Saladin was one of the greatest Sultans of the middle ages, and the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. He famously defeated the Crusader army at the Battle of Hattin, and recaptured Jerusalem. The Christian armies of the west never recaptured the Holy City. Saladin's legacy still holds resonance across the middle-east today. In 1917, a French General supposedly marched up to Saladin's tomb in Damascus, kicked it and announced, "We're back," a story that would shape Arabic perceptions of the west in decades to come. Professor Jonathan Phillips is an expert in the history of the crusades and the author of a recent biography of Saladin. Producer: Peter Curry
Simon de Montfort was a member of the English peerage, who led opposition to King Henry III. He played a major role in the constitutional development of the country and remains an important figure in British history. Producer: Peter Curry
Dan discusses the Battle of Agincourt, a major English victory in the Hundred Years’ War, with Tobias Capwell, Curator of Arms and Armour at The Wallace Collection.
Catherine Nixey @catherinenixey is a classicist, radio critic of The Times and author of The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World.
