Jerusalem 1187: How did ethnicity impact Saladin's army?
score:5
This question has so many perspectives I'm not sure I can provide a reasonable or satisfactory answer to cover them. So, I'll focus on the general objective, with particular emphasis on providing "... a better sense of how Saladin's army looked and acted in the field*" (OP's comments).
Saladin's Military Mindset
The straight answer is Saladin's Ayyubid army adopted the method of Steppe Warfare.
This should not be surprising as he was, in his blood and upbringing, a nomadic warrior. Saladin was born in Central Iraq, Tikrit (1138), from the powerful Hadbānīya Kurd tribe, and steeped in the tradition of military families - he was nephew and son to 2 military governors of the Great Seljuk Sultan Muhammad Ibn Malik Shah.
Saladin grew up serving the Zengid dynasty - who were Orghuz Turks (Islamicised turk warriors) with direct military lineage back to the Seljuk Turks. Lest we forget, the greatest claim to fame of the Seljuk Turks was the Battle of Manzikert. 'Fame' because the Seljuk Turks were the first Muslim commanders who captured a Byzantine Emperor.
Saladin's Jihad
Whether Hattin, or Jerusalem, or the rest, Saladin's fights should not be seen as discrete events but rather a series of battles with an overarching objective, namely a holy war (jihad) in the form of a counter-Crusade (1187-1189). Without underestimating the importance of Jerusalem, Saladin's counter-Crusade was not just to unite Syria and Egypt. He was reclaiming Bilad al Sham - the original Islamic province of the Rashidun caliphate (the original Caliphate).
Remember, Saladin was a Sunni, whereas the Fatimids were Shi'ites. Because of Bilad al Sham, from the perspective of fellow Sunni Muslims, he was rebuilding Islam -- not just taking back castles/towns/cities. Also, that's why -- with his political base of Sunni Muslims strongly supporting him back in Egypt -- he never had to return home to pacify rebellions.
In this sense, his military legacy was beyond that of the Zengids - whether Nur al-Din (his overlord) or his father, Imad ad-Din Zengi. A better comparison is Khalid ibn al-Walid, the Rashidun Capliphate's first significant military leader (he united Arabia and won over a 100 battles in a span of 13 years, from 629 till his death in 642).
Battles
Hattin has been well-examined, especially by Western historians. There's more than enough material for research (not necessarily a good thing imho). If you're looking for more - though they may not be Saladin's army - but I would consider the following battles, given the geographical setting, just as useful in the in terms of 'look and feel' of the combat:
The Ayyubid Army
There was no significant difference between the Ayyubid army and the Franks in terms of military tools:
For a little under two centuries, from 1099 to 1291, Europe fought a series of wars and battles for control of the Holy places in the Middle East—the campaigns that today we call the crusades. Although the forces against which they fought over this period were many and varied, it is perhaps those of the great Muslim leader Saladin in the later twelfth century that had probably the greatest effect on the armies and tactics of Western Europe.
Much like the armies of Western European, those of Saladin were composed of both horse and foot soldiers in which the cavalry, though fewer in number, were again dominant—not only in the tactics and strategy adopted but also in the minds and hearts of those that fought—it is the mounted soldiers who were remembered both then and today. And again though very different in detail, the arms and armor worn by the Middle Eastern troops was broadly similar to those used in the West—the mail shirt, helmet, sword, lance, and bow, for example.
Medieval Weapons- An Illustrated History of Their Impact 2007, pp. 139-40.
In terms of ethnic composition, you have done most of the research (your listed biblio). If you're looking for recommendations on additional sources, I would add the following (the last 3 entries are also by Nicolle)
- Armies and Enemies of the Crusades 1096-1291
- From Saladin to the Mongols: the Ayyubids of Damascus, 1193-1260
- Arms & Armour of the Crusading Era 1050-1350 - Western Europe and the Crusader States, vol 1 (Greenhill, 1999)
- Arms & Armour of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350- Islam, Eastern Europe and Asia, vol 2 (Greenhill, 1999)
- Horse Armour in the Medieval Islamic Middle East (an academic article)
Combat Tactics of Heavy and Light Cavalry
Going through research on Hattin and the additional battles listed above, I believe you would discern a clear pattern in the modus operandi. Instead of just calling it nomadic hit-and-run for their light cavalry, I believe a better description is tactical swarming:
Many examples of military swarming at the tactical level come from the ancient world and the Middle Ages. The most common swarmer in history has been the horse archer, which was introduced into warfare by the nomadic barbarians of Central Asia. Swarmer-versus-non-swarmer battles usually involved light cavalry armies of nomadic people fighting infantry armies from more-settled agricultural communities. The Eurasian steppe produced most of the well-known mounted archers, including the Scythians, Parthians, Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Magyars, Turks, Mongols, and Cossacks.
The firepower and mobility advantages of the steppe warrior were not surpassed until the invention of gunpowder. Whether their opponent was Persian, Macedonian, Roman, Frank, or Arab, mounted archers usually fared well. Unfortunately, many of the ancient examples of swarming offer little detail because of the remoteness of the events and the lack of accurate and complete accounts. There are few ancient or medieval historical sources on the history of warfare between swarmers, because most swarmer armies were nomadic. Often, only a brief description of the conflict is available.
