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. Their main goal was to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Land by first capturing Egypt. At that time, 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, who had promised to join, did not take part.

The crusaders successfully 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 at the battle of Mansurah. Forced to give up, they left Damietta and agreed to a truce for eight years. The Fifth Crusade ended in September 1221 as 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 disappointed because the Fourth Crusade did not succeed in taking 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 happening in a place called Antioch.

Innocent III really 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 try 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 passed away 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, a very low Nile River caused crops to fail from 1201 to 1202, leading to hunger and disease. People faced very hard times.

Al-Adil focused much of his attention on Egypt. He wanted to avoid war and worked with trading cities like Venice and Pisa. He built a new fortress at Mount Tabor to help protect important places. His main fights in Syria were with groups like the Knights Hospitaller at Krak des Chevaliers or with Bohemond IV of Antioch, handled by his nephew az-Zahir Ghazi. In one year, al-Adil fought directly against crusaders, but later made peace.

Az-Zahir Ghazi formed alliances to keep his position strong. When he died in 1216, his young son al-Aziz Muhammad took over, helped by 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 stretched 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 honor a promise his father, Béla III, had made to lead a crusade. Andrew had delayed this three times but finally agreed. He gathered a large army and set off from Zagreb in July 1217, along 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 go back 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, a group of Christian soldiers arrived at the port of Damietta in Egypt as part of a big effort to take back Jerusalem. They were led by leaders such as John of Brienne and Leopold VI of Austria. The city of Damietta had strong walls and towers, making it hard to attack.

The Christian soldiers began by attacking a key tower in Damietta. After several tries and new ideas for fighting, they finally took the tower. This was a big win, but the leader of Egypt, al-Kamil, responded by blocking part of the Nile River to make it harder for the soldiers to move.

The Christian soldiers faced many problems, like storms that destroyed their supplies and diseases that made many of them sick. They also had disagreements among their leaders about what to do next. Even though the leader of Egypt offered to give back Jerusalem if they left Egypt, the Christian leaders turned him down.

Later, the Christian soldiers moved toward a city called Mansurah but faced big problems. The Egyptian leaders used their knowledge of the land to block the soldiers' supplies and even flooded the area to stop them. Finally, the Christian soldiers had to give up and leave Damietta, ending their campaign without taking back Jerusalem.

Aftermath

The Fifth Crusade ended without any success for the Western forces. Many people felt unhappy because fighting had started before all the promised help arrived. Some leaders faced criticism for their actions during the Crusade. One leader was sent away from his home, and another was put in prison but later freed. The main ruler of the time, however, was criticized for not truly caring about the Holy Land. The Crusaders did not even manage to get back an important holy item they had hoped to recover. In the end, they left with nothing gained.

Participants

Some of the people who joined the Fifth Crusade are listed in groups called Christians of the Fifth Crusade and Muslims of the Fifth Crusade. These groups help us learn about who was involved in this important historical event.

Historiography

The historiography of the Fifth Crusade looks at how historians have written about these events. It includes primary sources written during the time of the Crusade by people who were there or shortly 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 understand the Crusade from different viewpoints. Later historians have continued to study and write about the Fifth Crusade, making it an important part of history.