Saladin's exploits are too numerous to count. The founder of the Ayyūbid Dynasty is credited with the unification of Egypt and Syria, after which he proceeded to defeat the Crusaders at Ḥaṭṭīn and conquer Jerusalem.
Europe promptly reacted with the Third Crusade, led by the King of England, Richard Cœur de Lion. What ensued was a duel that issued in a stalemate: neither Saladin could expel the Franks from the Syrian coast nor was Richard able to muster enough force to recover Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. What would the English monarch do? He came forward with a creative proposal, offering the hand of his sister Joanna to Saladin's brother, al-Malik al-ʿĀdil. The proposed union would revive the Kingdom of Jerusalem under a couple of mixed faith and allow Muslims as well as Christians open access to the holy city.
As it turned out, the would-be bride was not at all thrilled at the prospect of wedding an infidel (Muslim) prince, therefore becoming just another addition to his harem. She scolded King Richard, who came up with an equally bizarre compromise, namely entreating al-ʿĀdil to convert to Christianity. Needless to say, the proposal came to naught. It is not clear how seriously Saladin took the offer of his erstwhile opponent, but there existed not the remotest possibility of al-ʿĀdil renouncing Islam. Cœur de Lion had therefore to abandon his Jerusalem ambition and return to Europe to face more imminent menaces.
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