User blog comment:Goddess of Despair/King of Kings Round 1: Saladin vs Charlemagne/@comment-24189690-20131128193736

Short Range: Normally, Saladin's Talwar would win in this comparison, however, both warriors are wearing chainmail, and slashing weapons are extremely ineffective against chainmail. The Joyeuse of the Franks in this battle, while having less reach, with enough power CAN pierce through chainmail. Edge: Charlemagne

Medium Range: Now, the pike is, don't get me wrong, an amazing weapon, and is extremely effective. That being said, however, it doesn't have nearly the speed of the boar spear. The reaon for this is because of the pike's length, which is much greater than that of the boar spear. The pike was meant for army battles, or for formations, or against cavalry. None of these situations apply here. On the other hand, we have the boar spear, which, while it isn't longer, is still able to be maneuvered easier, and has much more stopping power at a closer range. Not only that, but both warriors will be using shields, and a pike glance off a shield will recover much slower than a spear glance. Edge: Charlemagne

Long Range: Again, Charlemagne gets this. Why? Doesn't the bow have a much greater range, and can be used with very good efficiency? Well..... the thing is, as stated before, both warriors are using chainmail and shields. While arrows are good en masse, they don't have the power to really pierce through chainmail, or hurt the warrior if it DOES pass. The bow can't be wielded with the shield, which the Franks DO have with their Fransisca. Charlemagne is a much better warrior at close range, and he'll close the distance, at that point, a well placed Francesca will have much more power than an arrow, as it can jolt the shield, knock an enemy back for a second, and give the Franks that critical second that a bow just cant at the ranges that Charlemagne will be fighting at. Combine that with the lack of horses in the matchup, and Saladin has really no way to effectively fight him at long distances. Edge: Charlemagne

Tactics: Again, Charlemagnes invasion of Spain really takes the cake, as both battles show morale. If you read through the Battle of Hattin, Saladin has to keep on rallying his men to push the Crusaders back, who were thirsty, tired, and generally unfit for battle. That being said, one shouldn't underestimate the Crusaders, and one can say that his troops were right to run. On the other hand, we have Charlemagne's forces, who never retreated, even the rear guard never retreated, while they were being crushed and overrun. Roland died fighting, and it shows the Frankish nature. The Franks were accomplished infantry, and in this battle, Saladin won't be able to "draw a noose". He'll have to fight Charlemagne face to face, who'll engage after getting close enough. Not only that, but the invasion of Spain shows his troops will, as when an entire rear guard is attacked, normally panic erupts, morale is down, and Charlemagne has to rally his troops, however, he continues marching, and eventually becomes the Emperor of Rome. For this battle, Saladin really can't win. Edge: Charlemagne

Armor: Well, both are wearing unspecified Chainmail, so...... Edge: Even

Shield: Saladin used the kite shield, while Charlemagne used the heater shield. The kite shield is longer, however, Charlemagne's heater shield is much more mobile, and much more managable. Because of this, Charlemagne's going to be able to attack Saladin's troops faster, and the Franks will engage Saladin in melee combat, which isn't Saladin's strong point. Edge: Charlemagne

Overall: While Saladin appears to have the superior weaponry, its the man behind the weapons, and not vice versa in this matchup. Saladin's weaponry are simply suited for a large army, while the Franks weapons are suited for more skirmish based combat. This being a 4v4, and on neutral terrain, Saladin won't have any terrain advantage for his archers. Not only that, but Saladin's pike is much more suited for army combat. The Talwar is longer, however, its not as effective as the Joyeuse in penetration power, and slashes are useless on chainmail. The Fransisca can be used with the shield, while the bow requires both hands, this can make the Fransisca a much more usable weapon, since he can draw his sword after throwing it, and not have to worry about getting his shield as well. Edge: Charlemagne

Overall Deadliest Warrior- Charlemagne