Robert of St. Albans

Robert of St. Albans
Born1150s/60s
England
Diedc. 1187
Jerusalem, Ayyubid Sultanate
Allegiance
Service / branchSaladin's Army
Years of servicec. 1180 – 1187
RankKnights Templar, later Army officer of Saladin
Known forEnglish crusader who, in 1185, converted to Islam and led an army against the Crusaders

Robert of St. Albans (died 1187)[1] was an English templar knight who converted to Islam from Christianity in 1185.[2] In 1187, he led an army for Saladin[3] against the Crusaders during the Battle of Hattin as well as the reconquest of Jerusalem,[4] which was at the time under the control of the Franks.[5]

Robert eventually married the niece of Saladin,[6] but was killed shortly after outside Jerusalem.[7]

Robert's conversion to Islam caused significant dismay among the Christians and sparked ill-will toward the Knights Templar in general.[8]

  1. ^ The experience of crusading, Volume 1 By Jonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith, Peter W. Edbury, Jonathan P. Phillips, pg.195
  2. ^ English participation in the crusades, 1150-1220, by Beatrice Nina Siedschlag, pg.49
  3. ^ The reign of William Rufus and the accession of Henry the First, Volume 2 By Edward Augustus Freeman, pg. 123
  4. ^ Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet, By David Hatcher Childress pg. 94
  5. ^ A history of secret societies By Arkon Daraul, pg. 46
  6. ^ The experience of crusading, Volume 1 By Jonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith, Peter W. Edbury, Jonathan P. Phillips, pg.195
  7. ^ Edbury, Peter. The Experience of Crusading, Volume 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 195.
  8. ^ Secret Societies of the Middle Ages, pg. 153-154, by Thomas Keightley