Fifth crusade

The fifth crusade (1217 - 1221) was a military campaign from which the goal was to take again Jerusalem, by initially conquering powerful the State Musulman of Egypt; it was a failure for the cross S.

Call to the crusade

Crusade without monarchs

In spring 1213, the Pape Innocent III published a bubble, Quia maior , inviting all the Chrétienté to join a news Croisade. The kings and emperors of Europe, however, were worried by internal quarrels. Innocent their assistance did not wish because the preceding crusades carried out by sovereigns (the second and third) showed failures. It made make processions, prayers and sermons to help the organization of a new crusade which incluerait the population, small the Noblesse and the Chevalerie. The message of the crusade was preached in France by Robert de Courcon; nevertheless, contrary to the other crusades, few French knights joined it. Number of them carried out already the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathares (regarded as heretics) in the South of France.

Total control desired by papacy

In 1215, Innocent III called the fourth council of Lateran, where, with the Latin Patriarche of Jerusalem, Raoul de Mérencourt, it discussed of the recovery of the Holy Land. Innocent wanted especially that papacy controls the entirety of the crusade, as it should have directed the first, and to avoid reiterating the errors of the Fourth crusade, whose Vénitiens had taken control. Innocent meet the crusaders with Brindisi in 1216 chooses to make, and prohibits all Commerce with the Moslems to make sure that the crusaders have Navire S and armament. Each crusader received a Indulgence, including those which helped the crusade only financially.

Ousting of Frederic II

Olivier of Cologne preached the crusade in Germany, and the emperor Frederic II, tried to join it in 1215. Of all the monarchs, Frederic was well the last to which Innocent wished to be combined: Frederic, with the head of the Germanic Roman Holy roman Empire was indeed the only one with being able to oppose the authority Papauté (what it does a few years later). Innocent died however in 1216 and Honorius III succeeded to him. This last prevented Frederic from joining the crusade but dealt with the armies cross of Léopold VI of Austria and André II of Hungary.

Military countryside

Sit fallen through of Jerusalem

They left for St Jean d' Acre in 1217 and joined Jean de Brienne, the king de Jérusalem Hugues Ier of Cyprus and the prince Bohémond IV of Antioche to fight the Ayyoubides in Syria. In Jerusalem, the walls and the fortifications were destroyed to prevent the Christians from defending the city if they sometimes happened to seize some. The Moslems fled the city, terrified with the idea of the repetition of the blood bath which in 1099 had been the first crusade. Ayyoubides, however, did not wish to fight. The two factions remained on their positions, and Andre, Bohémond and Hughes on their premises returned in 1218. Later in 1218, Olivier of Cologne arrived with a new army and discussed with Jean and Léopold an attack on Damiette in Egypt. To seize some, they were combined with the Sultan Seldjoukide of Rum in Anatolia, Kay Kaus I, which attacked Ayyoubides in Syria to protect the crusaders to have to fight on several faces.

Catch of Damiette

In June 1218, the crusaders began their head office of Damiette, and in spite of the badly prepared resistance of the sultan Al-Adil, the tower outside the city was taken the August 25th. The crusaders could not seize the city itself and the following months were fatal with many crusaders, of which Robert de Courcon which died of diseases. Al-Adil also died and Al-Kamil succeeded to him. During this time, Honorius III sent Pelagius of Albania to direct the crusade in 1219. Al-Kamil tried to negotiate a truce with the crusaders, but Pelagius did not accept these offers. In August, François d' Assise, then a subordinate of Pelagius, tried to reopen negotiations between Al-Kamil and Pelagius, but in vain. In November, the crusaders had succeeded in reducing the forces of the sultan and occupying the port.

Failure of the crusade

Cross quarrels

Immediately, the secular and papal forces fought to control the city, that Jean de Brienne monopolized in 1220. Pelagius did not accept it and Jean turned over to St-Jean d' Acre later the same year. Pelagius hoped that Frederic II would arrive with a new army, but this hope was disappointed; in the place, after one year of inactivity in Syria and Egypt, it was Jean de Brienne who returned and the crusaders walked towards Cairo in July 1221.

Believed of the Nile and rout

Meanwhile, Al-Kamil had been combined with other Ayyoubides of Syria, which had overcome Kay Kaus I. the walk of the crusaders was a disaster; Al-Kamil caused a rising of the the Nile, which cut the access of cross to the roads, then encircled them, forcing Pelagius to accept a truce. In September, Al-Kamil took again Damiette and the crusaders returned in Occident, without anything to have achieved the decisive one during their three years in Egypt.

External bonds

History of the pilgrimage of Jerusalem

Sources

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