Presented with beautiful 15.75 inch Spanish board. Chess Men made in Italy. Superb detail. Beautifully crafted. 3.25 inch King. THE PIECES Once again Italfama have excelled themselves with the outstanding quality and exquisite detail in these stunning pieces The Arabs (aka Saracens) are commanded by Saladin, with his wife Ismat ad-Din Khatun as his queen. An important looking character in long robes and bearing scrolls for the bishop whilst a knight upon a handsome mount and the archer pawns are armed ready for battle. The Saracen legion is backed up with a sombre tower depicting the rook. The Crusaders are directed by no other than Richard the Lionheart. Supported by his wife, Berengaria of Navarre, who rarely saw her regal husband in real life and remained in their French properties during her marriage and his campaigns overseas. Walter Hubert is the bishop who accompanied Richard on his crusades. Instrumental in raising the ransom following his King\'s capture, he was rewarded with the appointment of Archbishop of Canterbury. Cloaked steeds in the Kings colours carry battle-ready knights, whilst pawns armed with long bows stand to attention. The rook is an imposing tower and completes this regal army. These superb historical chess men are presented on a beautiful 15.75 inch walnut and maple board from Spain. The Crusaders vs Arabs Hand Painted Themed Chess Men are also sold without the board. Either way, these chessmen make a superb gift for any history or chess enthusiast. THE HISTORY A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, also known as Saladin, was the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. He was also the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and led the Muslim military campaign against their Crusader counterparts. At the height of his power, his empire included The Hejaz, Syria, Egypt, Upper Mesopotamia, Yemen and other parts of North Africa. The Lionheart commanded the English contingent in the Third Crusade (aka The Kings Crusade) following the death of his father Henry at the start of this crusade in 1189. He went on to lead the campaign following the departure of Philip II of France and notched up many victories against his Muslim counterpart Saladin. Richard did not retake Jerusalem, however, despite all his efforts. Richard never regarded his Kingdom as an obligation demanding his presence as its principal, he preferred to use it as a source of revenue to support his military He was admired and revered as a hero by his subjects and remains one of the few Kings of England remembered by his nickname Richard the Lionheart rather than by his regnal number Richard I and continues to be an iconic figure in both England and France.