Born in 12th-century France, Reynald de Chatillon joined the Second Crusade and rose through the ranks to become the preeminent figure in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, chief foe of the Muslim leader Saladin, and one of the most reviled characters in Islamic history. In the West, Reynald has long been dismissed as a maniac who brought disaster on his fellow crusaders. With original research, Jeffrey Lee overturns this popular perception, and questions other prejudices about the crusades that underlie modern misunderstandings of the Middle East.