Saladin's Secret Alliance with the Byzantine Empire

In 1185, Saladin sent a diplomatic embassy to Constantinople, forging a surprising alliance with Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos against the Seljuk Turks. This episode explores the negotiations, the proposed marriage between al-Adil and a Byzantine princess, the joint military campaign that never fully materialized, and how this détente shaped the Third Crusade. Drawing on the chronicles of Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad and Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani, we uncover a moment when cross-cultural diplomacy trumped religious war—and the strategic calculus that drove the Sultan of Islam to seek an accord with Christendom's ancient capital. #Saladin #ByzantineEmpire #IsaacIIAngelos #KilijArslanII #Seljuks #Diplomacy #ThirdCrusade #Ayyubid #Constantinople #MedievalHistory #Crusades #HistoryPodcast #MiddleEast #Alliance #BahaAdDin #ImadAdDin #Adil #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo