One of the types of stories Usama Ibn Munqidh describes is what battle was like. He describes the strategies that the parties use in battle. One strategy he mentions is how knights would fight and withdraw so that those who were rested and fresh could go into battle while the others rested.

Usama Ibn Munqidh tells about a battle with his family’s rivals in Banu Qajara of Hama. he describes that his enemies had a large army with many allies. Usama Ibn Munqidh tells how he made the strategic decision to not fight but instead retreat. He stood by his decision to not fight in the battle because he felt that his group was outmatched in number. He strategically decided to retreat from that battle and fight another day.

I will bring this story into my classroom by having students compare and contrast strategies and leadership. I teach ancient history and often have units that include ancient empires taking each other over. We discuss the pros and cons of their strategies and the pros and cons of the leadership style of each emperor. We will first review the empires we have studied (such as the Akkadian and Assyrian). Students will list out the characteristics of their emperors and armies. They will then list the characteristics of the leaders and armies we learned about from Usama. They will compare and contrast the styles and strategies. Finally, they will argue who has the best strategy and why.

This is relevant because it helps students develop critical thinking skills. They will compare, contrast, and argue for which one is the best. This illustrates to my students how important it is to take one's time before acting. In real life, many students act too quickly without predicting what the long term consequences might be.

This example helps students better understand the Crusades from the perspective of a Muslim warrior because it tells a story from their perspective. Furthermore, it is not one of only successes. It is important for them to see the reality that just because someone is telling the story of the battle, that does not always mean they are the victor. It helps them see different experiences.