The friendship between England's King Richard the Lionhearted and the Islamic conqueror Saladin remains one of the most unusual and fascinating relationships in the history of Western civilization. While the Christian monarch and the Muslim sultan were divided by the religious beliefs that led them into opposing sides during the 12th-century Crusades, the rivals shared a mutual admiration based on respect for each other's military prowess and bravery--so much so that Saladin offered the use of his physician and horses when Richard was wounded in battle....
The friendship between England's King Richard the Lionhearted and the Islamic conqueror Saladin remains one of the most unusual and fascinating relationships in the history of Western civilization. While the Christian monarch and the Muslim sultan were divided by the religious beliefs that led them into opposing sides during the 12th-century Crusades, the rivals shared a mutual admiration based on respect for each other's military prowess and bravery--so much so that Saladin offered the use of his physician and horses when Richard was wounded in battle. This episode of PBS's EMPIRES series explores the holy warriors' complex tangle of enmity and friendship through interviews with historians and dramatic re-creations filmed on location in the Middle East.
