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In real life, she was married to Guy de Lusignan (1150-1194), but Sibylla did not have affair with Balian. Additionally, Sybilla did not return to Europe and live in a remote village as shown in the climax of the movie. Balian was married to a Byzantine Princess and Sibylla remained married to Guy and never left him. Ultimately, she succumbed an epidemic while campaigning with Guy in 1190, dying at the age of thirty.<ref> William of Tyre, p. 178</ref> The love affair between Sibylla of Jerusalem and Balian while an important part of the movie was completely fiction.
==== Guy de Lusignan==The ‘bad’ guy in the movie is the nobleman Guy de Lusignan. He was a real-life historical character and one who was very important in the history of the Crusades. In Scott’s movie he was an evil man, and this was pretty much the case. He had been expelled from France for murder and he had had fled to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Guy later married Sibylla as shown in the movie. In the motion picture he is shown as very anti-Muslim and aligning with the fanatical Knights Templers <ref> Runciman, p 212</ref>. Scott’s movie shows him and his allies treacherously attacking a caravan of Muslims and slaying, every man, woman, and child and this prompted Saladin to invade the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which was a disaster for the Crusaders. This is a historical fact and Guy’s massacre of innocent Muslims did provoke Saladin and this led to the ultimate 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 complex relationship and were at times enemies but occasionally also allies. Guy was captured and later released by Saladin as shown in the movie. In the finale of the scene there is a great duel between Balian and Guy. The hero is shown as defeating his enemy and utterly humiliating 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. Moreover, 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. However, this rather unpleasant character was very fortunate. He was able to seize control of the island of Cyprus and become its Lord. 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 of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191–1374 (Cambridge, 1991), p 22 </ref>. ==
[[File: Kingdom of Heaven four.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Ridley Scott in 2015]]
One of the key characters in 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 is a historical fact and Guy’s massacre of innocent Muslims did provoke Saladin and this led to the ultimate capture of Jerusalem by the Muslims.<ref>Runciman, p 213</ref> T
he movie shows Balian and Guy as implacable enemies and this is only partially true. The men in real life had a complex 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. This helped push Balian into leadership 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 after the release of the Director’s Cut is now regarded very highly by critics. With regard to the question of the historical accuracy of the movie it is broadly accurate. The historical background and major events such as the Battle of Hattin are portrayed in a very accurate way. It shows very well 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. The main issue with the movie is that while its main characters are based on historical figures they are also heavily fictionalized. For example, Balian is shown as a typical Hollywood hero but in reality he was a much more complex and ambiguous figure. The love affair between him and Sybilla is a complete fabrication. The portrayal of Guy de Lusignan captures the character of this rather repulsive person. In real life he did not receive his due deserts as shown in the final scenes’, but he became a powerful Lord he even founded a royal dynasty.
