Saladin's Treasury Crisis: How the Sultan Paid for His Jihad

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked financial side of Saladin's campaigns. After the epic victory at Hattin and the recapture of Jerusalem, the sultan faced a daunting challenge: paying his armies, maintaining fortresses, and governing a sprawling empire without a steady income. Drawing from the chronicles of Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad and Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani, they delve into Saladin's innovative use of war booty, the restructuring of the Diwan al-Mal (treasury), the controversial sale of captured Frankish nobles, and the role of the waqf system in funding religious institutions. The episode also examines the financial strain of the Third Crusade, the collapse of Saladin's treasury after the siege of Acre, and how he resorted to melting down palace silver and borrowing from merchants. A vivid picture emerges of a leader whose military genius was matched by his constant struggle for coin. #Saladin #Ayyubid #Crusades #MedievalFinance #DiwanAlMal #BahaAdDin #ImadAdDin #Hattin #Jerusalem1187 #ThirdCrusade #Acre #Waqf #WarBooty #Mamluks #MiddleEast #History #FexingoHistory #Sultan Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo