Saladin: Egyptian Sultan who used the elements and psychological torture to wear down the crusaders.
(Saladin and his legions charge through Hattin, the Saracen general slicing through the throat of a Crusader with his saif before decapitating another one.)
vs.
Alexander Nevsky: Russian conqueror who planted the seeds of a unified Russia and stymied Westward Expansion.
(Nevsky battles alongside his men on a frozen lake. He decapitates a crusader with his Rus sword before running another one's skull in with klevets.)
WHO IS DEADLIEST?
To find out, we've assembled a team of world class fighters to test history's most lethal weapons. Using 21st century science, we'll see what happens when two warriors go toe to toe.
No rules. No safety. No mercy. It's a duel to the death to decide who is…THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR!
Here in our elite fight club we have gathered doctors, medical scientists and weapons experts to test out the lethal arsenals wielded by each of our combatants to determine who would win a fight between two legendary generals of the medieval age.
Saladin
Circa: 1187 A.D.
Age: 49
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Armor: Mameluke Helmet, Chainmail Hauberk, Kite Shield
Alexander Nevsky
Circa: 1263
Age: 42
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 175 Pounds
Armor: Conical Helmet, Chainmail w/ Lamellar Plate, Kite Shield
"Today we have a battle between two medieval generals. The Egyptian Sultan Saladin takes on the Prince of Russia Alexander Nevsky, this is a good match up and I can't wait to see how it unfolds."
"I'm siding with Saladin. The way he rallied his men to do battle against the crusading Christian army was unlike any general before or after his time. With the way he rallied his men he would overrun Nevsky." Biomedical Engineer Geoff Desmoulin says
"I'm siding with Alexander, he stymied westward expansion and crushed any enemy that stood before him. He rallied his men like Saladin and he has the superior armor and the fact that he battled forces that defeated Saladin in battle, I think those little quirks will help him win this." Trauma Doctor Armand Dorian said
The first sultan of Egypt and Syria and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, which at its height included Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, Hejaz, Yemen and other parts of northern Africa, Saladin would become most famous for leading the Muslim opposition to the European Crusaders in the Levant. It was under his leadership the Crusaders fell at the Battle of Hattin, leading the way for Muslim forces to recapture Palestine.
"He was a fierce combatant, yet he was also noted for his chivalrous behavior and would go on to gain the respect of his Christian enemies, most notably Richard the Lionheart." Mack concluded.
The mighty sultan comes equipped with an arsenal built for slaughter.
Short Range: Saif
Mid-Range: Halberd
Long Range: Tartar Recurve Bow
Special: Sappara
But today the Egyptian sultan faces a foe unlike any he has ever seen.
Born in Pereslavl-Zalessky, Alexander was the second son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Rostislava Mstislavna, daughter of Kievan Rus' Prince Mstislav Mstislavich the Bold. Alexander seemed to have no chance of claiming the throne of Vladimir. In 1236, however, he was summoned by the Novgorodians to become knyaz of Novgorod and, as their military leader, to defend their northwest lands from Swedish and German invaders. On April 5, 1242, at Lake Peipus. The battle is notable for having been fought largely on the frozen lake, and this gave the battle its name. The battle was a significant defeat sustained by the crusaders during the Northern Crusades, which were directed against pagans and Eastern Orthodox Christians rather than Muslims in the Holy Land. The Crusaders' defeat in the battle marked the end of their campaigns against the Orthodox Novgorod Republic and other Slavic territories for the next century.
"His army faced enemies who were superior in terms of armor and strategy. He proved that regular foot soldiers can defeat heavily armored cavalry in battle and that legacy still lives on today. Saladin will truly face the hardest opponent he has ever fought." Mack concluded
The Prince of Novgorod fought his adversaries with a deadly assortment of Rus made weapons.
