Fifth Crusade

Fifth Crusade

The Fifth Crusade took place from September 1217 to August 29, 1221. It was part of a long series of Crusades by people from Western Europe. They wanted to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Land by first capturing Egypt. Egypt was ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by al-Adil, the brother of Saladin.

After the Fourth Crusade did not go well, Pope Innocent III called for a new crusade. Leaders such as Andrew II of Hungary, Leopold VI of Austria, and John of Brienne, the titular King of Jerusalem, organized armies to join the effort. Early fighting in Syria did not decide anything, and Andrew left. Later, soldiers from Netherlands, Flanders, and Friesland, led by William I of Holland, joined the crusade after arriving in Acre. Cardinal Pelagius Galvani arrived as the Pope's representative and became the main leader, with support from John of Brienne and knights from the Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II had promised to join, but he did not take part.

The crusaders captured the port city of Damietta in 1218–1219 and held it for two years. The new sultan of Egypt, Al-Kamil, offered to give Jerusalem back to the Christians, but the crusaders refused these offers several times. In July 1221, they moved toward Cairo but were defeated. They were forced to leave Damietta and agree to a truce for eight years. The Fifth Crusade ended in September 1221. It was a defeat for the crusaders, and they did not achieve their goal of reclaiming Jerusalem.

Background

By 1212, Innocent III had been pope for 14 years. He was unhappy because the Fourth Crusade did not take back Jerusalem. There were many problems in Europe at this time. In Germany, two men were fighting over who would be king. In France, there was a big fight called the Albigensian Crusade. There was also a war between France and John Lackland.

In Jerusalem, John of Brienne became the ruler when he married Maria of Montferrat. In 1212, a baby girl named Isabella II of Jerusalem became queen, and her father John took care of things until she grew up. There was also a fight in a place called Antioch.

Innocent III wanted to start a new Crusade to take back Jerusalem. He felt inspired by the Children's Crusade of 1212, even though it did not succeed. He believed it showed that even children were willing to help, so adults should also take action.

Preparations for the Crusade

In 1213, the leader of the Christian church asked people all over Europe to join a new journey to take back holy places. This call for help was shared by a church leader in France, but some people there were unhappy. Because of this, not many French people joined the group that left in 1217.

Leaders from different places got ready to lead the group. Some rulers in Germany and Hungary agreed to go, but others, like the leader of Germany, waited and did not join right away. The group getting ready was very big, with over 32,000 people, including more than 10,000 knights. They also had new ways to attack strong walls during their journey.

In Iberia and the Levant

In July 1217, many Crusaders began their journey to the Holy Land by sea. They first stopped at Dartmouth in England, where they chose their leaders and made plans for their trip. From there, they sailed to Lisbon in Portugal, stopping at the famous shrine of Santiago de Compostela along the way.

When they arrived in Lisbon, some of the Crusaders were asked to help capture the city of Alcácer do Sal, which was controlled by another group. Most agreed and, with help from the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller, they captured the city in October 1217. Some others chose instead to raid coastal towns like Faro, Rota, Cádiz, and Ibiza before continuing to the Holy Land and wintering in Civitavecchia, Italy.

The leader of Georgia, Tamar of Georgia, had planned to help the Crusaders, but she passed away in 1213. Her son George IV of Georgia also prepared to help, but his plans stopped when the Mongols invaded in 1220. After George IV’s passing, his sister Rusudan of Georgia told the pope that Georgia could no longer join the Crusade.

Situation in the Holy Land

Saladin died in 1193 and was succeeded by his brother al-Adil, who became the leader of the Ayyubid sultans in Egypt. Another son of Saladin, az-Zahir Ghazi, led in Aleppo. During this time, the Nile River had very low water from 1201 to 1202, causing crops to fail and leading to hunger and disease. People had a very hard time.

Al-Adil focused on Egypt and tried to avoid war. He worked with trading cities like Venice and Pisa and built a new fortress at Mount Tabor to protect important places. He sometimes fought with groups like the Knights Hospitaller at Krak des Chevaliers or with Bohemond IV of Antioch, but also made peace.

Az-Zahir Ghazi made alliances to keep his position strong. When he died in 1216, his young son al-Aziz Muhammad took over, with help from his mother Dayfa Khatun, al-Adil’s daughter. Another son of Saladin, al-Afdal, tried to take control of Aleppo with help from others but was stopped by al-Adil’s son al-Ashraf. These events kept the sultanate busy and used up its resources.

Crusade of Andrew II of Hungary

King Andrew II of Hungary was the first to join the Fifth Crusade. The pope asked him in 1216 to lead a crusade, as his father, Béla III, had promised. Andrew agreed after delaying three times. He gathered a large army and left from Zagreb in July 1217 with Leopold VI of Austria and Otto I, Duke of Merania. They sailed from Split on August 23, 1217, using a big Venetian fleet.

The army landed in Cyprus and then went to Acre, where they met other leaders like John of Brienne. They planned to attack two places: one group would fight near Nablus in Syria, and another would attack the port city of Damietta in Egypt. However, they didn’t have enough soldiers or ships, so they changed their plan to keep the enemy busy with smaller battles.

The Muslim leaders knew the Crusaders were coming and prepared to defend their lands. The Crusaders moved toward Tel Afek and later crossed the Jordan River, but they didn’t fight major battles. Eventually, Andrew fell ill and decided to return to Hungary in February 1218. Before leaving, he stopped at Tripoli for a wedding. Sadly, Hugh I of Cyprus fell ill and passed away during this time.

Campaign in Egypt

In 1218, Christian soldiers arrived at the port of Damietta in Egypt. They wanted to take back Jerusalem. Leaders such as John of Brienne and Leopold VI of Austria guided them. Damietta had strong walls and towers, making it hard to attack.

The soldiers first attacked a key tower in Damietta. After many tries, they captured the tower. This was a big win. But the leader of Egypt, al-Kamil, blocked part of the Nile River to stop the soldiers.

The soldiers faced many problems. Storms destroyed their supplies, and diseases made many of them sick. They also disagreed on what to do next. Even when the Egyptian leader offered to give back Jerusalem if they left, the Christian leaders refused.

Later, the soldiers moved toward a city called Mansurah but faced big problems. The Egyptian leaders blocked their supplies and flooded the area. Finally, the Christian soldiers had to leave Damietta without taking back Jerusalem.

Aftermath

The Fifth Crusade ended without success for the Western forces. Many people were unhappy because the fighting began before all the promised help arrived. Some leaders were criticized for their actions. One leader was sent away from home, and another was put in prison but later freed. The main ruler was criticized for not caring enough about the Holy Land. The Crusaders did not get back an important holy item they wanted. In the end, they left without gaining anything.

Participants

Some people joined the Fifth Crusade. They were in groups called Christians of the Fifth Crusade and Muslims of the Fifth Crusade. These groups help us learn who was in this important event.

Historiography

The historiography of the Fifth Crusade looks at how historians have written about these events. It includes stories from people who lived during the Crusade or wrote about it soon after. Important books and accounts from Western writers include works by Jacques Bongars, Jacques de Vitry, Oliver of Paderborn, and others.

There are also important Arab sources written by historians like Ali ibn al-Athir and Abu'l-Fida. These sources help us see the Crusade from different viewpoints. Later historians have kept studying and writing about the Fifth Crusade, making it an important part of history.