In October 1191, Ramadan 587, on the Palestinian coast, the negotiations between Richard I and Saladin to end the crusade were progressing. On both sides, the troops were exhausted by a difficult six-month campaign. Winter was approaching. The king of England was wary of the ambitions of his brother John and the intentions of King Philip Augustus, who had hastily returned to Europe two months earlier. He wished to obtain a lasting peace in the Holy Land in order to return to his lands. Saladin delegated the talks to his brother al-ʿÂdil, who befriended the king. Three Arabic-speaking historians took part in the embassies: Bahāʾ ad-Dīn (1145–1234), an army judge; ʿImād ad-Dīn al-Isfahānī (1125–1201), Saladin’s secretary; and Ibn al-Athīr (1160–1233), a warrior in his troop. Based on their own experience, their testimony is invaluable.

The three authors report, concordantly, Richard I’s proposal to give his sister Joan (1165–1199), aged twenty-four, the young widow of the king of Sicily, to al-ʿÂdil in marriage. A year earlier, shortly after her husband’s death, Joan’s brother and Philip Augustus had wintered in Messina with their troops on their way to the Holy Land. The king of France had then asked for her hand, hoping to enjoy her rights in Sicily and even the throne of England, while Richard, still single, had no heir. The king of England had refused and his relations with Philip Augustus had suffered as a result. Consequently, a few months later, in Palestine where she followed Richard, Joan was still available.

According to the three Arab chroniclers, it was hoped that the union to al-ʿÂdil would put an end to the crusade by creating an autonomous Palestine ruled by Saladin’s brother. Under the terms of the marriage contract, Joan would keep the ports between Acre and Ascalon, conquered by Richard I. She would reside in Jerusalem where Latin priests could serve her chapel. Some localities, excluding the fortresses on the heights, would be left to the Franks and the military orders, who would recover the True Cross lost at the battle of Hattin (1187). ʿImād ad-Dīn concluded: ‘Thanks to a woman, the word “war” would be transformed into “peace”’.