Were Saladin and Richard the Lionheart really pious?

[strategist.com]

We are aware of their pious acts but what if they were lies? It was common at the time to write about someone else when there is a sword held at your throat by the one you are writing about, or if you are truly blind not to see how tyrannical you master is.

Richard's and Saladin's piety seems to good to be true.

[HMD Temeraire]

I believe that is very unlikely. If I remember right their are accounts on both the Christian and Muslim side that spoke of the two's generosity and honor that they showed during the Crusade. Both do however have their fair share of tyrannical acts, Richard at the massacre of Acre and Saliadin's executions of prisoners for example.

[HansDuet]

Pious

Tyrannical acts

But those are not mutually exclusive.

[xcorps]

Piety is something that must be viewed in the context of faith. During the consecration of the Great Temple of Tenoctitlan, for instance, something like 40,000 human sacrifices were offered. These were acts of piety...

Piety does not mean good or evil, right or wrong, humane or cruel. It is a virtue of spiritual faith and humility. You can condemn a religion or belief as evil or bad, but to suggest its practitioners lack piety is fallacious.

[Manuel I Komnenos]

Richard ordered the execution of many citizens of the cities he captured (among them were even Christians) so I doubt he was pious..

[KaerMorhen]

being Pious doesn't get along with being effective - both were considered as effective leaders...upper hand for Saladin after all

[motiv-8]

We are aware of their pious acts but what if they were lies? It was common at the time to write about someone else when there is a sword held at your throat by the one you are writing about, or if you are truly blind not to see how tyrannical you master is.

Richard's and Saladin's piety seems to good to be true.

Making a conclusion based on how something seems to you is not history, so you are in the wrong place. Unless you have any actual evidence that the writers talking about Salah ad-Din and Richard were doing so because their lives were threatened (THAT'S a good one), your topic doesn't have any debateable merit whatsoever.

[strategist.com]

Making a conclusion based on how something seems to you is not history, so you are in the wrong place. Unless you have any actual evidence that the writers talking about Salah ad-Din and Richard were doing so because their lives were threatened (THAT'S a good one), your topic doesn't have any debateable merit whatsoever.

Why do you think I'm asking?....

[MAXlMUS]

We are aware of their pious acts but what if they were lies? It was common at the time to write about someone else when there is a sword held at your throat by the one you are writing about, or if you are truly blind not to see how tyrannical you master is.

Richard's and Saladin's piety seems to good to be true.

do you know the definition of the word pious????

[Dr. Oza]

richard not really

though saladin was known to be

[Okuto]

I Richard was that pious....after what he went through to become king.....kind of stuff makes you lose your faith me thinks

[charles the hammer]

They were both as pious as a leader of the time could be, in my opinon

[RomanSoldier9001]

Richard was definelty Pious he massacred people in name of God what more you want?! That is pious engouh!

[Henry of Grosmont]

I Richard was that pious....after what he went through to become king.....kind of stuff makes you lose your faith me thinks

Tell me, what did he go through to become a king... Rebelling against his father and lawful liege?
And how that makes him pious or not?

[Odovacar]

Richard was not particularly pious for his age, if we consider the viewpoint of the church, who glorified martyr kings, saints...people who had the same rank as Richard but allegedly or truthfully showed a more christian behaviour regarding their actions.
However as a crusader Richard was indeed pious, he fought for a long time far away from his own kingdom, to recapture Jerusalem and to keep Outremer on christian side.

We must always take into account that we are talking about an age which was almost entirely different from ours in living standards, morals, aesthetics, life span etc. not to mention the worldview.

[MAXlMUS]

baldwin III and nureddin were known to be the most pious rulers in the crusading era (pious in a religious sense). saladin and louis X (saint louis) were also pious, but as for richard III hell no