Swarming on the Battlefield - Past, Present, and Future, 2000 - p.13
For heavy cavalry, it is the standard close-quarter combat. I emphasise this because of the almost-overwhelming emphasis (by contemporary scholars) on light cavalry of nomadic warriors. They had heavy cavalry too. In Saladin's case, it would be the corps of Mamluks in the Ayyubid army, the Salahiyya - elite royal guard with the best training and armour. They were not just his personal bodyguards (more research - Mamluk Studies Review, University of Chicago)
Additional reference:
- the importance of Manzikert (Turkish perspective), Turkish Myth and Muslim Symbol The Battle of Manzikert (2008)
- the original book on Saladin's siege of Jerusalem, Saladin and the Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (1898)
- The Cambridge History of Egypt, vols 1 & 2 (1998)
More post
- 📝 What is the oldest known international sporting event?
- 📝 Is Josephus' account for the length of the Jewish War generally accepted as correct?
- 📝 What does it mean: "French was a lingua franca in the Ottoman caliphal court?"
- 📝 How have military orders evolved in the information era?
- 📝 What unknown laws were mentioned in earlier Coronation Oaths of England?
- 📝 Why were bloody religious wars so incredibly frequent in Europe in the century following the Reformation?
- 📝 Has any country ever 'sold' a part of it's territory voluntarily to another?
- 📝 Did the Americans trade destroyers in the "destroyer deal" that they would later need themselves?
- 📝 What periods and locations in early European history had evidence based criminal trials?
- 📝 Pre-1950s views of West European Socialist parties on the welfare state
- 📝 Are the pyramids too old?
- 📝 What impact did the Seven Years War have on the American Revolution?
- 📝 Who introduced Yoga to the West?
- 📝 Why has there only been one dynasty in the history of Japan?
- 📝 What other ships were with USS Saratoga when it was hit by a torpedo on 1942 Jan 11?
- 📝 Does US law permit spending taxpayers' money to support foreign political parties?
- 📝 Are there any communist countries that were model high functioning societies?
- 📝 What was the constitutional status of Finland within Russian Empire?
- 📝 Anthropophagy perpetrated by crusaders?
- 📝 Who inherited from the pre- World War II German states?
- 📝 What do the last four digits of this postal cancellation stamp mean?
- 📝 What is it called when a Corporation purchases the rights to something to prevent it's production, to increase profit
- 📝 Why would selling watermelons in bulk be mocking?
- 📝 German invasion of Poland details
- 📝 How do I learn more about untitled artworks on the internet? (like this specific Basquiat painting)
- 📝 How did destroyers protecting convoys operate in bad weather during WWII?
- 📝 Is History a subject where certain knowledge is accepted by all historians or can any event be a source for debate?
- 📝 Did Britain call up veterinarians in World War Two?
- 📝 What was the combat effectiveness of German infantry in the western front of the Second World War?
- 📝 What decides who goes in the front rank in a line infantry formation?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Jerusalem 1187: How did ethnicity impact Saladin's army?
- 📝 How did Genghis Khan's army feed so many horses?
- 📝 How much of an impact did the Roman emperors' civil wars have on their decision to debase the coinage?
- 📝 How did the existence of the Alps impact the development of Switzerland?
- 📝 How did the Roman army go from constantly losing battles in the middle of the 3rd century to winning almost everything?
- 📝 How did the Swedish army deal with prisoners of war in the Thirty Years War?
- 📝 How did the British Army unit size and structure in WWI change from 1915 to 1918?
- 📝 How did ancient mystery religions impact Christianity?
- 📝 During and right after the French Revolution, how did France maintain and operate such a big army all over Europe?
- 📝 Jerusalem 1187: How would Saladin's army have laid siege to the walls?
- 📝 How did a scientist who came from China in 1935 become a US Army Colonel by 1945?
- 📝 How efficiently did the Red Army conduct itself during the invasion of Poland in 1939?
- 📝 How long did men have to serve in the US army until they were promoted to sergeants during WW2?
- 📝 How did Scipio Africanus recruit his army for Zama?
- 📝 How much impact did US Policy of containment have?
- 📝 How did a travelling Roman army decide where to temporarily camp for the night?
- 📝 How did the development in education impact the curiosity and creativity in German society pre and post WWI?
- 📝 How did the increase in the birthrate and marriage impact on US homefront during WW2 (1939-1945)?
- 📝 How did Jerusalem function as an ancient city without a major water source?
- 📝 How and why did the progress of Army Group A differ from what the terrain in the Caucasus might suggest?
- 📝 How did Red Army achieve to manipulate German Army in 1942 and 1943?
- 📝 How many troops did the Confederate and Union army have in each year of the Civil War?
- 📝 How did people distinguish slaves from free people in Ancient Rome?
- 📝 How and when did the word "nuclear" replace the word "atomic"?
- 📝 How did Israel win the Six-Day War?
- 📝 How did Nazi Germany finance itself during WW2?
- 📝 How did the general population of England convert so smoothly to Protestantism?
- 📝 How did the USSR manage to innovate in an environment characterized by government censorship and high bureaucracy?
- 📝 How did the Romans do division?
- 📝 How did 300,000 people survive the 3 1/2 year siege of Sarajevo?