Sultan leaves home (7)
I believe the answer is:
saladin
'sultan' is the definition.
(12th-century sultan)
'leaves home' is the wordplay.
'leaves' becomes 'salad'.
'home' becomes 'in' ('he's home' can mean 'he's in').
'salad'+'in'='SALADIN'
(Other definitions for saladin that I've seen before include "Old sultan" , "Richard the Lionheart's enemy" , "Crusade foe of Richard I" , "Muslim warrior" , "Enemy of Richard I in the Crusades" .)