted with his new master's slave collar and cruelly branded on the right cheek of his ass, he now works as a naked beast-of-burden sometimes as a plough-ox and at other times as a draught animal hauling heavy loads of his master's farm produce to market.
Sadly, this young slave has many years of servitude ahead of him continually driven to better performance under the cruel whips of his handlers.
Extracted from a larger a artwork by Amalaric: Text is mine.
Thank you Karel for your historical comments which add interest to the post. Those times were brutal and no doubt there were atrocities committed by both sides. Sadly, nowadays, in our politically correct West it is "fashionable" to label the Crusaders as the villains and as the invaders of Moslem lands which completely ignores the fact these areas were originally part of the Graeco-Roman-Christian world conquered as part of Islamic expansionism. But that is another story.
Thank you Karel for your historical comments which add interest to the post. Those times were brutal and no doubt there were atrocities committed by both sides. Sadly, nowadays, in our politically correct West it is "fashionable" to label the Crusaders as the villains and as the invaders of Moslem lands which completely ignores the fact these areas were originally part of the Graeco-Roman-Christian world conquered as part of Islamic expansionism. But that is another story.
Outstandingly beautiful and exciting text accompanied by an outstandingly artwork ! My warmest congratulations.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for him, this gigantic “Frankish” blond infidel slave is too strong, too massively built and too resistant and enduring to the most inhuman hard-labors and to the whip ! …….. he will not die, as he probably hopes, for the too exhausting bestial toils that his Arab owner and Master will rightly impose on him !
…… he will not die, as he’s probably begging in his prayers, not even for the restless, merciless flogging and beating and atrocious punishments and tortures that his Arab Lord and owner will sadistically use on his titanic physique, both for spurring him to harder labor, for squeezing up to the very last drop of strength and sweat from his huge muscles ……. but even more, just for the rich Arab Lord’s mere sadistic excitement and amusement.
Most likely his Arab Master will follow with great pleasure and enthusiasm the wise teachings of Ali al-Maghribi, an 11th century Islamic scholar and theologian from Iraq.
In his works al-Maghribi recommends to the faithful and pious Muslim believers the strictest severity and even cruelty, in case, over their “diabolic” infidel slaves, servants of the Devil and creatures of the Hell, hated and abhorred by Heaven.
“Don’t hesitate to whip and beat your infidel slave” – writes the wise scholar-
“ Make that infidel dog scream and cry for his abominable unbelief”
“When an infidel screams under the whip or the cane of a pious believer, his cries of agony ascend to the highest Heavens and make the Angels smile in joy !”
Karel
P.S.
I would like to add below, to this magnificent post, also a few historical notes that show better the extraordinary ferocity showed by the Sultan Saladin on that occasion.
HISTORICAL NOTES
ReplyDeleteThe Battle of Hattin (July 4th 1187) and the Conquest of Jerusalem (October 2nd 1187) by Sultan Saladin are the two main war-episodes of the final re-conquest of Palestine and Jerusalem by the Sultan Saladin, during the “Third Crusade” (1189-1192).
In these two cases the Sultan Saladin, who had deserved even in Europe for some previous episodes of humanity the nickname of “Saladin the Merciful”, did not show either mercy or humanity against the defeated European enemies.
These two historical episodes of the Third Crusade are noteworthy not only for the atrocities committed on Christian prisoners of war but also for the outstanding number of European captives sold into slavery.
The Crusaders captured alive by the Arab armies met three possible fates: a few – generally the chief commanders- were slaughtered and publicly executed both for “thirst of revenge” and for “giving an example” ……. a few – always very noble and rich Lords and knights- were kept in a “comfortable” captivity with the scope of demanding rich ransoms from their wealthy families in Europe for their freedom …… but actually the largest majority of poor footmen-warriors were inexorably sold as slaves !!!!!
Most of the Crusaders were extremely poor peasants, shepherds, workmen, fishers, sailors etc. …….. often they were even feudal serfs …… from Italy or France, from Germany or England, from Spain or Central Europe, that their feudal Lords had obliged to follow them in that “adventurous” war. None of them couldn’t pay even one tiny fraction of the very high ransoms demanded by the Arab Sultan for the Christian prisoners of war !
Moreover, just in that period, the flourishing and expanding economies of the Arab Countries in the Middle East and in Northern Africa, needed a lot of “manpower” and increasing “labor forces” …… and obviously those countries based their economy mostly on the exploitation of servile slave-labor.
Therefore the sale into slavery of the greatest part of prisoners of war was not only “inevitable”, because most captives could have never paid any ransom, however small ……. but also this was something strongly needed by the economic and social situation of many of those Arab Middle Eastern Countries.
Karel
(continues below)
The Battle of Hattin
ReplyDeleteOn July 4th 1187 two large armies clashed near Hattin close to the Lake of Tiberias. The European forces were about 22,000 men of which only 1,200 were horse-riding noble knights (partly Templars and partly Hospitallier knights).
On the other side there were 34.000 men of Saladin, of whom as many as 12,000 were cavalry.
By a series of very intelligent military movements, and by the huge numerical prevalence of the Arab cavalry, Saladin’s army rather quickly prevailed and before the late afternoon the Crusader army was fully defeated.
The dead among the Arabs were a negligible number, while among the Europeans the dead were about 7.000 men.
Therefore the number of Christian prisoners was unexpectedly high: about 800 knights and about 14,000 infantry-men.
From the chronicles of the Arab historians who celebrated these episodes, we know the following atrocities committed on the Christian warriors captured alive by Arabs.
