In this first film from our new ‘meet the author’ series Professor Jonathan Phillips explores the memory of Sultan Saladin not just in the West but also in the Middle East, and how he researched this information in preparation for his new book. In this interview we ask questions about how the book came together, what the challenges of researching a figure of the Medieval period were and how his attitude to the historical legend has changed as a result of his investigations.

Take a look at this unique insight to developing historical scholarship and unpicking the complexity of one of the most influential medieval leaders, whose actions still have relevance today.