Nureddin, properly Nur ad-Din Abu al-Qasim Mahumd ibn 'Imad ad-Din Zangi, also known as al-Malik al-Adil ('the Just Ruler') 1118-74
Sultan of Egypt and Syria

He was the son of the Turkish atabeg Zangi, whom he succeeded as ruler of Aleppo (1146). He concentrated on the jihad, the holy war against the crusading Christian Franks, defeating and killing Prince Raymond of Antioch (1149) and completely extinguishing the most exposed Frankish state, the county of Edessa (1146-51). He aimed to unify the Muslim Middle East, conquering Damascus (1154) and Mosul (1170), while through his generals Shirkuh and Saladin he took control of Egypt and abolished the Fatimid caliphate. His empire began to disintegrate soon after his death, and it was left to Saladin, now independent, to carry on his mission.