Reynald de Châtillon: Hero and Saint, Not the Villain Islamists and Hollywood Portray

Reynald de Châtillon: Hero and Saint, Not the Villain Islamists and Hollywood Portray
By Bobby Darvish

Reynald de Châtillon, the Crusader prince and Lord of Oultrejordain, is one of the most slandered figures in medieval Christian history. Western academics and Hollywood filmmakers, often swayed by Marxist revisionism or Islamic apologetics, have painted him as a bloodthirsty warlord or reckless bandit. Islamists, in particular, demonize him as the embodiment of Crusader brutality. But strip away the lies, and Reynald emerges not as a villain, but as a hero of Christendom, a man of unbreakable faith, courage, and conviction who stood defiantly against Islamic tyranny at a time when most would have surrendered.

Reynald was born around 1125 and rose to prominence through his marriage to Constance of Antioch. He fought tirelessly to protect Christian territories in the Holy Land, especially from the growing threat of Islamic expansion. Unlike other nobles who often sought compromise with Muslim powers, Reynald understood the existential danger Islam posed to the Christian world. He was one of the few Crusader leaders who realized that Saladin’s calls for "peace" were merely strategic pauses in a long war of religious conquest.

Modern portrayals, especially in films like Kingdom of Heaven (2005), portray Reynald as a savage lunatic obsessed with provoking war. But the truth is that Reynald’s actions were rooted in a righteous desire to defend Christian pilgrims, repel Muslim raiders, and cripple the Islamic forces that threatened Jerusalem and the entire Latin Kingdom. His attacks on Muslim caravans were not reckless. They were strategic, targeting the supply lines and wealth of Saladin's empire. And when Saladin demanded submission or death, Reynald replied with the boldness of a true Christian knight, reportedly saying, “I will not obey the orders of a dog.”

He refused to be a coward, unlike some of his contemporaries who betrayed the Cross for temporary peace. Reynald’s fortresses at Kerak and Montréal served as the last real bulwarks of defense east of the Jordan River. His leadership in the Battle of Hattin may have ended in capture, but his refusal to convert to Islam, even under threat of death, stands as a testimony to his unwavering Christian faith. Unlike King Guy of Lusignan who was spared, Reynald was executed by Saladin himself, not because he was cruel, but because he was courageous, because he would not bow to the Crescent.

Islamists hate Reynald because he exposed their brutality. He saw through their false piety and understood that their ultimate goal was the destruction of Christendom. Hollywood hates him because he was a man of principles who would not bend to modern ideals of religious pluralism or surrender his faith for political correctness. And now, even modern neo Ottoman fascist propaganda like the Turkish state sponsored show Kudüs Fatihi Selahaddin Eyyubi (Episode 58, Final) on TRT1 continues this smear campaign. In such shows, Reynald is once again painted as a cartoon villain, ignoring his courage, his sacrifice, and his resistance to Islamic conquest. These dramatizations are less about history and more about promoting modern Islamist nationalism by vilifying Christian resistance.

But to the faithful, Reynald de Châtillon should be remembered as a martyr, a saint, and a hero of the Cross. His legacy should not be one of shame, but of glory.

Citations

1. Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades: Volume II – The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100 to 1187. Cambridge University Press, 1952.

2. Tyerman, Christopher. God's War: A New History of the Crusades. Harvard University Press, 2006.

3. Maalouf, Amin. The Crusades Through Arab Eyes. Al Saqi Books, 1984.

4. Hillenbrand, Carole. The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives. Routledge, 2000.

5. Riley Smith, Jonathan. The Crusades: A History. Bloomsbury Academic, 2014.

6. "Reynald of Châtillon." Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reynald-of-Chatillon

7. Madden, Thomas F. The Concise History of the Crusades. Rowman and Littlefield, 2013.

8. TRT1. Kudüs Fatihi Selahaddin Eyyubi – 58. Bölüm (Final). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T3kMaA3c70