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Historical person

Raynald of Châtillon

1120–1187

Raynald of Châtillon was a crusader nobleman who became prince of Antioch by marriage and later lord of Oultrejordain. Captured by Muslim forces, he spent roughly sixteen years in prison before returning to power.

His raids against caravans and attempted naval attack towards Mecca repeatedly violated truces with Saladin. Captured after the Battle of Hattin in 1187, Raynald was personally executed by Saladin. Raynald of Châtillon was born in Kingdom of France and died in Hittin.

Cecelia Holland’s Jerusalem and Jan Guillou’s The Templar Knight place Raynald of Châtillon among the aggressive crusader lords whose raids repeatedly endanger the fragile truces maintained by Baldwin IV’s kingdom. In Templar Blood, his continued attacks become one of the pressures pushing Jerusalem towards renewed war with Saladin. Sharon Kay Penman’s The Land Beyond the Sea gives Raynald a major role in the factional and military failures that culminate at Hattin. John Man’s Saladin provides the opposing historical perspective, explaining how Raynald’s attacks on caravans and threat to the Red Sea helped make him a personal enemy whom Saladin executed after the crusader defeat.

Periods

Periods linked to Raynald of Châtillon

Battle of Hattin1187 CE

Series

Historical novels and book series featuring Raynald of Châtillon (2 series)

The Brotherhood in Order

by K. M. Ashman 7 books 4.5(8,807)

The Brotherhood follows the fictional Templar Thomas Cronin through the wars of the Crusader states and the political consequences of the Fourth Crusade. The sequence begins under Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, when Saladin's growing power threatens the remaining Christian territories. Montgisard, Jacob's Ford, Hattin, the siege of Acre…

All books in this series

Crusades Trilogy in Order

by Jan Guillou 3 books 4.1(19,395)

The Crusades Trilogy follows Arn Magnusson, a fictional nobleman from twelfth-century Götaland, from a monastic childhood through service as a Knight Templar and return to a divided Scandinavian homeland. The Road to Jerusalem establishes the rivalry between the Erik and Sverker factions and Arn’s forbidden relationship with Cecilia…

All books in this series

Standalone books

Standalone books featuring Raynald of Châtillon (2 books)

Non Fiction

Non Fiction featuring Raynald of Châtillon (1 book)

Biographies, histories and other non-fiction are listed separately from the historical novels above.