Impacts Now
The Battle of Hattin didn't only impact the world then. It also changed the path of history in a way that impacts us today. Without this battle, the world would be much different. Without the Battle of Hattin, Richard the Lionheart might not have come to the Middle East, and a harder, crueler leader might have come. Or a weaker leader might have come. People might have still been battling over Jerusalem as if it were a toy and the regions of the world battling over it would be like young children. Jerusalem was and is too important to be battled over. Since this time, Islam has been the main power in the Middle East. Although others have come and gone, Islam has remained. One can only imagine what would have happened if the Crusaders retained their hold on the Holy Land. What countries and boundaries would there be? Everyone should share this holy place and be civilized human beings. Another impact is that this battle iunified and strengthened the Muslims. Now there are less Europeans in the area around and in Jerusalem than there were in Richard's and Saladin's time. Even though people are more at peace now than they were when Richard the Lionheart and Saladin lived, this battle caused the Christians and Muslims friction over Jerusalem.