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The character is also shown as making his way to the Holy Land, and he did make this journey at some time. His father in the motion picture is shown to be a crusader, and this was indeed the case. The motion picture shows Godfrey of Ibelin as a noble knight who went on Crusade for religious reasons. Balian's father was one of the most powerful lords in the Crusader States. He ruled the County of Jaffa (modern Israel) and was a vassal of the King of Jerusalem .<ref> William of Tyre, p 201</ref> In the movie we see Balian going on crusade with his father who died before arriving in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It is likely that Balian had been living in the Crusader kingdom since he was a young man. He was not the only son of Barsian of Ibelin and was, in reality, his youngest son. His father gave Balian a large area of land and a castle and he too became a vassal of the King of Jerusalem. <ref>William of Tyre, p 212</ref> He would have been very familiar with the culture and politics of the region. Scott's depiction makes sense from a storytelling perspective. Most viewers would have been unfamiliar with the Crusader Nation. Balian provides a window into this world for the audience. While it is inaccurate from a historical perspective, it allows Scott to introduce this bizarre world to a modern audience.
Balian is portrayed as a young man in Kingdom of Heaven, but he by this time period, the real Balian was already a mature man. The movie does correctly show that in the 1180s that Balian was a major figure in the politics of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was very involved in the power struggles that greatly weakened the realm. In the movie , the hero is shown as struggling to save the Kingdom from various factions who were only interested in power. In reality, Balian was quite Machiavellian and sought to increase his own power and influence at the expense of his rivals. However, the movie does accurately show that the character played by Bloom was a great and a brave knight. In the movie he is portrayed as a great swordsman and a brave leader. The commander of the Christian garrison of Jerusalem during the Ayyubid army, was indeed Balain and he provided to be a brilliant commander, as portrayed by the British Director. He was able to beat off countless attacks by the Muslims as in the 2005 motion picture. In the movie we seen Balian and Saladin reaching a negotiated settlement that ended the bloody siege. This was actually the case and the Christian did agree to surrender the city on terms in 1187. In one of the most memorable scenes we see the main character as leading the Christians safely out of Jerusalem as he hands it over to Saladin. This actually happened and the Muslims did allow the garrison and the Christian population to leave the city unmolested. In the movie after the surrender of Jerusalem to the Muslim Sultan that he returns to Europe with Sybilla. In one scene he is shown as living happily as a blacksmith in his native village and refusing the entreaties of English knights to go on the Third Crusade. In fact, after the fall of Jerusalem Balian stayed in the region and he became one of the leaders of the Crusader states. He actually participated in the Third Crusades and was a key advisor to the legendary Richard the Lionheart. Scott shows the main character as having good relations with Muslim and indeed in real-life Balian of Ibelin had a good relationship with Saladin.
== Guy de Lusignan== Sibylla of Jerusalem====The ‘bad’ guy in the movie is the nobleman Guy de LusignanIn <i>Kingdom of Heaven</I>, Balian has a passionate affair with Sibylla of Jerusalem. He She was a real-life historical character and one who was very important in the history a sister of King of Jerusalem and later became Queen of the CrusadesKingdom after she married Guy Lisignan. In Scott’s movie he was an evil man<ref>Bernard Hamilton, and this was pretty much "Women in the case. He had been expelled from France for murder and he had had fled to the Kingdom Crusader States: The Queens of Jerusalem. Guy later married Sibylla as shown ", in the movieMedieval Women, edited by Derek Baker. In the motion picture he is shown as very anti-Muslim and aligning with the fanatical Knights Templers <ref> Runciman(London, Ecclesiastical History Society, 1978), p 21217</ref>. Scott’s movie shows him and his allies treacherously attacking She was a caravan of Muslims and slaying, every man, very powerful woman, and child and this prompted Saladin to invade the Kingdom had an extraordinary amount of Jerusalem, which was a disaster for influence among the Crusaders. This is a historical fact and Guy’s massacre of innocent Muslims did provoke Saladin and this led I In real life, she was married to the ultimate capture of Jerusalem by the Muslims <ref>RuncimanGuy de Lusignan (1150-1194), p 213</ref>but Sibylla did not have affair with Balian. The movie shows Balian and Guy as implacable enemies Additionally, Sybilla did not return to Europe and this is only partially true. The men live in real life had a complex relationship and were at times enemies but occasionally also allies. Guy was captured and later released by Saladin remote village as shown in the climax of the movie. In the finale of the scene there is Balian was married to a great duel between Balian Byzantine Princess and Sibylla remained married to Guy. The hero is shown as defeating his enemy and utterly humiliating never left him and Scott suggests that Guy was a broken man who was utterly disgraced. The duel probably did not take place and there are no records of Balian and Guy engaging in hand to hand combat. MoreoverUltimately, she succumbed an epidemic while campaigning with Guy after the fall of Jerusalem had a claim on the kingship of the Crusader states through his wife Sybilla. He began a civil war in a desperate bid to become king but was defeated and was forced to flee from the Holy Land. However1190, this rather unpleasant character was very fortunate. He was able to seize control of dying at the island age of Cyprus and become its Lordthirty. Indeed, he established a dynasty and his successors ruled the islands as kings, until the coming of the Ottomans in 1476 <ref> Edbury, Peter. The Kingdom William of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191–1374 (Cambridge, 1991)Tyre, p 22 . 178</ref>The love affair between Sibylla of Jerusalem and Balian while an important part of the movie was completely fiction. ==== Guy de Lusignan====
