Richard and Saladin: The Lion and the Eagle: A Novel of the Third Crusade

It is the final years of the twelfth century. Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, has just achieved his greatest triumph: the destruction of the crusader kingdom in the Holy Land and the conquest of Jerusalem. In response, Richard the Lionheart, the valiant young King of England, takes the cross and leads an army to the distant east. Richard’s dedication to God drives him in a ferocious struggle with Saladin’s legions. Among Richard’s knights is Baldwin de Coudre, one of the King’s oldest and most trusted friends. Baldwin is eager to fight for Jerusalem, but the war tests his convictions, especially when he encounters Stephanie de Saint-Bertain, a young noblewoman who has lost her family, and even suffered enslavement by the enemy. Meanwhile, Saladin struggles to hold the Muslims together in defiance of the Lionheart. The Sultan wonders if he can even trust his own brother, the courageous general Al-Adil, who harbors his own ambitions to rule. Will Al-Adil continue to view Richard as an enemy, or as a potential tool in his own path to power? And how will Richard react to news from home that his brother, the conniving Prince John, is plotting with the King of France to seize the throne of England? Can Richard fight for the Holy Land and risk the loss of his birthright? At last, The Lion and the Eagle provides a novelization of the Third Crusade that holds close to the primary source material for the historical events. Here is all the intensity of King Richard’s crusade realized in a narrative of riveting, complex characters, vivid battle scenes and absorbing intrigue. The book provides a thoughtful and well-informed meditation on the great clash between Richard and Saladin as well as a first-rate story that makes abundant use of the rich history of the Third Crusade.