Saladin (1137-1193) was a Kurdish-born Muslim commander and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, rising through the courts of the Middle East & Africa to unite Egypt and Syria under a single banner. In 1187 he shattered the Crusader host at the Battle of Hattin and, in the months that followed, took back Jerusalem after nearly ninety years of foreign rule, grinding the Third Crusade into a bitter stalemate. Yet it was his restraint that made him a legend on both sides of the war. He spared captives, protected Christian pilgrims, and earned the wary respect of his great rival Richard I — so much so that chroniclers in lands he had fought against still wrote of him as the model of chivalry. To his own people he was the Sustainer of the Faith, a ruler whose mercy outlasted his conquests.
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CavalryMiddle East & Africa
Saladin
The Knight of Mercy
The sultan who reclaimed Jerusalem and now rides at the front of the line, cleansing afflictions and shielding his cavalry as the battle wears on.
History
On the Battlefield
Saladin leads Cavalry, riding at the head of the charge as a tank who also lends support to those around him. He is the kind of frontline that grows harder to break the longer he stands. His signature blade, the Blade of Moon and Stars, sweeps a curved scimitar through his target while purging an affliction from his own body — and as the fight drags on he wraps his riders in shields, cleansing the ailments that lesser commanders would simply endure. The harder you hit him, the more stubbornly he holds, a vanguard who turns endurance itself into a weapon.
Hero Bonds
Bonds this commander belongs to — activate by fielding all listed heroes together:
- King's Hegemony (王者霸业) — with Qin Shi Huang · Alexander → +5% Damage Bonus
- Crusade (十字征途) — with Richard I · Frederick I → +6% Crit Resist
