Fifth Crusade Siege of Damietta

Timeline

1. 1221Damietta · Nile DeltaAfter capturing Damietta, the Crusaders held it for a long period. Papal legate Pelagius urged an immediate southward attack on Cairo, while King John of Jerusalem and others worried about insufficient supplies and reinforcements. Pope Honorius III repeatedly pressed for the advance, but Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II was long delayed in arriving, leaving the expedition in a strategic stalemate at Damietta.
2. 1221Southern Nile Delta · Nile DeltaThe Crusader main army left Damietta and pushed south, with Cairo as their objective. Al-Kamil adopted a strategy of drawing the enemy deep, avoiding decisive battle in open terrain to delay and exhaust the expedition's supplies and morale, while waiting for an opportunity to counterattack using hydrological conditions.
3. 1221Near Mansura · Nile DeltaThe Nile's flooding inundated the camps and roads, damaging the Crusaders' baggage and hindering their march. Ayyubid forces pressed from the flanks and cut the northern road back to Damietta, surrounding the expedition. Out of supplies and reinforcements, they were forced to enter peace negotiations.