Short Range: Rus Sword
Mid-Range: Sovnya
Long Range: Rus Composite Bow
Special: Klevets
Both generals used two blades of differing designs. Alexander Nevsky killed his enemies with a blade native to his homeland.
"Alexander Nevsky was known for his skills with a sword, his Rus Sword was about two and a half feet long and it weighed about three pounds it was made for both slashing and stabbing." Dave Baker explained.
To test the Rus sword. Nevsky expert Nicolai Markov will attack a gel torso outfitted in the chainmail hauberk worn by Saladin.
"Alright Nicolai, we'll test out your sword against the armor Saladin would've worn. Think you're going to do damage?" Geoff asks
"Sure thing."
"You may attack when ready." Geoff said before walking away
Nicolai raises his sword above his head and goes in for an overhead chop. The sword hits the mamluk helmet leaving only a minor dent. He proceed to swing at the shield leaving another dent before he goes for a thrust into the hauberk. The Rus sword manages to penetrate the armor and blood spurts out.
The panel now goes to inspect what damage has been done to Saladin's armor.
"It definitely did more damage then I expected honestly. You hit the helmet with 45 PSI, that isn't a skull fracture but he is stunned. The shield picked up the same amount of PSI and it's obvious he won't suffer any injury there. But, the stab into the hauberk and with it you hit him in his heart. The chainmail has failed completely and we have a kill here." Dorian said
The team now reviews the tapes of the Saif in action in 'Germanic Ghost Warrior vs. Hashashin.' After a lengthy debate, the panelists finally come to a conclusion.
"While the Rus sword can get through the hauberk Saladin is bringing, it's quite a short sword compared to the saif. The saif would be able to hit you first and possibly kill you if Saladin aims for the right spot. Edge saif." Geoff started off
"While you present a valid reason for you edge, I'm giving it to the Rus sword because despite its shorter length, Nevsky will be able to get through Saladin's armor while Saladin would have difficulty going through Nevsky's. Edge Rus sword." Dorian counters
The tie breaker fell upon Mack.
"You both present very good and valid arguments in favor of both blades. Though in the end, a little reach does help the saif in the end. First hits always counts in my opinion. I'm giving it to the saif." Mack says
In short range weapons, the edge goes to Saladin for his saif.
Next, both generals will bring out their polearms to see who can hest the other in mid-range combat, then later two legendary generals of the medieval age will square off to see who is the 'Deadliest Warrior'.
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For mid-range weapons our generals utilized incredibly nasty polearns to take their enemies down I'm a variety of ways.
Since we've tested the Halberd several times throughout the duration of show and Nevsky's sovnya is similar to the glaive, the team will now review the testing of both weapons in action and come to a decision after.
"Easy one, halberd will take the edge 100% of the time. No matter how good a polearm you bring, the halberd's superior versatility is the greatest we've ever seen in a weapon. Edge halberd." Geoff said
In a unanimous vote of 3 to 0, Saladin's halberd takes the edge in the mid-range weapons category.
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Now it's time to see who has the superior bow. Both utilized two bows of similar designs to kill their enemies at long range.
The Rus composite bow, which strongly resembles the Hunnic Composite Bow in almost every aspect. The panelists will review the testing of the latter in 'Mongol vs. Hunnic Horseman'. After that the panelists review the testing of the Mongol recurve bow which is near identical to the Tartar recurve bow in terms of power and construction.
"You guys want to test out to see if the arrows of these bows can pierce their opponent's armor?"
"Yeah, let's go." Mack said
Saladin expert Mustafa Khalid will have two arrows to penetrate his opponent's armor.
Mustafa strings his first arrow and aims it directly at the torso's heart. He fires the arrow and it flies at the torso. However it harmlessly bounces off one of the armor's Lamellar plates. Undeterred he strings his second arrow and fires it at the stomach. It penetrates the exposed chainmail portion drawing blood.
Nicolai now stands with his bow ready to engage his torso target outfitted in Saladin's chainmail hauberk. He strings his first arrow and fires. The arrow flies towards the center of the armor and manages to penetrate it drawing a small spurt of blood which spurts outward. For his second arrow he strings and aims it at the stomach of his target. Releasing the arrow it zooms towards the target and again, it penetrates the chainmail effortlessly and draws more blood.
The panelists walk over to inspect what damage our warrior's bows have done to their targets.
"Mustafa, your first arrow only harmlessly bounced off one of the Lamellar plates. It left only a small dent and no penetration whatsoever. The second one is different. You hit him in the stomach and actually, you did manage to make it all the way through his stomach with the arrowhead slightly protruding out the back of him. Not an instant kill but if he doesn't seek help he won't make it." Dorian said
He moves over to inspect Nicolai's target. "Alright Nicolai, your shots draws more blood and armor piercing than Saladin's bow. Your first shot skewered this guy's heart. He's instantly down and out. For your second shot you got him in the stomach, as a matter of fact. The location it hit him hit his appendix. With that toxic material will spill and spread into his body causing him to die a septic death. Nasty way to go and slow and painful as well."
Both generals have equally matched boths similar in design and power, which one bested the other?
"It's even across the board for this one men. Similar designs and power." Geoff started
"Agreed, the only obstacle Saladin has is the superior armor of Nevsky which provided superb protection against arrows. Recurve bow did seem to have slightly more power behind it. Still, it's a draw here for me." Dorian seconded
"It comes down to who can fire the lethal shot first. It's the man behind the bow. It's even." Mack concluded
For long range weapons, both generals are evenly match.
Coming up, two lethal side arms get to chance to see who can deliver the lethal blow when a sickled sword goes against a skull splitting axe, and later, two medieval generals will be resurrected to see who will reign supreme!
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Now we conclude our weapons testing to see which general has the superior special weapon.
Since we've already tested the sappara before in 'Germanic Ghost Warrior vs. Hashashin, we will test out the weapon Alexander used to smash his enemy's skulls in.
"Klevets, now these were about only one foot and had an axe head about two inches long, and a small bludgeoning hammer on the other hand, it was very effective for piercing shields it could also be used as a distance weapon." Dave Baker said.
To test the klevets, Nicolai will attack a torso outfitted in Saladin's armor as well as his mamluk helmet and shield to obtain additional information on its damage capabilities.
"Okay Nicolai, whenever you are ready, go ahead and let's see how much chaos you can cause with the klevets of yours." Geoff said
And with that, Nicolai swings his klevets in an overhead swing and hits the mamluk helmet with a loud clang that leaves a noticeable dent in it. He uses the hammer end again to hit the kite shield leaving a small dent before using his hands to grab it and throw it away. He switched to the axe head and swings it at the torso's exposed face in a bloody display.
"Wow. Some impressive display here. The swing to the helmet wasn't enough to fracture his skull but you totally dazed him enough to take his shield away and with your swing with the axe head, you embedded it into his face and actually severed the brain stem. Instant kill with that Nicolai." Dorian says touching the torso's face
Both generals have highly effective special weapons, which one though gives it's general the advantage?
"Now, these two weapons are highly effective ad dispatching your enemies. But one would have trouble with the opposing armor, the sappara definitely won't cut it's way through Nevsky's armor whereas the klevets has no problem going through the hauberk. It's a clear edge here." Geoff started
"Agreed, the klevets has options compared to the slash only sappara. Klevets did far more damage than I expected against an armored foe. The sappara struggles with the Lamellar. Klevets take this edge." Dorian says
"I again, find myself agreeing with you men. Klevets all the freaking way, I love that weapon!" Mack finished
In special weapons, Alexander Nevsky's klevets gives him the edge in this category.
Coming up, Mack will establish the necessary x-factors and after that, two lethal medieval generals will meet in battle. Which will reign supreme?
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And now Mack will gauge the x-factors.
