1174: A Letter of Condolence from Saladin to Baldwin IV of Jerusalem

Abstract

The article analyses a letter of condolence from Saladin to King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, on the death of King Amalric of Jerusalem in July 1174, which has been preserved in al-Qalqašandī. The article follows two approaches: first, it explains the content of the letter by reference to twelfth-century forms and conventions of Muslim–Christian diplomacy; second, it places the letter in its historical context and deliberates whether it points to a Frankish-Aiyyūbid alliance in the period between 1171 and 1174.