On the next morning, the “Frankish” prisoners (“Frankish” was one of the “collective” names by which at that time Arabs called all the European soldiers) were paraded in chains in front of the Sultan, who was sitting on his throne, put on a high, golden plated dais.
In the early morning, Saladin had “bought” from his warriors and generals 230 Templar and Hospitallier knights at the “symbolic” enormous sum of 50 dinars each i.e, 213 grams of pure gold /each that was really a huge sum of money.
These knights were the highest Christian commanders as well as those European knights who had fought most bravely in the battle and had killed most Muslim soldiers.
Saladin sentenced them to death and to be immediately slaughtered.
Arab chroniclers refer that 92 Sufi mystics and Islamic scholars, who were following the army of the Sultan, offered themselves as volunteers begging for the “privilege” of cutting the throat and beheading themselves the 230 “infidel” knights.
The Sultan “graciously” conceded them this “privilege”.
For slitting the throat of the remaining 138 European prisoners, the Sultan chose as “executioners” some of bravest soldiers, who received this “privilege” almost as a “military value award” for their bravery during the battle.
Each executioner received one Christian prisoner; and one after the other each executioner dragged his chained “Frankish” prisoner in front of the Sultan’s throne, forced him to fall on his knees and then he cut the throat and beheaded the prisoner.
Saladin watched impassible this butchery from his throne, until all the 230 Templar and Hospitallier knights were slaughtered.
Karel
(continues below)
The remaining about 570 noble knights were spared and reserved for ransom of 100 dinars ……… i.e, 425 grams of pure gold ! …… a really huge sum of money.
ReplyDeleteThey could pay immediately for this huge ransom if they had such a sum of gold with them; and they would be immediately freed.
Or, if they hadn’t the money but took the commitment to contact their rich families in Europe who would accept to pay the same enormous sum of money for their freedom, they
would be kept in a in a rather comfortable and “golden” captivity, kindly and “honorably” treated by their Arab jailers, waiting for the arrival of the golden coins for their ransom from Europe.
Completely different was the destiny of the poor about 14,000 Christian infantry-men ! who had been captured alive by Arabs.
Their inevitable fate was to be sold as slaves in the main Arab Slave Markets of the Middle East !!
In his biography of Saladin, the Iraqi jurist and historian Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad (1145-1234) mentions two episodes that well express the extraordinarily high number of enslaved Crusader warriors in that battle:
- he narrates that he himself met –on the road towards the Slave Market of Damascus- a single Arab captain who was pulling one sole long rope by which he was dragging by himself –behind the saddle of his horse- as many as 30 (!) young European Crusaders, with their arms tied behind their backs and bound in line, one after the other, by their neck with the long rope like a leash, Crusader prisoners that he intended to sell and auction to the highest bidder in the Slave Market of Damascus.
- the same historian refers that however the number of Christian enslaved prisoners was so unexpectedly large that – in the largest Slave Markets of Damascus or Baghdad- the price of strong young male slaves suited for heavy labours fell so low …… that on average each of them was sold for the price of a pair of leather-sandals !!!!
Karel
(continues below)
The Conquest of Jerusalem (October 2nd 1187)
ReplyDeleteAfter a long and bloody siege, on October 2nd 1187 Saladin finally entered as a conqueror the city of Jerusalem.
Also here several episodes that recall the ones after the Battle of Hattin repeated.
In this case, besides Crusaders and soldiers, there was also a multitude of Christian civilians who inhabited the city.
Saladin formally gave the benefit of ransom to all civilians.
But the prices of ransom that he fixed were very high; and most inhabitants could not pay their ransom.
The Sultan demanded 10 dinars for every civilian man, i.e, 42,5 grams of pure gold ……… 5 dinars for every woman (i.e. almost 21,5 grams of gold) ……. and 1 dinar for every child !
All the soldiers and all the civilians who could not pay these high ransoms, were mercilessly sold into slavery, in the number of several thousands (see below).
Only the rich Christians could pay their ransom; and many Muslims blamed the Sultan because in this way, for example the Christian Patriarch Heraclius could leave Jerusalem –safe and free- with the payment of “only” 10 dinars (that was an enormous sum for poor people but not for the rich Patriarch and many of his dignitaries).
Also among the European military who were still in the city, similar episodes happened.
Differently from the battle of Hattin, where the number of fighters is rather precisely known, during the conquest of Jerusalem it is not precisely known how many Crusaders were still inside the city.
Some chroniclers say about 500 knights and 6.000 infantrymen; some others talk of some more, about 9.000 in total.
In this case …… probably also because the fight had been rather “weak” and not bloody for the troops of Saladin ….. Saladin did not order any public executions of Christian commanders.
Like for the civilians, only the richest knights –i.e. about 500- could pay for their ransom Saladin fixed at 30 dinars for every military.
Therefore also in this case the vast majority both of civilians and soldiers were sold into slavery
In this case the number of Christian civilians and soldiers sold into slavery is estimated to have been about 22,000 -23.000 , of which about 16-17.000 were civilians (men, women and children) and at least 6,000 were soldiers who had not been able to pay for their ransom.
In any case the number of prisoners sold into slavery was high also in this event; so high that the other famous Arab historian and biographer of Saladin, Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani, tells that the Sultan gave to his brother Al-Adil (his actual full name was Al-Malik al-ʿĀdil Sayf al-Dīn) as many as 1,000 Christian slaves as a “personal gift”.
Karel
Thanks Chris for your further comment.
ReplyDeleteI agree on each and every word of yours.
Karel