"First and foremost. Let's look over generalship. I ended up giving this to Saladin. Saladin was a chivalrous man who unintentionally rallied troops on both sides of the battle. We gave him the edge with a 95 to Nevsky's 90."
"Next up is troop discipline. Saladin and Nevsky's men bravely fought alongside their leaders against a superior enemy. The crusaders had better armor and better weapons than both of them. Nevsky however, his men utilized superior tactics and bravely resisted against the northern crusaders and with that, showed how Nevsky was capable of instilling the discipline his men had. Nevsky has a 92 to Saladin's 88."
"Audacity is taken into consideration and Saladin famously had the audacity to give Richard the Lionheart a horse, which turned on him. Nevsky took on the northern crusaders who were better armed and equipped and he and his men won the Battle on the Ice. Nevsky scored a 95 to Saladin's 94."
"Logistics is also taken into consideration. While Saladin fought in his home territory and was even able to acquire the armor and weapons of the Crusaders, Nevsky's covered a slightly larger stretch of land and had weapons and armor native to his land. I gave Nevsky a 94 to Saladin's 93."
"Next is intimidation, Saladin takes this hands down. What he did in Hattin is beyond intimidating and if your enemy thinks you're a threat to Christianity, you are a force feared among your enemies. He has a 93 to Nevsky's 89."
"And finally, last but not least, we have strategy. Both generals commanded troops who were outnumbered and had inferior weapons and armor. They managed to still hold their own against the crusaders and used similar strategies to achieve their most famous victories. Both generals have scored a 90 each.
Our scientists and weapons experts are done testing and the time has come to decide who will be the victor. To ensure the battle won't be decided by a single lucky blow, the battle will be simulated one thousand times in a duel to the death.
The battle will be fought in a 5-on-5 encounter featuring both leaders accompanied by 2 horsemen and 2 infantrymen each, all of whom will be clad in identical armor.
Who will prevail in a battle between two medieval generals?
A sultan-turned general who fought the crusaders.
(A mounted Saladin leads the charge into battle against the waiting Crusaders.)
vs.
A prince-turned general who fought the Livonian Order.
(Nevsky and his men charge forward to meet the Northern crusaders on an frozen lake.)
"In the end, one will remain standing. Let's go.'' Mack said before flipping the switch.
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It is mid-day in the forests near Lake Peipus. Gray clouds hover above as the camera pans to the lake. Walking through a small path in the forest adjacent to the lake is a group is Rus soldiers. 2 on foot and 2 on horses. Leading this group is none other than the Prince of Novgorod himself, Alexander Nevsky.
Alexander Nevsky: 5
He had received word of an army from the middle east lead by a chivalrous Sultan has headed in their direction. He has gathered his best soldiers to assist him in halting this Sultan before he can harm Novgorod. They continue their trek through the forest before hearing something being sung in a language foreign to them.
Alexander tells his men to quietly move toward the sound. They come across a small opening leading to a large clearing and what they see are pleased to see several Rus soldiers walking in their direction. Nevsky raises his hand to greet the soldiers before they quickly dash toward his direction.
Nevsky noticed that they are not armed and several wounded and asks "Chto proiskhodit?"
"Eto sultan Yegipta ! On prishel, chtoby pretendovat' na Novgorod kak svoyu svoyu!" Replied one of the Rus soldiers
"Vozvrashcheniye domoy i vyzvat' podkrepleniye." Nevsky ordered the men
They all nod and retreat back to Novgorod. Nevsky and his 4 men continue forward and eventually the singing becomes loud that the Prince now sees the men singing it.
In a large field not far away, Nevsky spots 5 meb who are singing lines from the Quran.
The Prince takes notice of the man in the center of the group and is angered by his presence. Saladin, the Sultan of the Ayubbid Dynasty. Saladin and his men continue their singing of lines from the Quran whilst praying to Allah as his men jump around in joy for their recent victory. Confident that Novgorod will be theirs.
