Ayyubid Sultanate · 1169-1193

Saladin and the road to Jerusalem

A Kurdish officer united Egypt and Syria, won the Battle of Hattin and took Jerusalem in 1187. Students follow Saladin on the map and play his hardest decisions in Rule History.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1174 to AD 1191
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

A Kurdish officer united Egypt and Syria, won the Battle of Hattin and took Jerusalem in 1187. Students follow Saladin on the map and play his hardest decisions in Rule History.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how Saladin united Egypt and Syria between 1169 and 1186.
  • Explain the importance of the Battle of Hattin and the surrender of Jerusalem in 1187.
  • Compare what happened when Jerusalem was taken in 1099 and in 1187.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1174

From Egypt to Syria

Open the map in 1174 with the Cities layer on. Find Cairo and Damascus. Saladin ruled Egypt and took Damascus this year. Why did holding both cities squeeze the crusader kingdom between them?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1187

Hattin, 1187

Move to 1187 and turn on Historical Events. Find the Battle of Hattin, west of the Sea of Galilee. Zoom in: why would an army on these dry hills in July need the lake?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1191

The Third Crusade

Move to 1191 and find the Siege of Acre. Then follow the coast south to Jaffa. Why did the crusaders cling to the coast?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Saladin was a Kurd who came to rule both Egypt and Syria. How did he turn two rival lands into one power?
  2. At Hattin, Saladin's army kept the crusaders away from water in the July heat. What does that tell you about his way of fighting?
  3. When Jerusalem surrendered in 1187, its people could ransom themselves. How did that compare with what happened in 1099?
  4. Richard the Lionheart never took Jerusalem. Why did both sides finally agree to a truce in 1192?
  5. Saladin is admired in both Muslim and European stories. Why might enemies admire the same man?
4

Game round

10 min

Play the Saladin round of Rule History together on the classroom screen. Let students take turns choosing at Hattin, at Jerusalem and when Richard falls ill. Discuss: which of Saladin's choices made him admired even by his enemies?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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