[[File: Kingdom of Heaven four.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Ridley Scott in 2015]]
One of the key characters in the Kingdom of Heaven is Guy de Lusignan. He was a real-life historical character and critical in the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He is the villain in <i>Kingdom of Heaven</i>, and that's essentially correct. He had been expelled from France for murder, and he had fled to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Guy later married Sibylla and became King of Jerusalem after the death of Sibylla's brother. In the motion picture, he is shown as a radical anti-Muslim and is closely aligned with the Knights Templars.<ref> Runciman, p 212</ref> In the movie, Guy repeatedly made horrible decisions. Each of the decisions was driven by his hatred of Muslims and his desire to expel them from the Holy Land. Essentially, his choices led to the Battle of Hattin, the slaughter of the army of Jerusalem, and the expulsion of the Crusaders from Jerusalem. In one of the key scenes in the movie, Guy and his allies are to shown attacking a caravan of Muslims. The then kill every man, woman, and child in the caravan in violation of their agreement with Saladin. This attack forced Saladin to invade the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which was a disaster for the Crusaders. This attack occurred, and Guy’s massacre of innocent Muslims provoked Saladin. This incident precipitated the capture of Jerusalem by the Muslims.<ref>Runciman, p 213</ref> The movie shows Balian and Guy as implacable enemies, and this is only partially true. The men in real life had a complicated relationship. Occasionally, they were enemies and other times allies. In the movie, there is a duel between Balian and Guy. Balian easily defeats Guy and utterly humiliates him. Balian's victory elevated him and disgraced Guy. While it's enjoyable to watch Balian school Guy, it is unlikely that the duel ever took place. There are no records of Balian and Guy engaging in hand to hand combat. Moreover, Guy, after the fall of Jerusalem, still had a claim on the kingship of the Crusader states through his wife, Sybilla. He remained in the former Kingdom of Jerusalem and began a civil war in a desperate bid to become king but was defeated. Ultimately, he was forced to flee from the Holy Land. Despite his repeated failures, he was able, after he fled, to seize control of the island of Cyprus and become its Lord. He even established a dynasty, and his successors ruled the islands as kings, until the coming of the Ottomans in 1476.<ref> Edbury, Peter. The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191–1374 (Cambridge, 1991), p 22 </ref> ====Conclusion====The 2005 movie especially Despite its rocky start, <i>Kingdom of Heaven</i> after the release of the Director’s Cut is now regarded very highly has been hailed by criticsand has been discovered by audiences. With regard to the question of Remarkably, the movie does a good job balancing historical accuracy of the movie it is broadly accurateand telling a story. The historical background and major events such as the Battle of Hattin are portrayed in a very fairly accurate way. It shows very well does a good explaining the decline and fall of the First Kingdom of Jerusalem. The nature of warfare at the time is shown very well. Moreover, it does present a realistic portrait of Saladin. In essence, this the type of historical accuracy most movies should strive for. The main issue Kingdom of Heaven does take liberties with the movie is that while its main characters are based on historical figures they are also involved in the Fall of Jerusalem, but these choices made a lot of sense. Balian, Sibylla, and Neeson's character were either heavily fictionalizedor created specifically for the movie, but each of these characters is critical to tell the story. For exampleBalian, in addition to being the hero, Balian is shown serves as a typical Hollywood hero but in reality he was a much more complex and ambiguous figureguide for the viewer. The love affair between him and Sybilla It is a complete fabrication. The portrayal through his eyes that the viewers are introduced to the Crusades, learn about the history of Guy de Lusignan captures the character Kingdom of this rather repulsive personJerusalem, and are shown the divisions with the Kingdom that lead to its destruction. In real life he did not receive his due deserts as shown in Sibylla also helps connects the viewer to the decaying Kingdom and humanizes the final scenes’King of Jerusalem, but he became played by Edward Norton. Ultimately, <i>Kingdom of Heaven</i> does a powerful Lord he even founded a royal dynastypretty good job telling an exciting and surprisingly historically accurate story. ====Further Reading====
Bernard Hamilton, "Women in the Crusader States: The Queens of Jerusalem", in Medieval Women, edited by Derek Baker. (London, Ecclesiastical History Society, 1978).
Hillenbrand, Carole. The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives (London, Routledge, 2000).
====References====<references/> [[Category: Historically Accurate]] [[Category: Middle Eastern History]] [[Category:History of the Middle Ages]] [[Category:Wikis]]