Saladin: 5
Nevsky then orders his men to string arrows onto their bows. They aim it high angle and given the order, they unleash arrows on the Unsepecting Saracens. Most arrows just miss their mark but one Saracen is shot through the back skewering his heart
Alexander Nevsky: 5 - Saladin: 4
Saladin looks in the direction in which the arrows came and order his men to battle. He orders his two cavalrymen to charge the Russians while he and the other remaining Saracen run towards the Russians with blades drawn. Nevsky orders his horse archers forward to meet the Saracens head on and unsheathes his blade.
The Saracen and Rus cavalrymen take aim at each other and fire their respective bows. One Saracen is shot in the shoulder and knocked off his horse while his companion continues on forward but one Rus horse archer is unlucky and is shot through his eye.
Alexander Nevsky: 4 - Saladin: 4
The two remaining horseman then withdraw their blades and meet in a clash of steel that echoes through the fields. The Saracen ignores the other horseman as they rode past each other and targets Nevsky himself. Nevsky sees the Saracen coming his way before he orders a Rus soldier with a sovnya to take out the horseman. As the Saracen gallops closer to Nevsky, the sovnya armed Rus thrusts the polearm into the horse's gut killing it and it stumbles to the ground dead and the Saracen is pinned under it.
Unable to escape, the Saracen looks up to see the Rus soldier stand with his sovnya in hand, before the Saracen could withdraw his saif, his life ends with the sovnya being thrusted through his skull.
Alexander Nevsky: 4 - Saladin: 3
The Rus's victory is short lived when he turns around to the sound of yelling and is suddenly impaled through his heart by a halberd welding Saracen.
Alexander Nevsky: 3 - Saladin: 3
Saladin is seen dueling with the remaining Rus foot soldier exchanging blow for blow. The Rus attempts an overhead swing only for the Sultan to sidestep and bash him with the kite shield and then swing his saif at his side hitting him and stunning him before Saladin finishes him off by quickly bringing his saif and slicing the Rus's head off.
Alexander Nevsky: 2 - Saladin: 3
Nevsky is seen dueling the other two Saracens just barely managing to avoid having his head taken off by a strange sickle sword and being impaled by a halberd. The sappara welding Saracen manages to land a blow on Nevsky's helmet dazing him. Leaving the opening for his halberd wielding comrade, the other Saracen goes for a thrust but is suddenly decapitated by the Rus horseman who rides by just in time to save his leader.
Alexander Nevsky: 2 - Saladin: 2
Saladin runs over to join his last man who continues to duel with the Prince only to have the last horseman start to gallop his direction. He quickly picks up the halberd from his fallen man and prepares to take the horseman out. The horseman sees Saladin with the halberd on hand and decides to try and strike him just within reach of his Rus sword.
He gets his horse galloping toward Saladin at full speed and before he can strike the Sultan, he is hit in the stomach with the pick end of the halberd and brought off his high horse. Saladin wastes no in ending the horseman and brings the pike end down onto the Rus's heart.
Alexander Nevsky: 1 - Saladin: 2
Nevsky continues on his duel with the Saracen soldier before finally landing a blow that severs his opponent's arm by the elbow. The Saracen howls at the stump before he tries a last ditch effort to swing his saif only for the Prince to block with his kite shield and is swiftly stabbed through his armor into his stomach.
Nevsky then kicks the dead Saracen off his sword.
Alexander Nevsky: 1 - Saladin: 1
Saladin glares angrily at his enemy. Both men get on their knees and pray to their respective higher beings. Once their prayers are finished, they unsheathe their swords and raise their kite shields protectively in front of them.
The Prince of Novgorod and Sultan of Egypt slowly advance towards each other. Both determined to win the battle.
