Walter Scott, The Talisman, the Crusades, Richard I of England and Saladin: Myths, Legends and History
by Ibn Warraq
Part 7
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6
The Talisman: Saladin versus Richard the Lionheart.
Edward Gibbon in his magisterial history [1] culls this story from Jean de Joinville [2], “The memory of Coeur de Lion, of the lion-hearted prince, was long dear and glorious to his English subjects; and at the distance of sixty years, it was celebrated in proverbial sayings by the grandsons of the Turks and Saracens, against whom he had fought; his tremendous name was employed by the Syrian mothers to silence their infants; and if an horse suddenly started from the way, his rider was wont to exclaim, “Dost thou think king Richard is in that bush?”
Major-General Sir Henry Edward Colville (1852–1907) was an English soldier who took a leading part in the Sudan Campaign, and served in South Africa. He wrote two successful travel books, one on Morocco and another on the Holy Land and environs. The latter, titled The accursed land, or, first steps on the water-way of Edom [3], recounts this anecdote:
“The memory of our lion-hearted king still lingers and is respected in this country. “Teshoof Rikard?” (do you see Richard?) says the Bedwin if his beast shies; and “I will call Richard” is applied by Syrian mothers to their squalling offspring, with an effect as good, I am told , as that produced by a similar invocation of Cromwell on the lachrymose babies of Ireland.
It is ironic that while Richard the Lionheart [1157-1199], the King of England and leading Christian commander during The Third Crusade [1189–1192], is remembered in the Islamic world right up to the nineteenth century, his main rival in the latter conflict, the Muslim Kurd known in the West as Saladin [c.1138-1193], was largely forgotten in his homeland. Forgotten until he was made known again to the Muslim world largely thanks to the German Emperor Wilhelm II”s visit to Saladin’s tomb, to pay his respects in 1898, and above all the novel, The Talisman [1825] by Sir Walter Scott [1771-1832].
[1] Edward Gibbon. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London: 1788, Vol. VI, Chapter LIX.
[2] Jean de Joinville (1224-1317) wrote “Life of Saint Louis” after having accompanied King Louis IX on his first crusade. He wrote about everything he personally experienced during the reign of Saint Louis, essentially the crusade in Egypt and their stay in the Holy Land.; a lively, humorous account full of anecdotes, said to be an accurate portrayal of the Crusades, and to give insight into the religious and political enthusiasm that led to the fight for the Holy Land.
[3] Major-General Sir Henry Edward Colville. The accursed land, or, first steps on the water-way of Edom. Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, London, 1884, p. 170
To be continued.
Ibn Warraq is the author of numerous books, including Why the West Is Best and Why I Am Not A Muslim.