25 Aug 1270 — Louis IX dies of dysentery in the camp outside Tunis during his second crusade. The strategic reasons for the expedition have never been fully explained. The last great royal crusade ends before it begins.
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Richard’s judgment about Jerusalem shaped the campaigns that followed him. Egypt supplied regional rulers with grain, taxes and fleets; a crusade that weakened Egypt might therefore make Jerusalem more secure. This was a strategic reason to attack the Nile, even though the holy city lay elsewhere.
Why it happened — The Egypt-first doctrine. Richard’s insight (Ch. 7) led later crusade leaders to look to Egypt for a secure Jerusalem. Its resources made it a valuable target, but the…
The turn — Jerusalem regained by treaty, 18 February 1229. Frederick II and al-Kamil agreed on 18 February 1229 to return Jerusalem to Christian control. The city had been recovered by an excommunicated…
What it changed — A treaty-held Jerusalem, then gone. The Jerusalem Frederick obtained by treaty was poorly defended and did not remain under Christian control. Khwarezmian mercenaries sacked it in…
Then ask the room: Frederick II recovered Jerusalem by treaty and faced condemnation; Louis IX fought, failed and became a saint. What does the contrast tell us about crusading? The argued answer is on the chapter page →