Both men yell at the top of their lungs and charge each other. They meet in a head on collision of shields sending both men in a test of strength. Nevsky is left with greater leverage due to being taller and eventually is able to push the Sultan down to the ground. Nevsky brings his sword down onto Saladin's face only for the Sultan roll out of the way and slices his calf dropping him to a knee.
With his enemy temporarily helpless, Saladin brings his saif down to finish the fight only to have the kite shield intercept the strike. Nevsky follows up with a powerful swing that knocks the saif right out of Saladin's hands.
Saladin quickly jumps back to avoid another strike and draws his sappara. Nevsky recovers and turns to face his foe. Both warriors toss their shields aside as Nevsky draws his klevets, the battle must end here and both generals were now more determined to kill the other.
''Sultan Yegipta , eto gde vy padayete." Nevsky says cold heartedly.
''amir nufghurud , ainhunay ajlala waikbara 'amam jabrut alsltan." Saladin responds
Both men then charge each other once again and the clanging of steel echoes throughout the field. Saladin attempts to bring his sappara with hopes is severing the Prince's head but only to have the blow blocked by the hammer end and Nevsky headbutts him with enough force to break his nose. Too stunned to do anything, Saladin is left helpless as Nevsky brings the axe end of the klevets down onto Saladin's shoulder.
The Sultan screams in pain and grabs Nevsky's arms to try and pry the klevets away. Nevsky uses one hand and puts it on Saladin's head to push him down to his knees and brings the klevets' axe end down again deeper into his shoulder severing the brachial artery.
With his end near and knowing he has been defeated, Saladin raises his hands into the air and yells "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar!"
The Prince wasted no time in bringing the axe end of his klevets and cuts deep into the Sultan's skull through his turban. Nevsky retracts his klevets and watches as Saladin's corpse falls over, the Sultan will never rise again.
Alexander Nevsky: 1 - Saladin: 0
Taking a deep breath, the victorious Prince raises his bloodied klevets into the air and yells in victory.
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Winner: Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Nevsky: 516
Rus Sword: 95
Sovnya: 157
Rus Composite Bow: 50
Klevets: 215
Saladin: 484
Saif: 102
Halberd: 205
Tartar Recurve Bow: 50
Sappara: 127
X-Factors
Generalship: 90/Generalship: 95
Troop Discipline: 92/Troop Discipline: 88
Audacity: 95/Audacity: 94
Logistics: 94/Logistics: 93
Intimidation: 93/Intimidation: 89
Strategy: 90/Strategy: 90
In a climatic battle between two generals of the medieval age, Alexander Nevsky is victorious. His superior armor and special weapon is what clinched his closet win. It wasn't easy, Saladin had the superior sword and polearm allowing him to remain close behind the Prince of Novgorod.
"Wow, nice battle, ultimately Nevsky won due to having the superior armor. His troops had more discipline. And he fought enemies just like Saladin did except he actually won against his enemies." Geoff explained
"Saladin was no pushover, he fought a similar foe during the third crusade. Another general we will see in a future episode. But with that, Alexander's klevets proved to be a valuable asset. His armor was way more protective and harder to penetrate and that helped him in the end." Dorian commented
"When you have the more disciplined soldiers and better weapons makes sense you win. Though I'm a bit surprised Saladin lost. I thought the halberd would've the weapon that wins I for him. But no, congratulations to the Prince of Novgorod." Mack finished
(Alexander Nevsky is seen walking back to Novgorod, having fought the hardest enemy he has ever faced, he will warn his army of the forthcoming threat that looms over them. In his hand is the sappara, a memoir of the most grueling fight he ever had and homage to a powerful foe.)
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Coming up on 'Deadliest Warrior' it's another battle between two very lethal and well known criminal organizations!
Hells Angels: The infamous outlaw motorcycle gang who leave a trail of booze, corpses, and destruction where ever they go.
vs.
Russian Bratva: Mother Russia's cold blooded criminals who's ruthlessness and brutality make them feared by all who oppose them.
Who...is...deadliest!?